Welcome to my world. I fought the blaze orange law for years. It has nothing to do with safety....just another hoop to put a hunter through. We are slowly heading toward a European model in this society.
The assumption is that EVERYONE hunts from a tree, and laws are written for that assumption

All the new rules since the early 80"s have been focused on gun hunting and revenue.Archers are at the back of the bus.TROPHIES before TRADITION.CROSSBOWS SHOULD HAVE STAYED{HANDICAP ONLY} AS INTENDED IN THE PAST.

-- Edited by manny on Saturday 21st of July 2012 06:49:31 PM

If one kills all the does there soon will be no need for the 1 buck rule

It's under the guise of opening the sport to more people and recruiting more hunters into the fold, but the truth is that the seasons and bag limits, weapons, etc are driven by revenue, the ag lobby and the insurance lobby and it has nothing to do with more opportunities or management of the herd. Friends of mine that work for the DNR say that within a few years, the limit on "cowboy" cartridges will lifted and they will open it up to all centerfires. Crossbows were just the start. Have been told that the "state" wants bunches of does eliminated at whatever the cost. We as bowhunters and hunters in general are hardly a drop in the financial bucket compared to the insurance and farming lobby in Indy.

John, if you're still up call me! I'm working 3rd again tonight!

i agree with all the above but we can all piss n moan or vote all we want then it all boils down to who has the most money i have got to the point i dont care what they do if i want a deer in july im gonna get one what im trying to say is if they take this or take that then there job is to catch me screw em im hard to catch

flinttim wrote:

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This is where it's heading for sure. We were always told that centerfires were dangerous in Indiana, too flat, at least in the north half of the state. I know guys who are wildcatting "pistol" cartidges and getting upwards of 2500 ft/sec and ranges out to 400 yards. This exceeds the old 30/30. The gun makers and ammo guys are pushing this too.I've always joked that there will be a slingshot season some day. Might not be a joke.

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Tim, I havn't bought a tag in years, so don't know if I'm close on the price, but they'd have a sling-shot, spear, knife or whatever season, if the greedy bastards thought they could get another $27.75 for it.

Hmmmm, dont know about some of these responses. Of course, I also dont know about the Hoosier seasons,bag limits, regs, and management of the DNR. I hear lots of grumbling and griping in KY too, and for the most part, I feel its unwarranted.Its hard, no, impossible to please everyone. Nobody likes rules, but if we had no traffic laws, how safe would the roads be? If there were no reprisals for theft, murder,rape, what kind of hysteria would we live in? Don't get me wrong, I'm a very conservative type guy, allways opposed to the government agencies interfering in our lives, but there has to be rules. Most people have a good sense of right from wrong, but some behave only out of fear of reprimand, or some type of punishment.
In my humble, unbiased opinion, our state (KY) and I dare say most states, Wildlife departments are staffed with some very knowledgeable, trained, and dedicated people that make game law decisions based on scientific logic, not emotion.
We as hunters would love to see deer behind every tree, but you just can't expect that too work. An over population is not a good thing. This is the reason our game laws change, annually. its based on harvest records, and their best EDUCATED guess on populations versus the carrying capacity of the land. You get a bunch of traffic accidents related to deer/auto collisions, and crop depredation, they will increase the harvest, PERIOD. Yes, thats about money,it also may save lives.
Lets not all forget the "Good old days" . When I was a lad, to go hunting meant squirrel,rabbit,dove,quail,duck, groundhog,crow, coon,possum,mink,skunk,.... um, thats pretty much it.
Today I can look forward to these plus deer,turkey,black bear,elk,sandhill crane, geese,coyote,otter,beaver, not to mention bald eagle sightings are more common everyday.
What helped these species all reappear? Plain and simple, it was not a government bill, or special program,it wasn't the humane society, it wasn't a liberal bleeding heart "save the seals" foundation ran by some bubbleheaded out of touch with reality dim wit from urban America, It was us, and our monies that we raised in the form of license,tags, permits, and taxes on sportsman related items, and our state wildlife agencies, that salaries and expenses this pays. Folks, I think they do a damn fine job! Its easy to critisize the job someone is doing, when you never have to do that job you're self. "Don't mock a man untill you walk a mile in his moccasins" comes to mind.
I feel my Sportsman license, and any other expense charged for hunting in my state is the cheapest entertainment around, and i'm glad to pay it.
We can bitch,moan and complain, but folks, THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS !
Rant over.

Johns right Randy. In the 90's it was nothing to see 10-25 deer in a field on any given day! Now if you see 5 in a field it makes us happy. There is no threat of over population in Indiana. The crossbow company's give money in campain donations for the promise of a season. If the politition wins, they make money! Insurance companies whether it be auto or farm push for more deer killed! One really big problem right now is people from other states coming here to hunt. Last year I talked to several different people from different places that came to my county just because we produce the most book bucks of any other county.... I wish they would stay home! Some were from PA. Iv'e been to Pennsyvania..They have way more deer than us BUT we don't go there to hunt!

if im not misstakinen you can kill as many as you buy tags for archery in western ky dont know about the gun season down there like i said befor you cant fight the big money so ill just keep doing what i do if any of you fellas want to hunt ky i have some places to take ya day or night lol

The big difference between KY and IN is the fact that KY actually places high value on sportsman of all kinds and the funds that are produced from license fees, hunting, fishing, sporting equipment, etc...And yes, KY appears to base their management practices on sound biology and from an outsider looking in, it seems to strike a balance between the farming community, land owners and hunters. Like a previous post stated, Indiana is all about money generated for the State. That is exactly how crossbows came into being for archery season. Our management practices here are not based on anything other than knocking herd numbers down to appease the ag/insurance lobby that has the ear of the elected officials in the State House. I have spoken to several DNR employees that have assured me that the "good old days" of deer hunting are over in Indiana and that within the next few years, the methods of taking deer will basically become wide open and it will be "run what ya brung" type of thing...A novel idea might be for more farmers/land owners that have damage to open up access to hunters to help them with their problem. And I'm not talking about damn leasing...access on a handshake and a man's word. They can already get bunches of depredation permits and can have shooters use centerfires and spotlights. It's all politics and greed.

Agreed...I just had an article in our local paper a few weeks ago about the lack of ditches and fence rows and how they are a thing of the past. I'm just old enough to have been in on the tag end of the "good old days"...I shiver at the future of hunting, fishing and outdoor opportunities for kids like Drew.

"knocking herd numbers down to appease the ag/insurance lobby that has the ear of the elected officials in the State House."
Does Indiana have no bowhunting lobby group? This is the only way to be heard. If the insurance companies show up at the DNR meetings in force, and there are no bowhunting lobby represenatives, guess who gets their way? The squeeking wheel gets the grease. You guys are squeeking, but they are not hearing you.

The biggest problem is those farmers who complain of damage and loss, wont let you hunt their properties[BUT ALWAYS WANT BAILED OUT],or lease to guys who only trophy hunt and wont harvest does[if one cant access ground where the problem is at, one cant help solve or control the problem]  THEIR LAND, THEIR RIGHT,TAXPAYER PLIGHT         STATE STILL GREEDY