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Post by tylerprime on Aug 8, 2020 22:37:47 GMT -5
Hello everyone!
My wife and I are moving up to NW Indiana (Valparaiso) in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to prepare for the upcoming hunting season.
I've lived in Southern California my entire life which unfortunately means that I haven't been able to get access to good hunting zones (I think our average success rates are about 5% for my zones). That being said, from what I've read it appears that Indiana has pretty good hunting all around.
My Dad and I used to drive about 6 hours up to Northern CA to do rifle hunting but never attempted bow hunting before. I've always wanted to get into it and enjoy that aspect of hunting.
I was wondering if NW Indiana has decent public areas to bow hunt for Deer? I saw the DNR map has some public hunting areas but I was unsure if they were truly suitable for Deer hunting.
If there is decent hunting potential in my area, what type of bow/draw weight should I be looking to target to hunt effectively?
Thank you!
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Post by scrub-buster on Aug 9, 2020 7:13:03 GMT -5
Welcome to Indiana! I'm in the opposite corner of the state so I can't help you with where to hunt. Good luck this fall.
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Post by freedomhunter on Aug 9, 2020 7:22:16 GMT -5
You are moving to one of the more tough areas of our state to find a place to hunt. Not that any place is easy. Make as many friends in the hunting community as you can. You may have to travel to somewhere with more opportunity like southern Indiana. Maybe not!
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Post by featherduster on Aug 9, 2020 8:24:28 GMT -5
Moving to Valparaiso is a great choice that city has it all and you will be very happy there. There are numerous State hunting areas within an hours drive. Lake Michigan for Salmon and Trout other bodies of water for bass and panfish. Winters are tolerable and beautiful.
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Post by esshup on Aug 9, 2020 10:55:07 GMT -5
tylerprime: Welcome to the forum. Where in So. Cal. did you live? To me, driving 6 hours to hunt in No. Cal. isn't quite So. Cal., maybe because I lived in Oceanside.
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Post by tylerprime on Aug 9, 2020 13:37:16 GMT -5
tylerprime: Welcome to the forum. Where in So. Cal. did you live? To me, driving 6 hours to hunt in No. Cal. isn't quite So. Cal., maybe because I lived in Oceanside. Born and raised in Huntington Beach. May have been a little over 6 hours, can't remember as it's been about 15 years since we've done it. Oceanside is a nice place, lots of decent coastal fishing if I remember correctly. I actually accepted a job in Chicago and initially planned to move to Illinois. My wife and I were told Illinois is similar to California in terms of politics, so we opted for NW Indiana. We do not prefer the political ideology of California and unfortunately are seen as the black sheep in many of our circles (work, hobbies, etc). I'd probably be willing to drive 2 hours to get to a decent hunting area. It sucks to hear that the hunting near Valparaiso isn't too good. I guess I can stop by some of the archery shops near Valparaiso and see what their thoughts are. Thanks everyone for the feedback.
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Post by esshup on Aug 9, 2020 19:38:56 GMT -5
Depending where in Chicago you will be well within the 2 hour window. Heck, it was almost 4 hours to North LA from Oceanside in rush hour traffic...... The fishing there was pretty good, but typically I'd do the drive to San DIego (Fishermans Landing) and go out from there - Mexican waters was a lot closer to them and there were a LOT more boats going out. Up there in HB, you could go out from Dana Wharf and Davey's Locker. You had better fishing up there for the Albacore, White Seabass and Yellowtail than we had down South. You were a lot closer to Santa Catalina Islandand San Clemente Island than I was. I belonged to the trap club there in San Clemente, and the birdshot would actually fall on Pendleton. Look at Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife area near LaPorte. www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3089.htmPretty good sized and within 45 minutes of Valpo.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2020 6:52:41 GMT -5
Welcome soon to Indiana and have a great fall winter season and set up in your new adventure. I hunt southeast so no help, except wishing your family the best.
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Post by tylerprime on Aug 11, 2020 13:19:47 GMT -5
Depending where in Chicago you will be well within the 2 hour window. Heck, it was almost 4 hours to North LA from Oceanside in rush hour traffic...... The fishing there was pretty good, but typically I'd do the drive to San DIego (Fishermans Landing) and go out from there - Mexican waters was a lot closer to them and there were a LOT more boats going out. Up there in HB, you could go out from Dana Wharf and Davey's Locker. You had better fishing up there for the Albacore, White Seabass and Yellowtail than we had down South. You were a lot closer to Santa Catalina Islandand San Clemente Island than I was. I belonged to the trap club there in San Clemente, and the birdshot would actually fall on Pendleton. Look at Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife area near LaPorte. www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3089.htmPretty good sized and within 45 minutes of Valpo. Wow did you commute to LA from Oceanside? I once worked with someone who commuted from Oceanside to Aliso Viejo. He always looked like the commute destroyed his soul. That stretch of the 5 freeway through Pendleton is monstrous when there are wrecks due to the fact that you can't turn around or take an alternate route. Thanks for the advice everyone. Can't wait to get started this season. I was actually looking over some of the firearm laws for Indiana and I was very surprised. You don't have to wait to purchase a rifle nor do you have to obtain a permit! You basically buy the gun and they give it to you over the counter when you pass the background check. That concept is so foreign to me considering CA is so restrictive. Indiana is going to be so much fun!
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Post by bullseye69 on Aug 12, 2020 6:48:37 GMT -5
What brought you to Indiana? And don't say a car.😄
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Post by tylerprime on Aug 12, 2020 13:22:28 GMT -5
What brought you to Indiana? And don't say a car.😄 Technically it was work. I needed to find a new job and my wife and I used it as an opportunity to basically escape from California. We thought it would probably take another 5-10 years until we'd be able to move but the work opportunity popped up in Chicago, so I jumped at the opportunity. My options ranged from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. We looked into the politics of Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan and they were all California-like (though I'll admit California is probably the most left leaning state in the country). Indiana aligned more with our beliefs and ideology. At the end of the day, we just want the government to leave us alone and allow us to live our lives. You can't really do that in California because everything is either taxed or regulated. 100% of the states politics are run by Los Angeles and San Francisco. Where I grew up in California, the median home price is over 800 thousand! That price tag is not worth the politics, regulation, taxes, etc (despite the great weather and entertainment opportunities). I don't have issues with people who align themselves on the left side of the political spectrum. Some of my family/friends have those beliefs and I love/respect them. Unfortunately I am a bit biased about California because it's caused so much distress. Also the fact that people who live in a city filled with trash, poop and homeless (San Francisco) get to tell me how to live my life.
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Post by freedomhunter on Aug 12, 2020 17:42:04 GMT -5
I would have chosen Texas. I do have one older client that left cali for here, has family here. Same reasons. Lots of good people on here if you get to know them I'm sure they can help you.
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Post by tylerprime on Aug 12, 2020 20:21:35 GMT -5
I would have chosen Texas. I do have one older client that left cali for here, has family here. Same reasons. Lots of good people on here if you get to know them I'm sure they can help you. Texas is a great state as well. Unfortunately none of my work applications went through over there. Maybe one day I'll make my way down.
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Post by genesis273 on Aug 13, 2020 16:16:18 GMT -5
You'll have options such as Willow Slough, Jasper/Pulaski, Aukiki, LaSalle and some nice TNC (The Nature Conservancy) ground in Newton and Jasper County. I hunt private ground so I can't speak from personal experience. However, I have a couple of friends that hunt some of these public grounds and they have been very successful year after year. Not always monster bucks but, tags filled, neat in the freezer and fun adventures had.
Welcome to Indiana! Welcome to the forum and check in often!
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Post by esshup on Aug 16, 2020 22:48:04 GMT -5
Depending where in Chicago you will be well within the 2 hour window. Heck, it was almost 4 hours to North LA from Oceanside in rush hour traffic...... The fishing there was pretty good, but typically I'd do the drive to San DIego (Fishermans Landing) and go out from there - Mexican waters was a lot closer to them and there were a LOT more boats going out. Up there in HB, you could go out from Dana Wharf and Davey's Locker. You had better fishing up there for the Albacore, White Seabass and Yellowtail than we had down South. You were a lot closer to Santa Catalina Islandand San Clemente Island than I was. I belonged to the trap club there in San Clemente, and the birdshot would actually fall on Pendleton. Look at Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife area near LaPorte. www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3089.htmPretty good sized and within 45 minutes of Valpo. Wow did you commute to LA from Oceanside? I once worked with someone who commuted from Oceanside to Aliso Viejo. He always looked like the commute destroyed his soul. That stretch of the 5 freeway through Pendleton is monstrous when there are wrecks due to the fact that you can't turn around or take an alternate route. Thanks for the advice everyone. Can't wait to get started this season. I was actually looking over some of the firearm laws for Indiana and I was very surprised. You don't have to wait to purchase a rifle nor do you have to obtain a permit! You basically buy the gun and they give it to you over the counter when you pass the background check. That concept is so foreign to me considering CA is so restrictive. Indiana is going to be so much fun! No, but I did work on the earthquake restoration of the LA Coliseum right after the Northridge Earthquake, but lived in a hotel up there for the 3 months. Worked 12, off 12 with no days off, so no trips home...... I agree with the gun culture in Ca. When I looked for a shooting range, even the board member of a club said he didn't know of any places. I found out that he was a board member after I joined...... I belonged to a gun club in Escondido and at San Clemente, and drove to Anza to shoot clay bird games as well. I worked in Vista, lived by the Bonsall Bridge in Oceanside. I raised and trained my Springer Spaniels and ran them in Field Trials - they were hunting dogs and pets, but doing the trials was a great way to get them trained. We trained in Tehachapi California (So. Cal. Springer Spaniel Club) about once a month and did our regular training on the weekends near Temecula. A buddy and I would also drive to Phoenix once a month during the winter to shoot for a dog trainer there, his clients wouldn't shoot the birds far enough out so the dogs would get a good retrieve, they'd shoot them as soon as they flushed, not when/where he wanted them shot. You can do the same with handguns here, buy and walk out with it same day. I'd run up to LA about once a month and buy powder/primers/wads for the guys at the gun club, and also belonging to the gun club in San Clemente I know all about the traffic problems on I-5 going through Pendleton. When there was traffic, the backup at the Border Patrol check point in Pendleton was a problem too. Wisconsin isn't too bad, Illinois is about the worst (forget about it if you live in Chicago) and the politics in Michigan is getting worse. Texas is nice, but the heat and humidity there would kill me. Today a buddy there who lives about 70 miles East of Dallas sent me a text of his outdoor weather station. 109°F.............. Finding a public range to shoot at isn't hard, although I'm spoiled by being able to shoot to 350 yds here. Kingsbury has a pubic range to 100 yds, I think Winimac goes to 200 yds.
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Post by sculver7 on Aug 25, 2020 15:58:21 GMT -5
Welcome to Indiana! I live about 20 minutes from Valpo. I mainly hunt public land and have had pretty good success. Public land here is probably like a lot of public land in that: most hunters hunting public land don't put much effort in to scouting or going where the deer are. There are some that will go the extra length to find the deer, however, if you want to find the big bucks, you (usually) have to go where most people don't want to go. I usually do a lot of scouting ahead of time (and some during the season) and most of the big deer sign that I find is either overlooked spots or way off the beaten path and sometimes in swamp or water. That being said, if you put the time in, you will have some amazing hunts on public land. My favorite hunt I've ever had was my buck last year on public land that I shot a mile from the parking lot in the middle of a swamp.
The places I know of in the area that have deer hunting are: Willow Slough, Aukiki (archery only with no stands left overnight), Jasper-Pulaski, Kankakee, Turkey Foot, Round Lake... There are quite a few places that you can find if you do a deep-dive into public land places in the area. Good luck to you and welcome again!
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Post by tylerprime on Aug 31, 2020 19:06:26 GMT -5
Thanks for the pointers again everyone!
We arrived in Indiana about two weeks ago, and while the move sucked (as most cross country moves do), we absolutely love it here. Can't understand why people trash these states as 'Flyover Country'.
The people have been really nice/welcoming and we love the small town feel of everything. Definitely a breath of fresh air. We love it so much that scouted everything out around our apartment the first week we got here and ended up buying a house. We thought that we'd wait longer but a great house popped up in an area that we love.
It's going to be a lot to hunt in a new area AND bow hunt for the first time. I doubt I'll be successful but I'll give it my all and see what happens.
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Post by featherduster on Aug 31, 2020 20:33:41 GMT -5
I'll say it again you and your wife picked the right city to live in. I live just south of Laporte however we spend most of our leisure time in Valpo.
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Post by tylerprime on Aug 31, 2020 21:27:01 GMT -5
I'll say it again you and your wife picked the right city to live in. I live just south of Laporte however we spend most of our leisure time in Valpo. You were right! The downtown area is especially nice. We've spent a majority of our time downtown since we've been here.
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Post by bullseye69 on Aug 31, 2020 21:42:25 GMT -5
Valpo does have a drive in as well called the 49'er drive in, get to see 2 shows for one price. Iirc its $7 per person. Used to be $8 per car.
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