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Indiana Turkey Hunting

Started by Spurs, February 26, 2015, 08:13:32 PM

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Spurs

Not looking for anything specific, but I am going to be working up there this spring and was wondering how the turkey population was.  I will likely be going to Morgan-Monroe, but may sign up for a WMA permit.  I work 6 days a week, so time will be crunched pretty bad.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
This year is going to suck!!!

clfergus

Indiana has some fairly good public hunting locations. I have never hunted any personally but have a bunch of friends and family who have and still do.

I called my buddy who hunts Morgan Monroe and he has taken a bird each spring for the last 3 years. He said that the last few years it has not been very crowded if you can hunt during the week. He said he typically hunts off a road that runs through the forest called Bryant Creeks rd. The area is on the western side of the forest, not terribly far off state rd. 37. He said you can gauge how busy by the trucks on the side of the road and that typically the forest sees a good amount of hunters who just go 100-200 yards off the main roads. He said if you are willing to travel back about a mile you are typically alone. He also suggested that you try going to the main office for the park and see if any of the forest workers are milling around. Not the ladies in the office but the guys who maintain the forest in the trucks. He said they are more than willing to tell you where they are seeing birds in the park.

My dad hunts the Hoosier National Forest as we grew up around the Bloomington/Bedford areas. There are plenty of birds around the Lake Monroe area but you have to be careful because private land is really intermixed and you can get off track quickly. This is also a deer haven in the fall.

Farther south in the HNF, there is suppose to be some good areas around the eastern portion of the forest. My dad said to look around the Celina lake area http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hoosier/recreation/recarea/?recid=41486

If you get back into the woods away from the recreational areas there is suppose to be a good amount of birds. I guess there are a few smaller lakes in this area and it is joined by trails. He got that advice off of another hunting board and said it proved to be good advice.

Indiana recognizes a large number of other states carry permits so you will most likely be able to carry your personal protection firearm with you. Not that our lands aren't safe but I personally never like walking back to my truck on a side road without mine..... too many zombie turkeys out there.

Spurs

Thanks a bunch.  I don't mind walking and have already marked several "distant locations" for listening.  I am really looking forward to running Morgan Monroe. 
This year is going to suck!!!

clfergus

I think if you walk back a ways you should have pretty good luck. I know a bunch of people who enjoy Turkey hunting but I don't think its is anywhere close to the deer craze we seen here in the last 5-10 years. Seems like everyone with a little bit of good land is either leasing it to out of state outfitters or to rich doctors and lawyers from Indianapolis.

I have a few buddies who live in Owen country which has a really nice deer population and turkey and the doctors from Indy are snapping up all the land around. They refer to them as the Under Armour Possy since they are all decked out head to toe in the gear.

One nice thing about Morgan Monroe is that it is right off St. rd. 37 and has nice paved roadways throughout the forest. You are also just 5 minutes south of the town of Martinsville which has a Super Walmart and a Rural King if you need any hunting supplies/ ammo.

Good luck! Keep me posted if you find a good spot.