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Looking for advice for a new hunter to the Shawnee area

Hoppy

Member
11
4
Indiana
Hello Deer hunters. Coming to you from indiana. Wanting to hunt Shawnee for gun season opener. Looking for some advice from locals. Can we book a campsite during gun season or will Shawnee be closed? Any advice on hunting this area good or bad ?
 
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Dustinb80

#FACKCANCER
Supporting Member
18,603
198
S.W. Ohio
Hello Deer hunters. Coming to you from indiana. Wanting to hunt Shawnee for gun season opener. Looking for some advice from locals. Can we book a campsite during gun season or will Shawnee be closed? Any advice on hunting this area good or bad ?
What part of Indiana
 

Dustinb80

#FACKCANCER
Supporting Member
18,603
198
S.W. Ohio
Southern Indiana. Scott county. We would also be glad to trade some hunts or trade hosting hunts. We have 25,000 acres of public along the muscatatuck river bottoms Pretty good hunting here also
So just north of Henryville, Memphis and Sellersburg. My old stomping grounds
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
58,941
288
North Carolina
Welcome too the site. No experience with Shawnee but I’m sure someone on here will chime in on it.
 

JARHEAD

Active Member
1,106
55
Behind you
I've got a buddy that lives down that way in Otway and I've hunted with him in Shawnee. It's not a novice hunt for sure. Pretty rough country. Best advice I have is the same as most public ground. Get away from the campgrounds and don't be afraid to do some walking. Get in early and let the other hunters that get there at daylight push the deer to you. Good luck and hope to see some hero pics soon.👍🏼
 

Hoppy

Member
11
4
Indiana
I've got a buddy that lives down that way in Otway and I've hunted with him in Shawnee. It's not a novice hunt for sure. Pretty rough country. Best advice I have is the same as most public ground. Get away from the campgrounds and don't be afraid to do some walking. Get in early and let the other hunters that get there at daylight push the deer to you. Good luck and hope to see some hero pics soon.👍🏼
I ll take that advice and it makes perfect sense. Thank you.
 
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Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
39,112
274
I ll take that advice and it makes perfect sense. Thank you.

I agree with jarhead. My opening day strategy would be to get in early and somewhere thick down low. The deer won't stay on the ridge tops long as hunters will run them down to the bottoms where they'll look for thick areas. Be there early and hunt the cutoffs. Day 2 you'll just be wasting your time sitting. You'll have to walk around and find them hunkered down.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
You will be hunting the same kind of terrain. I think they also started a timber program on part of it. Might want to look at some satellite images and find some transition areas. But you know what to do, you are just farther up the river. Welcome, stick around and share some hunting stories. I ain't worth a damn in the hills anymore but if you run into some troubles, post up and one/some of us will do what we can to help. I'm not real far from there.
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,740
127
Never been to Shawnee but hunted a lot of public over the years, don’t be discouraged by other hunters in an area or in the same parking area, consider them chess pieces. Take a deer cart, i couldn’t afford one in my public land prime lol . If you hunt low in the bottom of a thicket, bring a self climber so you can get about 10 ft off the ground to see the bottom better.
 

Hoppy

Member
11
4
Indiana
No deer in Shawnee Ohio. ;)
I have no idea what to expect. Just seen a great deal of public land near Shawnee state park. Thought I might just come check it out. We have good deer hunting in indiana but I like your shorter seasons in Ohio. Gives the Bucks a better chance to mature.