Midwest Woodlots Free Range Outfitters has a substantial amount of ground inside the Warsaw reduction zone. What is the benefit of that? Hunting in the reduction zone allows hunters the opportunity to shoot an additional buck outside Indiana’s 1 buck rule.
Reduction Zone Hunts
How Reduction Zone Hunts Work:
Hunter needs reduction zone-specific licenses. Available over the counter.
Hunter must shoot, recover, tag, and check in the doe. Once that is complete, they may shoot a buck that qualifies with a minimum 130″ SCI score.
Reduction zone hunts are only available during the late season. Just like muzzleloader hunts, it’s all about cold weather and food sources. These hunts are extremely limited – we typically only run 3-4 reduction hunts per season.
Early Season Reduction
Sept. 15th – Oct. 5th
- 4 days of hunting, 5 nights of lodging
- Transportation to and from ladder stands
- Field dressing of deer
90% of mature buck movements are in the evenings, so once your doe is shot, it is in all of our best interests to hunt early afternoon and onward. By sleeping in and skipping the morning, we avoid laying extra scent trails and educating more deer, while at the same time targeting our goal of mature bucks.
Early reduction zone hunts are $2000 per hunter.
Late Reduction Zone Hunts:
Dec. 26th – Jan. 15th
- 4 days and 5 nights
- Transportation to and from heated box blinds
- Field dressing of deer
Deer have finished the rut, both bucks and does are starting to relax and “yard up” for the winter. This term is used when certain areas or sections hold 2 or 3X as many deer in the winter as they hold the rest of the fall or summer.
These hunts are all day in a heated box blind. Mainly due to no leaf cover and the deer can simply see too much if you try and go in and out.
As with the early hunt, you must shoot a doe first before beginning hunting your buck.
Late reduction zone hunts are $2500 per hunter.
Advantages
Reduction zones have big advantages for the hunter. Rifles are legal from the firearm opener and onward. Reduction zones are highly successful, as deer have 1 thing on their minds again… feeding up for the cold winter ahead!