Who's going to Iowa this season? I've got enough points to draw a tag anywhere, but I lost my place to hunt, so not sure if I will apply. I think its time to apply. So who is going this season?
I will be here. :)
Better make your trip before our Farm Bureau their pocketed Governor destroy the entire herd.
I'll be here too...I got on a new piece of ground last year but wasn't able to hunt much. Looking forward to changing that this year.
I am in the exact same boat Jon. Work is very busy this year too, so I will just grab another point. Nothing could be worse than ponying up that $500 for the tag and then not be able to use it.
I am in the same boat as Jon and Steve O. I have a bunch of points, but I don't want to spend them without a place to hunt that I am comfortable with. Another point for me in both Iowa and Kansas.
D.P.
Me too Jon, my buddy's farm sold and the place I can hunt now, the landowners son will draw so I had to buy a point. That gives me 4.
Have 3 points going in so I should draw this year. With only hunting every 4th year the decline is very apparent to me since I don't spend as much time in the woods on off years, and so my point of reference for the deer herd is 2004 to 2008 to this spring. Shocking in Dad's area in Zone 5. I figure I better get after 'em this year, if things get as much worse between now and 2016 as they have since '04-'08-'12 it isn't going to be worth spending the time/money/effort anymore. Sure the Jags on TV still get wound up over it, but seeing how things have went to crap on the "managed ground" around Dad (as well as on his place - 760 acres of deer management ground) it is unbelievable. Not only the herd numbers are down (which WERE probably too high 8 years ago) but the quality of the bucks/genetics has really suffered. Still a big one here and there, but even the "big-time-TV-heroes" around there are settling for pretty sorry "trophy" deer anymore. With the cost of the tag and investing 3-4 years worth of $50 preference points - that ends up being a $700-$800 deer tag when its all said and done - I don't see how anyone that doesn't have a VERY good place to hunt there would even bother.
R
X 10 what Ryan said and I live hear. I am thinking about a Kansas deer hunt for me this year. It's sad what's happened in the last 5-7 years. Just ask 98% of the people from Iowa that are on this site.
doug77
Jon, Dave, Biggie and Steve.....maybe we need to find a place for 2013? I've got at least 4 points just sitting there waiting to be used. :thumbsup:
I've never been to Iowa :dunno: In the meantime back to KS I go!
Yes, it surely isn't near what it once was. Politics and money are weighing in on our deer management way more than ever. I'm patiently waiting for those big time TV boys to move on.
Sorry to hear about your herd in Iowa. I've been there a few times and love the land! I hope things start to change for you guys!
This might be a dumb question, but what has put the hurt on your Iowa deer herd? Here in Missouri we have unlimited over the counter out of state tags, way cheep compared to Iowa or most other states.
With the crazy high expense, difficulties of finding a good piece of land to hunt and only being able to draw an out of state tag every four years I'm just wondering what's hurting the Iowa deer herd?
Like I said this might be a dumb question, just thought I'd go ahead and ask it anyway.
I won't answer for the residents but for me, it WAS all about the quality of the bucks. Yeah I know, there are some good bucks in Mizzou but you guys also gun hunt the rut. That speaks volumes in itself.
10-12 years ago when we started going to Iowa, we would see 4-5 B&C bucks in a week of hunting. Although our cameras show us there are plenty of deer, the quality is in definite decline
Biggie is that true? I'm sure it is but I can't imagine what that would be like. I mean I've lived my whole life in Illinois and have probably only seen five or six true booners! Man that would have been some incredible hunting!
Their's a huge increse in coyotes in Iowa plus some big cats in the southeren part but the biggest thing in almost unlimited anterless tags plus a Jan. rifle season the really hammers on the matures bucks that have already shed their antlers. I've lived in Iowa since 1999 and last year I did not even see one P&Y deer, on the good years I'd see 3-5 140-170 inch deer. Their's still some great deer around but it's not the Iowa it was 5 years ago.
doug77
Good point Doug. The late gun season has to be detrimental in itself.
Jon, no kidding bud, the 1st week we hunted there I saw 3 different booners and Barry saw 2. All different. why do you think the Wensels moved there from Montana?
Yea Biggie I know. But I never imagined it could have been that good! I figured it was a lot like Illinois. Of course Illinois has seen a major decline also. There are still good places. Even the famed Pike county is much different than it once was. But thankfully whitetails are a renewable resource. Hopefully things will get better. There is that possibility. Personally I think some states went overboard with trying to harvest more does. We have had unlimited over the counter doe tags for bowhunters for years now.
I see the unlimited doe tag issue just as a money grab. I'm sure you already know it, but just about every hunter has visions of filling the freezer and for the price of two extra doe tags, $30 ($15 each here in Michigan) it's a cheap thrill that is usually not fulfilled, but when all added together it is a HUGE revenue grab. The States are just managing a renewable resource, and hopefully they will learn from their mistakes and it will once again be bountiful.
You guys who live in states like Iowa might have seen a decline, and think the good old days are over, but guys coming from states like Michigan think a great hunt is seeing 1 P&Y while your in another state. At least thats what I consider a great hunt, since I havent seen a buck that will score 100" in Michigan since,,,, hell I cant remember. :rolleyes:
I'm just buying another point this year. Good luck to you guys hunting this season.
You guys are just bad hunters. Lee and Tiffany and the Kisky's and their movie star friends all shoot 170-200 class deer. :laughing:
i let a 160 class buck walk by me opening day last year, only 18 yards away. It was 85 degrees, I had a slipped disc and three displaced ribs and did not think that I was in shape to get it out. The next week I let him walk again, my daughter called and said that she just had her baby. Two weeks later I was feeling like I could hunt again, just to find a compound hunter looking for the big deer with with his dog, gut shot. he jumped it a mile from where he shot it and lost it. That was the only big deer in my area last year. The number of truly big deer are farther apart than they were 30 years ago. Perhaps in some larger protected tracts out east the chances for the trophies are better.
The DNR has butchered the deer heard. Plus charging high prices for in and out of state tags. That's Bull crap. There is a DNR meeting Monday night about what we can do??? I will be there!!!
You should all consider Kansas. 30,000 acres, managed for whitetail, and max of 72 hunters per year.
April was month to apply, may still be tags available. But then there is always next year!
100% chance for 135-150", and many much, much bigger.
:archer:
I hunted an Iowa ranch once, then tried to lease it, but the owner died of cancer, and the family sold it piecemeal. He died when we tried to draw with 2 points, and we were some of the few who couldn't get it done with 2 pts. So I sit with 3, and am going to 4, as I have another hunt planned this fall. Don't like to go the outfitter route, but they are most of whats left after either buying or leasing everything on either side of the Iowa/Missouri border. That and professional ball players buying up ranches. Seen that too. I am afraid Iowa may have peaked a few years ago, if for nothing more than current limited access reasons. It's really sad.
I haven't been bow hunting for a very long time (under 10 years) and have noticed a drop in the sheer # of deer. I only hunt on a small piece of land owned by my grandpa but we usually saw at least a couple deer each sit. Now for the last fee years I can count how many times I hunted without seeing any deer at all. There are still bug bucks around, just not as many. I unfortunately have no chance of purchasing deer hunting land, here in central Iowa, just right across the street from our property, the land was selling for over $7,500/acre. Just ridiculous
That's unusual...a friend of mine just bought 300 acres for $1800 per
Last year was my first time hunting Iowa! I never got in on the good old days but my hunt down there last year was phenominal! No booners but saw deer on every sit, passed a few low end p&y bucks and ended up shooting the wrong buck in all the excitement! Compared to the hunting in MN if this is the bad years in Iowa I really missed the boat! I will be applying again and can't wait to get back down there!
Theirs a huge difference in the price of land in Iowa. The further you go south the less it sell's for. Some land I used to hunt north of Iowa City about 8 miles sold last year for $8,100.00 acre and now theirs a house planted in the middle of that 80 acres.
doug77