Hello,
As Z-F stated, there is not a mature buck behind every tree (unlike what I read about in OH!
) as most residents of a publicized deer state know; it is not like what you read about or see on TV. In general though, the deer hunting and buck quality is very good.
Deer hunting quality is also in the eye of the beholder. The best state I ever hunted in for opportunities at bucks 5.5-years-old or older provided 6-10 observations of deer per day (on stand all day) with 2-3 buck sightings per day on average, not what most hunters would consider "good" deer hunting. However, on average, one out of 10 buck sightings was a buck at least 5.5-years-old, and this was on public land. Add to that the fact that in 9 seasons of hunting, I only observed other hunters on two occasions (4 hunters total); it was great deer hunting in my book. For those interested, most mature buck sightings were from 1000-1400 hours in November.
It will take 5 years to draw a bow tag in Zone 5 unless you are really lucky (only 4 NR bowhunters drew tags with 3 preference points in 2020 in Zone 5). Currently, 4 preference points guarantees you a license in Zone 5. In Zone 6, you have about a 50:50 chance of drawing with 3 preference points (4 preference points guarantees a license). In Zone 9 (northeast IA), you have a 50:50 chance of drawing with 2 preference points and 3 preference points guarantees you a tag.
Zone 8 is an overlooked area in IA (east-central) but it has less public land (even for IA which ranks 48 or 49 out of 50 for the amount of public hunting ground). There are very good areas in Zone 7, however it also has a lower amount of public land. Zone 4 also has very good areas but, again, public hunting areas can be hard to come by in some counties.
Zone 3 used to have very good public hunting and bucks, however, the hemorrhagic disease (HD/EHD) outbreak of 2012 really hit this area hard (along with most of southern Iowa) and coupled with flooding of the Missouri River valley in subsequent years; it has not fully recovered to date.
Very good to great deer hunting and bucks can be found in every zone in Iowa; however, good deer habitat is quite limited in some of the zones which in turn limits deer densities and the pressure on the public hunting areas with "deer habitat".
The EHD outbreak was pretty localized in 2019 but hit some areas hard. In Monroe County, the Georgetown area (NW 1/4 of county) was hit very hard, but even within that quarter, there were areas that did not experience a lot of activity (there was also a bit of activity in the SE quarter of Monroe Co.). In Marion County, the Red Rock reservoir area was hit moderately hard. Warren County was hit very hard as was the NE quarter of Clarke County (southern Clarke was moderate). In Lucas County; the NE, NW, and SW quarters experienced moderate EHD outbreaks (the NW quarter was hit the worse). Eastern Decatur County also had moderate EHD activity. All of these are Zone 5 counties.
Depending on future EHD activity, all of these areas should be fully recovered in deer numbers by 2022 (some areas may take longer to recover their buck age structure depending on how that was impacted at the local level).
Private land: While some nonresident hunters lease land, it is not real prevalent in IA at this time. There are still Iowans that will allow hunters free access to hunt, especially during the bow season. It may take some persistence, but permission to bowhunt is still available for the asking (and sometimes on great properties) in rural Iowa. The permission is more easily gained the further you are from the areas depicted on the television shows (I am assuming they are still televised, my TV has been unhooked since 2009) and possibly the online offerings.
I recommend that nonresidents, if they are able, spend some time in Iowa one or two springs before they expect to draw a license. Turkey season is a good time to check out public hunting areas and it is also a good time to knock on doors and ask for permission to bowhunt as most are not thinking about deer at that time of year (early spring through early summer is a great time to ask). Also, a "No." for deer hunting but a "Yes." for turkey hunting (or shed hunting) may turn into permission for bowhunting after the landowner is more "comfortable" with you.
I would not worry about QDM practices of properties (you are unlikely to gain permission on those properties anyway); my favorite properties are farms with good deer cover that are primarily shotgun hunted by hunters that just "shoot deer" and are out there for the meat and fun. It is not overly difficult for a buck to reach maturity on properties (or areas) that are primarily hunted only 5-10 days per year (others may disagree). Many longtime southern Iowa residents (which I am not) agree that large, mature bucks were more often observed in the '80s (even though there were a lot fewer deer) than they are now. Why this may be the case is a topic for another discussion.
If it matters to you, chronic wasting disease is known to be in Wayne, Decatur, and Appanoose counties in Zone 5, most counties in Zone 9, and 2 counties in Zone 8. This is just an FYI, it is your decision if that matters to you or not.
One last comment, DO NOT drive on B-Level roads when they are wet!!
I apologize for the length of this post. Good luck with your future hunt, wherever it may be!
Take Care,
Tom
Topic: Iowa Non Resident Hunting (Read 2440 times)
