It's taken a couple of days to get all the work caught up. Now I can pen some thoughts of my first trip to Iowa. My PBS mentor and good friend John Vargo moved to Iowa seven years ago. He invested in property in the S.E. part of the state. His good friends Gene and Barry Wensel live about 20 minute from his hunting property. You know the hunting is good. John invited me to come for a week long hunt. It took two years to get the preference points to hunt from out of state. I arrived Friday evening the 9th and was hunting from a cedar tree stand by Sat morning. I rattled in a Pope and Crocket nub buck and saw a doe the first morning. Sat evening found me in a shingle oak overlooking several scrapes. By 3 pm I had deer movement. A nice P&Y eight ~130 pointer tending a doe in a CRP field. There was no calling this guy off his doe. A string of six small bucks vacated the woods they entered. I think he told them to move along. A half hour later I had a 8 pt. come by like a dog on a blood trail. I grunted and even yelled at him. He had other things on his mind. Did I mention at 200 lbs. he looked like a bulldozer to this Va boy... A few minutes later a 9 pt. walked out at 12 yards. His rack didn't have the mass or length I was looking for. Another small rack 8 pt. ambled by.
It was hard to believe what I was seeing. At this point I began second guessing passing all this fine venison. 15 minutes later here comes another 8 point 200 pounder. I saw a nice G2 on the left side and went into automatic hunter mode. My new Blacktail went into slow motion as I picked a spot. The Goldtip 55-75 tipped with a Woodsman was on the way. It passed through the chest cavity. This tank didn't hop or jump. He just hunkered down and left the woodline heading through the CRP field. A spike stepped out and investigated my bloody arrow. My buck went abot 80 yards towards the truck and fell. Nice... I sat down reliving the past few moments. Here he is Gang:
Well he is the biggest buck I've ever killed. He will not make anyones book but mine. I had a doe tag to fill so I got to hunt and watch the rest of the week. Yes, I had three other bigger deer come into shooting range. One ~130 class ten pointer at 8 yards. But I'm happy to have my buck. Here is a picture of John with a couple of heads from dead deer he found on his property from last year. I saw a booner a little bigger than the rack on the right at 50 yards tending a doe. I hope Jonn gets a crack at him this weekend.
I need to get back to work. Lunch time is over.
I can't begin to thank John for the opprtunity. It was truely the hunt of a lifetime for me. Jeff
Topic: Back from Iowa (Read 927 times)
