Iowa opener tomorrow

[katie]

Sure hope Greywolf gets one!  Tell her "hey" from me.
Katie

[Mr.Vic]

Thanks Katie she is trying really hard and i'm so proud to have a women who loves to sit in 18 degree weather to tag her first with an arrow. Tonight i took her out to the honey hole. She sat in her blind and i in the truck on the other side of the field. About 4:45 the field filled up with deer around me. 18 does and two small bucks eating around the jeep. Two big does within 10 yards of me sitting in the Jeep. WHAT THE HECK!!! Where were those does when i had bow in hand. Around 5pm A huge buck walks out way down by Greywolf, the bino's show him to be in the 170 class or higher. Real high rack and looked like a foot passed his ears. She said it was one she missed earlier in season.   He puttered around slowly to what i thought was in front of her, than dark came. She said she ranged him at 50 yards and no closer as he walked by her. All in all between us we seen 25 deer, an 13 Turkeys feeding in the bean field.

[katie]

Awesome!  
My place is dead.  Local farmer has been spreading manure in the field non-stop.  I'm not sure they will want to eat in the field at all this season.  I even have a small stand of beans still in and they have not touched it.  My cameras don't even have deer on them.  Hope they go to my food plot for late split and do not move off to another timber.  I have been caring for my Dad and not been out to hunt much.  I hope by late split the weather holds and he feels better so I can get some meat!  Stange season for me.

[Mr.Vic]

Darn Katie, I doubt if the deer will step into that field, been my experience in the past if it's hog manure. You know your always welcomed to come hunt down here, if you can get free. Wishing all the best for you, your dad, and family.

[23feetupandhappy]

My update goes like this......opening mourning I started the season out right with a 17 yard smoker and things went down hill from there.  I shot one more button buck but after this last Fri. night I decided to hang up the bow for the rest of this season....I hit a doe and didnt find her and she was the last one of several for this year    

This is my third year with trad. and man it put me in my place......my first two years things went great but this year..........I decided i need to be doing more of this    

Good luck to all who still have tags!!!

[doug77]

Best part of the season is fast approaching after gun season I'm really hopeing for snow. I did manage to get a couple of does although 1 the yotes got to before me. I shot her about 30 munites before sundown and wasn't sure of the shot so I waited 4 hours and came back and easily found her but their was NOTHING left of her. First time I've ever had that happen.

doug77

[Jason Kendall]

I went out tonight, only the 6th time out this season, been to dang busy with kids and bows. Tonight it was anything goes and I had 3 does at 20 yds, I was half drawn on the biggest and prayed for her to take one more step but instead she winded me, let out a snort and they all took off. I knew the wind would be wrong for my local spot but I had to try, it still had my heart racing! According to the weather man I will be playing in the snow tomorrow night with the wind the right direction! If it dont work out tomorrow, I will hang a stand after slug season, I have been on the ground so far this year.

[Lost Creek Bows]

                                                                                                   This is a picture of the buck I shot two weeks ago. He's not the biggest buck I saw this year, but he was one of the oldest. He's a 130 1/8" seven point. He field dressed 205 lbs. I was very happy with this deer.

[Mr.Vic]

 Congratulations on that nice buck!! Anytime you can harvest an older wise Iowa buck, you've done something to be proud of. Lots of eating on that beast....

[doug77]

That's a fine deer Chad, congrats.

doug77

[R. Graddy]

Nice buck Chad!!!  Congrats!!!  I haven't loosed an arrow yet with my LC longbow.  I've been close a few times tho.  Still the prettiest bow I've seen.     :eek:   Thanks again

[stik&string]

Nice buck Chad!!!

[BCWV]

Very nice Chad!!

[Morning Star]

An old 130" or a young 150", I personally have more appreciation for the older animal.  Nice buck man.

Been a rough season in my neck of the woods.  I went into the season with my regular tag and 3 doe tags, still have them all.  Indications are that the herd numbers are really down in a lot of areas.  I seen maybe 1 doe for each 4 small bucks during the rut.  Passed on probably half as many small bucks this year as in other seasons.   All in all, regarding deer numbers, it's been the poorest season in probably the last 16 years for me. Sounds like our deer biologist is getting hammered with reports of low numbers.  They are finding there are still "areas" with a lot of deer, but these are limited access areas.  So, hopefully look for some regulation changes next season.  Word has it the Thanksgiving doe season will be gone, along with drops in antlerless quotas.  We will see.
I've yet to kill a good buck during the late season, so I look forward to giving that my best.
 
If anyone here has concerns on what you've been seeing in your area, be sure to contact our biologist Tom Litchfield.  The more those DNR boys hear from us the better off we'll be.  

IDNR biologist Tom Litchfield    [email protected]

[Lost Creek Bows]

Yes, I agree the deer numbers are lower in some areas. I have always found that if I stay close to the river, there is always a decent population of deer. I hope to see some changes in the Thanksgiving season, and the late winter rifle season. Thats the dumbest season yet that our "DNR" has came up with. I still have a good number of deer as of right now, but they are spotty.

[doug77]

I'm with Morning Star the deer population is the lowest I've seen since moving to Iowa in 1999. I have seen way more bucks than does and even have one place that I hunt that the land owner asked me NOT to shoot any does.

doug77

[doug77]

Mike I will be sending Tom Lichfield an e-mail

doug77

[katie]

Great job Chad!
Talked to the Warden yesterday.  He said he is having people complaining all over Warren Co about the lack of does.  Not seeing many fawns either.  Maybe the bad winter was real bad for the deer.  He also said he has found no sign of my driffter.  The Warden believes he was just passing by.  Hope he is right!
I was told last night that a dump truck hit a buck that scored 236 on the road in front of my place while I was gone over Thanksgiving!  No proof of this at all.  I sure hope not.  What a sad ending for a monster buck.

[doug77]

One more thing that doesen't help is I've never shot a coyote with a bow and I've got 3 this fall. 1 got into a giant brush pile, 1 had mange and 1 is getting tanned. Hunted for 30 plus and never killed a yote and then get 3 in one year, whats that tell ya.

doug77

[Morning Star]

I think in large, the antlerless management plan we've been under is the biggest reason for what's happening.  That's good and bad I guess.  Good in the respect that we have shown the State how effective we are in managing our deer, but bad in the respect it is not a perfect science and we will experience what we have now on the down sides of the plan.  I think the populations will cycle in more frequent highs and lows with this type of plan.
There are so many factors in controlling the deer herd, some are just out of the State's hands.  Between the refuge type properties and properties that get to much hunting pressure, we will see the conflicting reports in some areas.

Katie, I also agree that some recent winters have caused some mortality.  I have heard the talk of winter kills also.


Doug, thanks for emailing Tom.  We do make a difference!  I've seen it happen.
And hey, I'm seeing the same thing in areas I hunt.  Man, the coyotes are thicker than ever!  That has to meen some fawns are getting drug down.  I've really got an itch to buy a high power and start tip'n some of those suckers over this winter.