How was the hunting in Iowa this year?

[BUCKY]

I thought NJ was bad!We have some zones that have unlimited does with the shotgun and muzzleloader till the middle of February! I'm bowhunting one of these zones and let me tell you I do not see so many does to warrent the unlimited taking.It's all about the money in alot of states.

[Steve O]

Originally posted by Yellow Dog:
12047 button bucks and 1007 shed bucks.

How can the DNR live with themselves with data like that?  

They have taken out over 13,000 bucks during "doe" season???  

I am due for a tag this year, and numbers like that every year since my last tag in 08 do not make me very optimistic the hunting will be as good.

AND while we are discussing this,I  would love to hunt with my friends in IA every year and be happy to shoot a doe to do that in return for drawing a buck tag every few years, but again, the DNR has punished the honest law abiding sportsmen because some poachers were taking advantage of that and shooting bucks on doe tags.

Sure wish they would punish the criminals...

[Burnsie]

Northern Wisconsin has the same mess,  doe tags given out like candy, bait and shoot everything.  I grew up hunting the North woods, seeing/taking a lot of deer.  Our camp is hard pressed to put even a couple deer on the pole anymore.

[Real Buckmaster]

Shooting Iowas big bucks!!  Purchasing land against Iowas parks and large sections of land, and planting large food plots on them to draw the deer in. Ha ha that that doesn't take much skill. That is what I call bought and paid for bucks. Look at the big names that have move to Iowa to hunt deer. If I plant twenty acres of corn and leave it stand hell yes the big bucks will come. We support it by calling these people hunters. Do you want a list of some of the rich that have moved to Iowa to hunt this method. Just watch a few hunting shows. Its sick.

[John Sturtevant]

Steve, those harvest numbers are for all seasons, not just the special doe seasons.

During the 2009-2010 season there were 2235 shed and 15619 button bucks REPORTED.   Hard to tell how many killed are actually reported.

The total harvest is down this year...but that should not be a surprize.   That's been the goal for some time.

Our numbers are down certainly in central Iowa...but still plenty of deer and I saw more good bucks then I ever have.  
Couple of neighbors have decided to stop shooting does to self regulate.  Wish they'd do the same for the little bucks they're shooting.  Seems most people just want to see a lot of deer.

[Morning Star]

Some quotes from the article "THE IOWA PRESCRIPTION" our deer biologist Tom Litchfield wrote recently.


 

Iowa's deer herd has always been managed by social tolerances and not by biological carrying capacity considerations.

The quality of Iowa’s deer herd and being known for “big bucks” also can create issues and desires that can negatively impact the population. One issue that is becoming more common is for recreational landowners to implement practices designed to attract and hold deer. However, too often such properties overlook one all-important component; an adequate doe harvest. The result is higher than average deer densities, impaired herd quality, and reduced public acceptance of deer due to conflicts (agricultural producers, highway collisions, etc.). Increasing a property’s attractiveness to deer also demands an increased responsibility to density management. Being a good neighbor and maintaining acceptable deer densities that promote herd quality and public appreciation of the resource should be a primary goal. The mistaken belief that success is only possible when pursuing undisturbed animals or the fear that someone may shoot “my buck” are not valid excuses for ignoring this responsibility.
 

The deer hunting we have known in the past may very well be in serious jeopardy.  The DNR's hand is being forced from powerful lobbying sources like Farm Bureau and insurance companies.

[Steve O]

Yep, pretty soon, they will magically find TB and CWD and then the slaughter will  really get rolling!  You Iowa Bowhunter guys are the only voice out there.  Keep at it!

[jonsimoneau]

All of this is very discouraging.  We experienced very similar problems in Illinois when our DNR started the late handgun season.  Then pretty soon it became an "all weapons" anything goes season.  The buck quality and herd dynamics went down in a matter of two years of this.  Unfortunately, they keep adding more gun days, and the herd is unable to bounce back. Iowa has historically had the best deer management program of all whitetail states.  Seems like most people were very happy with it.  Makes you wonder why they don't leave it alone if it aint broke!  Hopefully officials in a number of good whitetail states will realize the mistakes being made and correct them.

Departments have been assigned to operate at a profit.  This will probably spread to every state.  It cultivates a system of false science and false data to achieve the agenda.  Considering everything else that is going on, it is to be expected that this management method would get into the DNR as well.  The next thing will be security checks before we can get hunting licenses, we will need to walk through naked body scanners to hunt on public land and be forced to give blood samples on request from anyone connected to the state.  All the while news outlets are allowed to call us 'crackers' like Tim Mathews did on 'Hardball'.  If it ain't broke, it needs fixing until it is broke.  When it gets to a point where we are told to sit down and shutup because our voice doesn't matter, we will know that something other than sound game management principles are running the show.

[Altiman94]

Part of the issue is that our DNR doesn't know what's best for the hunters.  They are out to make their lobbyists happy.  They've killed off the pheasant population, most of our rabbits are gone, quail are gone.  Now I guess they are working on the turkey and deer.  Sounds like we need some change huh?

The last set of pheasants I saw were at our in laws farm.  There was a group of 5 or 6 that would be out in the field almost every day picking at the open grain.  Keep in mind these pheasants were 250-300 yards from the road.  One day my wife and I were relaxing in our house (we lived across the gravel) and heard gun shots.  Then I see a truck screaming off.  I went outside quickly and picked up 6 spent 12gauge shells off the road.  They were well within 200 yards of both houses and shooting at pheasants over 250 yards away.  Not honestly sure what they were doing.  I wish I could have gotten their license plate #.

The over harvesting needs to stop.  I think the DNR should start to get the point since deer tag sales are down.  Less deer are harvested, less people are hunting mostly due to the poor population.  I won't personally quit hunting, but it's discouraging some days.

[Tim Finley]

At least you have some deer to start with, after this winter ,I doubt we'll have any left in most of N.D. !!!!!

[Real Buckmaster]

Glad to see a lot of people concerned about Iowas deer herd. "Departments have been assigned to operate at a profit." Great statement!! Recreational hunting land being bought more and more. Its all about the revenue fellas. My best advise for your future and our children and grand children is to buy land!! I talked to guy from Montana and him and his brother moved here several years ago too easten Iowa and bought land to escape the same problem in Montana and Now we have it here.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

The problem with buying land in Iowa is that you guys are past the top of the bubble and sliding down as far as deer hunting goes, but on top of the price bubble for recreational land.  The guys that paid $300-500 an acre will still be OK when the deer hunting goes completely to crap - and that will be sooner than later - but the guys paying $2000 + an acre will be getting the Big Banana when the crash comes.  There are easier ways to lose your money than "investing" in hunting land in Iowa right now.

Its a crying shame what is going on out there, heck here too and all over the Midwest.  I wish they never invented "The Book" for scoring deer.  That is a legacy that is burning us bad right now.

R

[Morning Star]

There are many good people in the DNR, we have a great biologist in Tom Litchfield.  I kind of hate these type of threads, to many comments from people who don't take time to get the whole picture and all the facts from the real sources.

Pressure comes from the top down.  By the time it gets to our biologist, he has his hands tied.  Make some sort of a compromise or get replaced.  The guy who'd replace him would be put into the same situation.  Chief Wildlife Officer - Dale Garner once said at a meeting I was at, "If we are getting our asses chewed the same amount from each side....we know we're about right in our decisions.  

I can tell you, Litchfield and friends would much rather manage for the resources than social tolerances.  

It is up to us to do our part in the political arena, we need to off set the ass chewing into our favor.

We do NOTHING on these internet threads other than make fellow hunters aware.  You want something to change, join your State bowunting association and start communicating with legislators.

[Steve O]

I wish they never invented the video camera for all those back slappin yahoo huning shows.

[Morning Star]

Its a crying shame what is going on out there, heck here too and all over the Midwest. I wish they never invented "The Book" for scoring deer. That is a legacy that is burning us bad right now.
 

[jax]

Yeah I want to see a list of big named hunters that moved there to hunt

[capehunter1]

I have seen a sure and steady decline in both the number and quality of deer here in SE Iowa. I work outdoors almost every day of the year and live out here with the deer. Make no mistake-it is changing and changing fast. Unless we as hunters make our voices heard here in Iowa, the slaughter (and it is a slaughter fully endorsed by our DNR and state legislature to appease the insurance and farming interests) will continue. The number one thing that needs to be eliminated from Iowa is the legal method of party hunting during shotgun season.