Iowa bow hunting
Wisconsin
How many of you have bow hunted in Iowa? How do you even start the process, from zones, tags, finding land, etc? Seems like it would be fun but I have no clue where to even begin. Thanks.
Find a friend that lives in Iowa and knows lots of farm owners, preferably near wooded areas. I started to hunt there when I asked a co worker if she knew anyone in Iowa that might have turkeys in the area. Turned out her husband was from Iowa. He sent me to his father, brothers and, cousins that lived there. His father passed on but his sons are good friends and the connection remains. I had no clue how well it would work out.
Beware it can take 3 years to draw a tag and they are expensive because you have to buy small game license and a doe license in order to get a buck tag. You can get a doe only license on years when you don't draw a buck tag.
I lived in Iowa for 5 years, and the only thing holding me back is the cost. I tell myself constantly why pay $500 or whatever it costs to hunt public land for a deer when I can do it here for a fraction of the cost. And then I buy 2 more tree stands and another knife and more crap I don't need and end up spending it anyway! Hopefully, it's in the plans in the near future for me as well.
If Iowa is something your interested in. You should get serious about it right now. Application deadline is may. three years to draw.. I bought Iowa state maps on OnX. Did some land searching, talked with a couple good knowledgeable hunters and made my decision. Once you decide exactly where you are interested in, make plans for a weekend or two of scouting down there. Do that a couple years. Buy some trail cams, hang them high. Leave them all season and pick them up after the season ends. Once you get your tag, you will be ready to hit the woods and hopefully put down one of those big Iowa bucks. Good luck in your Iowa pursuit. It is something special and I believe you'd enjoy it.
I have 3 points and should draw this year. Just finished two - 3 day weekends scouting. May do one more if I tag out early on turkey. Thought about leaving some cams up but I had a LW climber and two cams stolen on Illinois public last two years. If I find a sheltered spot I might. I just don't trust anyone.
It costs me $730 after points and tag the first time...2 years ago. I didn't fill the buck tag but shot a doe. I saw more bucks then during that season then the last 6 seasons in WI. It was worth but then I live within 55 minutes of my farthest treestand there.
I hate Illinois public. 16,000 NR bow licenses peddled annually as compared to 2,100 by Iowa. Hmmmmm what a cooincidence as I see 8 times as many shooters on my Iowa hunts. Go figure.
I am wondering if all the time and money would be worth it. Tags, multiple trips, ,hotels, etc. I am guessing would eventually adding up to be $2,000 +_. I may be wrong but wouldn't it make sense to hunt with an outfitter in Buffalo County at that point? I am just curious and would love to hunt both places. Any advice would be appreciated.
Anything you can do DIY beats hunting with an outfitter. Not much adventure showing up and having to hunt a particular stand that you had no input on, that may or may not have been hunted yet.
Try camping, lots of people do that out west so why not in Iowa.
I have been drawn two times and killed P&Y bucks both times. I hunted on land leased by Mid America hunting association. I averaged seeing three bucks per day and about ten antlerless each day. It takes me three years to draw but it is worth it. The more time you have to scout the luckier you will be has been my observation. Good Luck Tom
Maya2003, The Worst public land in IA is better then the best private land in WI. That is no joke.
I know I was going to stay off this for awhile, but since I just got back from Iowa today, I thought I could help out some of the young hunters today, about Iowa.......... First of all you do not need to hunt leased land, or crowded public land in the eastern area, not that there is anything wrong with that.........
Most of Iowa still have great people, and the farmers are not so much like around here, very approachable..... go at the right time of year, like this last week,,,, my young friend is going to get a tag this year, so I went with him,,,,,, First off we have been gone a week, and he said, where do we start........ He looked at all of public he could find, and I took him to the Casey gas stations, where we talked to the coffee clutch guys, who at this time of year, have time to be there......
We asked permission on 7 farms and got on 4, and 2 were really good ones,,,, there kids etc, were all gun hunters, who were not afraid to let a bowhunter on as long as you killed a doe, as the old man asked.........
We ran into one farmer 84 years old, helped him pull a calf out, and he said no problem, just kill a doe........
We drank beer on Monday nite with some local young guys, all gun hunters, nice guys, shoot only 160 and up, and all were not threatened by some bowhunters,,,,, reminded me what trempeleau county was like 20 years ago........
forget the outdoor tv, people and bs from the deer shows, go at least 40 miles west of Cedar Rapids, and you will meet a lot of nice people, very little if any leased land, and still can get on land,,,,,,,,
also if you want to learn an area, and earn a spot on good land, you can get a doe tag, shoot that doe, the farmer will love ya, do that every year, and when you draw, not only will you have a great spot, but you will have put your time in, during season, to know, where to hunt, and where to set up.....
I will have a doe tag this year, got invited to join a gun group, they allow group hunting, I am going for one reason, help out on their hunts, and when I draw next year, I will have some prime spots.......
central Iowa, is a good area yet to get on good land....... just a thought
Here's my take. I've been down to zone 5 four times over the last 2 years. Scouting/shed hunting. I've talked to dozens of farmers and landowners and it's always the same answers. The kids like to hunt it, I've got nephews that hunt it, leased out, etc. The people down there are real nice, they're ground is just spoken for. And I get that.
I've put in lots of hours walking the state forest, wma's, and IHAP properties. There definitely is no shortage of deer, but at the same time there is no shortage of hunting pressure. One of my buddies drew the zone 5 tag last year and he vowed to never do it again. People walking in on almost every one of his sets and squirrel hunters everywhere.
I'm just not ready to burn my time off work and pay that kind of money for a tag to hunt what I have found so far.
My $0.02
Ya I've been a NR hunting zone 5 since ~1990 and the private permission has changed radically during that time. Especially after the Albia buck was taken. I would no longer bother trying to get private permission there. The public has gotten progressively more crowded each year as well. But I've scouted & hunted sooooooo many various parcels over the years, that I simply check the lots on the fly and hunt the parcels where the least trucks are parked. I have trees GPS marked in all of them for all wind directions due to my many years invested. One positive is that the pheasant population has collapsed so you no longer have barking dogs ruining your setups. That was absolutely brutal back in the 90's.
What Razor said is right on. But thing is if you hunt parcels owned by different owners and you told each of them you would shoot a doe you are going to disappoint all but one of them. You can do it in gun season on your 'off' years if you are party hunting with residents that have lots of doe tags but hard to do bow hunting.
There is some excellent info in this thread. One of the best things about this thread is it's an out of state diy thread so we know certain people won't contaminate it.
It's nice to finally ask a legit question and get honest responses instead of complaining. Thank you all for the information.
