Iowa rut hunt 2020
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: PREZ
29-Nov-18
Looking to burn my Iowa points in 2020. The full moon is on Halloween Oct 31. What dates would you guys look to hunt for 7 days. Some rut predictors say 7 days after the full moon. So my choice is Nov 1-7or 7-13. Another concern I could hit lock down in the second week. What do you guys think?
From: midwest
29-Nov-18
7-13
From: Zim1
29-Nov-18
If I had enough points and time invested to draw I’d be hunting a hell of a lot longer than 7 days.
From: PREZ
29-Nov-18
Zim1..... I wish I could. Maybe after retirement.
From: Russell
29-Nov-18
I'd look at a few days earlier, maybe 3 Nov >
From: Pyrannah
29-Nov-18
From: Pyrannah
29-Nov-18
keep them both open and pick the better weather week as it approaches
From: Bou'bound
29-Nov-18
Second is safer
From: patdel
29-Nov-18
^^^^what pyrannah said. Go the colder week.
From: olebuck
29-Nov-18
i was in southern iowa this year. i hit the weather perfect. highs in the 40's lows in the tens.
i was there the 5th - 10th. the deer responded to the calls - grunts and horns - like no where i've ever seen... and i saw deer chasing every day....
i rattled a 255lb 10 point to 15 steps and killed on the 4th day of my hunt.
From: MQQSE
29-Nov-18
7-13
From: Scrappy
29-Nov-18
7-13 without a doubt if that's the most time you can get off.
From: njbuck
29-Nov-18
Saw this guy on November 7th and killed him on the 8th. 214" 21 points. Pray for cold weather.
From: Ollie
29-Nov-18
The deer rut the same time each year. The moon phase only affects the intensity and daytime movement. If find the peak of the rut to be around November 12. Deer will not be in lockdown before that.
From: t-roy
29-Nov-18
Like others have stated, I’d watch the weather forecast and, if the weather is going to be cool/cold, I’d pick the 1st-7th. Halloween through the 10th are my favorite, weather pending. Seems like I usually see more searching-chasing as well as better response to rattling and calling during that timeframe. Warmer weather can adversely affect that, however.
From: LBshooter
29-Nov-18
Well I would be in the woods on Halloween and hunt straight from there. As mentioned , hope for cold weather.
From: LBshooter
29-Nov-18
Well I would be in the woods on Halloween and hunt straight from there. As mentioned , hope for cold weather.
From: Charlie Rehor
29-Nov-18
What matters is the ground you hunt!
From: Hancock West
29-Nov-18
Hands down the second week. I've been hunting in Illinois for the last 20+ years and those two weeks are always the best for pre-rut and rut. However, with the full moon I'd definitely go with the later week. Full moons mess up everything on our farm. They move all night and we see very little movement during the day. Nov 10th 2020 the moon starts looking really good
From: 12yards
29-Nov-18
Last year in IA I saw more activity the first week in Nov than the second week. In the past I've seen great movement the second week or even third weeks. It's a crap shoot really and while the rut is the same time every year, sometimes the best hunting isn't.
From: Franklin
29-Nov-18
Depends where you are hunting....the very north part of the state will be a few days ahead of the very south. Rut seems to go in a wave N. to S. in a couple of days increments. That`s the beauty of hunting 2 states stacked on top each other....Wisc. and Illinois....lol
From: Cheesehead Mike
29-Nov-18
Nov 5-12
From: midwest
29-Nov-18
Why would the rut be a few days ahead in the north part of the state?
From: pointingdogs
29-Nov-18
Veteran's Day has been my most successful day. Always out in the tree on that day :)
From: Franklin
30-Nov-18
If you look at Iowa it`s Northern border is equal to central Wisc.....it`s Southern border is equal to central Illinois. Like "Hancock West" stated their rut is the 2nd week of Nov.....in central Wisconsin we are wrapping up our rut about then. Texas rut is the middle of December....and theirs can vary up to a full week in the same state.
From: PREZ
30-Nov-18
Thanks for all the info....me and my buddy settled on Nov 4-10.
From: Shawn
30-Nov-18
With a week go the first week. That second week from the 10th on can be tough for a week or so cause they can be locked down. I am going to Iowa next year and will hunt Oct 26 or so to Nov 14th or so. Shawn
From: PREZ
30-Nov-18
Nice Shawn....I wish I could get that time to do that. Good luck.
From: kylet
30-Nov-18
Public or private? I hunted public this year and had the place to myself the last two weekends in October. Came back the first week and November and every single pull off had a truck parked there. Something to keep in mind
From: Cheesehead Mike
30-Nov-18
Those are good dates PREZ.
Next time I draw Iowa I will hunt the entire season :^)
From: IL.TT
01-Jan-20
2019 was my 52 year of Illinois deer hunting. For me 3rd week Nov. saw most chasin. on average it has been the second week Nov .
From: drycreek
01-Jan-20
Franklin, the rut in Texas is going on from late September on the coast until late December in S Texas and everything in between in other sections of the state. If you had the time and access, you could hunt chasing bucks for at least two months, closer to three. Biologists say that’s because deer were brought in from different locations but I don’t know. Ours has been over for more than a month in E Texas, but is firing up in S Texas right now.
From: Trial153
02-Jan-20
I killed my buck on the 8th this year in iowa, the all the better bucks I seen the 7 days before were with does. If I could have in would have started a few days sooner. Something to keep in mind is south central and south east Iowa got hit hard with EHD this year. Going to be few years before things get back to par
From: WhitetailAddict
14-Apr-20
Shot my 170" on public land in Iowa on Halloween midday approxy 11:45 am. I would be going back and hunting Oct 28- Nov. 7th. But the deal with my wife was I couldn't miss our kids trick or treat again! ????. We will be heading out to Western Iowa immediately after Trick or Treat on Halloween night the 31st. Hunting Nov. 1-10th.
From: midwest
14-Apr-20
wowzer!
From: Quinn @work
15-Apr-20
Whitetailaddict,
OK maybe this year you'll let those type of bucks grow another year. :) Congrats on a beauty!
From: Hawkeye
15-Apr-20
Incredible buck! Congrats!
From: WhitetailAddict
15-Apr-20
Thank you, I can only imagine what one more year would have done for this buck. Had him aged, came back highly likely he was 4.5... Iowa is simply amazing, he was the 6th racked buck i had seen by 11:45 am on public land. I was blessed with the opportunity to harvest him. My take based upon my experiences of 20+ years of hunting, Bucks are going to move regardless of weather during pre-rut and rut... the AMOUNT of movement we see during daylight simply depends on weather, moon phase (i agree with Mark Drurys take, moon dictates daylight exposure) and when your core hunting area doe are producing more estrogen and their pheromone glands (coming into heat) are giving the bucks signals for breeding. Deer and Deer hunting has some great info on this. Just some of my thoughts based upon reading, trail cams, and time in the woods. I do not think you can go wrong late Oct thru Mid to late November. In my opinion go when you can take the longest trip possible. Time spent afield during this entire period increases your odds of opportunity.
From: Shawn
18-Sep-20
Well it's here and I am heading out to Zone 3 from Oct. 25 to Nov 14th. I bought a Nebraska tag as well in case I kill early in Iowa. Hope it's cool and I timed it right!! Shawn
From: Panther Bone
18-Sep-20
Good luck, Sean!
From: 12yards
18-Sep-20
Good luck everyone. I'll be going down a couple times in the first half of November. Main hunt will be the 9th through the 15th. If..............the United States as we know it doesn't go up in flames after the election. Whoever set election day in early November obviously wasn't a whitetail fanatic.
From: Ollie
20-Sep-20
I like to center my hunts around November 12. Any time is good in Iowa. I have shot several nice bucks the first two weeks in October. Once you get past the second week of November you will likely see busted racks on the bigger deer.
