We're in the midwest again - this time in SE Iowa with Steve Hanson of Straight Arrow Outfitters. Our hunt starts 11/1 through 11/7. A new update every day!
Looks like the weather is gonna be ideal! Little nippy in the stand this morning, but saw some pretty decent activity. Biggest negative is that there’s still tons of standing cornfields. Good luck!
I’m pretty sure I was Steve’s first client on his first Iowa farm, the same place he sold to Bill Winke. He’s a great dude, can’t wait to follow this one.
Great choice. Just spoke to Steve tonight. Steve is top notch. Quality unpressured ground. No Iowa tag for me looking forward to following along. See you in Kansas next week.
Have a great hunt! I don't know about down in southern iowa but there have been some huge deer killed up here in the northern part of the state already this year. Should be great weather for getting them moving!
Pat drive down here to Kansas City and I can hook you up with my 27" draw Triax and all the clothes you could ever use! Sorry out of Sitka but you could use my first lite/cabelas gear. Good luck!
You can’t fly and hunt for 48 hrs in Iowa anyway! ;-) Fortunately, you’re only 1 1/2hrs from the airport. Hope the rest of the trip goes smoother. Good luck!
I think if I was doing outfitter hunts I would be boxing up all my gear and FedEx it to outfitter well in advance. Manly so I wouldn't have to go to prison for killing someone at the airport.
Good luck Pat, you didn't miss anything here in southern iowa this morning. The deer aren't moving.
"I think if I was doing outfitter hunts I would be boxing up all my gear and FedEx it to outfitter well in advance."
This^^^. My wife and I have a Fed Ex business account. We realized long ago that it was virtually the same price to send our luggage via Fed Ex, versus paying the additional checked luggage fees to the airlines. We send them out 2-3 days in advance, so that they're waiting for us when we get to our destination. No lugging it thru crowded airports. No random searches. No lost bags. And we can track the delivery the whole way.
Good luck Pat. If things are still missing I'm only 45 minutes from the Des Moines airport. Filled my tag Tuesday so if I have what you need it's available. Jeff.
I would be out of my mind pissed if they couldn't do better than that. I want to know exactly when and what they are going to do to make it right. I am so freaking pissed and its not my hunt!
Oh well, I guess you can't let it ruin the rest of the hunt! Have fun!
Thanks guys. I’m in the stand hunting. My bow made it, still waiting on the clothes. We were able to cobble together what I needed and I bought the rest. My bag is being delivered tonight.
Yes, we want an IBTC....Iowa Blood Trail Challenge! Good Luck!!
Side question, I don't know exactly what county you are hunting but most of them in that part of the state have additional bow tags available. Since you already have your Non Resident Tag do you know if you can purchase any of the OTC doe tags? Would be a fun way to spend any extra days if you tag out early.
It all happens so fast that sometimes it’s hard to decide accurately fast enough. I had this one at 9 yards two days ago and let him walk. Still trying to decide if I made a mistake. I would probably wait a few days and hold out for a bigger buck there and enjoy time in the woods. Good luck!
All it takes sometimes is an animal lover working the airline counter to see camo and “misroute” or delay baggage. Ticket lady in Houston gave a guy in my party the run around and even said hunting is wrong. I now “golf” if they ask.
You're hunting with the right guy! I know Steve personally and have been dreaming of hunting with him for 10 years. I have 3 points, just waiting for things to work out on my end before booking with Steve. Good luck in the land of giants, I drool over the sheds he finds every year so I know there are plenty of giants around and they do not overhunt any of their properties.
Glad Pat passed that 8 point. It really is not very big
I don't know where Pat is hunting but that southern/se part of Iowa is awesome. I've been up there at least a dozen times through the years. Northeast of centerville in monroe county and over by Ottumwa Had friends growing up that had land up there. Always was a special time going up there
Three days left....what are you worried about....I'd be surprised if you've even taken your hands out of your pockets since climbing into the tree. Quit checking local election results and look for deer....LOL
Nice buck Pat. Nice beams and width. You've set a really high bar the last few years. I'm glad you can shoot a mature buck and still be happy about it. Great shot by the way. That's what we all want to see.
I'm trucking out friday for 14 days of hunting ... hopefully your predictions of the rut activity are right!
Funny thing... here in WNY some of the bucks I've seen killed (2.5-4.5) haven't even been pissing on their tarsals yet. I've seen yearlings dogging does since mid oct, which I expect to see, but there does seem to be a slow start.
Cangrats Pat! Ya know, I think you can just post pics and sorta like blurr out the top secret bow in the photo. Who knows, it might boost bowsite traffic?
Really interesting outcome that no one really wants to discuss? Obviously Pat shot a buck that was smaller than what he wanted because the hunt was going very slow. I've been there, and I get it, and unlike Pat, no one is following along or really cares if I kill a big buck or not, but it brings up some interesting points. First thing that comes to mind, what really is a "trophy whitetail"? A lot of very experienced guys will tell you that a "mature buck" is the goal, and the score is not the focus. Obviously, this deer was an old warrior, but lacked in score, so there's that. Another thing; this is Iowa right? "Land of Giants" We have to wait forever (3-4 years for a tag) to hunt there, so are our expectations too high because of that? Also; why was the hunt so slow? Weather seemed conducive? Was the rut late? Did EHD have an impact in the area? And finally, does the pressure of being a celebrity (Sorry Pat, you are one whether you like it or not!) weigh on the decision to take a deer that is "good enough"?
It was a fun few days hunting with Pat the rut is off a bit so far and the best days are still to come. It surprised me that he shot the big old 8, strange twist one of the other guys in camp thought the huge bodied 8 Pat had videoed was cool so we moved him to that same farm in a ladder stand close to where Pat had passed it up. He stayed all day and late afternoon shot one of the other big deer we were after in that area but didn’t recover it. As to the the squeaky stand it was a ladder stand not ideal but the tree had become unsafe for steps or stick as it had some rotted spots but is in the ideal location. We needed a 20+ foot ladder and this fit the bill. Normally it’s pretty windy here but that day it was still. You can hear it in the video as it creaks. The video is awesome hard to believe it’s self filmed. One of the above posts recommended Jim Hole Jr. Boot camp we had to Laugh because he is a good friend and has hunted with us many times. Rough Pats deer is 5-6 years old and was glad to see him taken.
Can someone catch me up here because I’m lost? I haven’t seen a post from Pat since 11/02. Is the buck pictured the Buck Pat shot? If so I would be tickled pink with it in my hands.
That was a great deer and the odds of doing better in a week anywhere are slim for any given hunter. Sure over time and with numbers guys someone will, but for a given hunter on a given week that is a special deer.
Personally I never grasped the "if you pass it on day 1 you should pass it on last day" philosophy. Just like money has a time value so does a finite hunt. With 10 days to go you have time on your side to possibly do even better than what presents itself on the first day. With 10 minutes to go time is up and the chance for Mr. Mega is gone, but a really nice animal is in front of you. There is also the value of the experience lasting more than a day.
That was a great deer. Did anyone in camp do better. You can only shoot the best one you get a chance at. Anything else is just a hope or a phantom, not a target or an opportunity or a decison.
Great buck Pat, you da man. Can't wait to read about your next hunt. I has been to warm to suit me here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It is getting cooler and the bucks are chasing the does so I will now start hunting. Unlike most on this site, I am after a fat doe first. I eat deer often and my supply is getting low.
Now that the VXR has gone live, I can finally play the video of my shot on the Big 8! Again, my thanks to Steve Hanson and his guide Ellis for a terrific hunt!
For once I agree with Bou. Time changes expectations and what was considered not a shooter at the beginning becomes a shooter as time winds down. There are those who are content with all or nothing and will not shoot less than their target goal even in the last 10 minutes. I’m not one of those guys and I think most are not. I would rather have the experience of shooting a good buck than none at all.
I hunted with Steve Hanson and was also a week early. Did see tons of Deer and it was getting better and better everyday. I did get a 140" on the last sit. He's definitely the guy to hunt Iowa with!