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Best Iowa Deer Outfitter?
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
wildwilderness 16-Nov-22
Tjm1534 16-Nov-22
midwest 16-Nov-22
Nick Muche 16-Nov-22
t-roy 16-Nov-22
APauls 16-Nov-22
buckhammer 16-Nov-22
Ollie 16-Nov-22
greg simon 16-Nov-22
t-roy 16-Nov-22
Rickm 16-Nov-22
Hancock West 16-Nov-22
Bou'bound 16-Nov-22
q d m 16-Nov-22
RK 16-Nov-22
drycreek 16-Nov-22
Pat Lefemine 16-Nov-22
arlone 16-Nov-22
midwest 17-Nov-22
molsonarcher 17-Nov-22
standswittaknife 17-Nov-22
otcWill 17-Nov-22
olebuck 17-Nov-22
njbuck 17-Nov-22
Pat Lefemine 17-Nov-22
t-roy 17-Nov-22
Andrew M at Work 17-Nov-22
APauls 17-Nov-22
SaddleReaper 17-Nov-22
wildwilderness 17-Nov-22
c5ken 17-Nov-22
Indiana_GSP 18-Nov-22
ahunter76 18-Nov-22
SaddleReaper 18-Nov-22
ahunter76 18-Nov-22
ahunter76 18-Nov-22
bassmasterjk 18-Nov-22
Bearman 19-Nov-22
BTP 19-Nov-22
Bou'bound 19-Nov-22
Nick Muche 19-Nov-22
BTP 20-Nov-22
BTP 20-Nov-22
SaddleReaper 20-Nov-22
t-roy 20-Nov-22
midwest 20-Nov-22
ki-ke 20-Nov-22
Thornton 20-Nov-22
Mule Power 22-Nov-22
16-Nov-22
I have 3 Iowa deer points and want to start planning to use them.

Who can recommend the best option for private land? outfitter?

I expect a 99% chance at a 150" plus deer or won't be interested in the outfit;)

Anyone know if the Lakosky place is huntable!!!

From: Tjm1534
16-Nov-22
99per cent. Good thing you started looking early.

From: midwest
16-Nov-22
Without question, Steve Hanson, Straight Arrow Outfitters. You're going to need a couple more points, though.

Edit: My opinion is not from personal experience. Only online reputation.

From: Nick Muche
16-Nov-22
Nothing harder than killing a very mature whitetail imo. But if you find a place that guarantees a chance at a 150” plus, that would be pretty awesome.

From: t-roy
16-Nov-22
Stay away from Whiskey Ridge Hunts (Tommy Nails). He seems to have a reputation for procuring/leasing hunting properties under less than honest pretenses. “It will be just me and a buddy that will be hunting here”, then runs multiple clients on said properties. I know of 3 separate properties that, once the landowner found out what he was doing, the landowner kicked him off their properties, including a property that adjoined a good friend of mine’s home and property. He even had the nerve to throw a note with a small rock, in a baggie, across the fence stating “I don’t hunt your fence lines, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t hunt mine.” Then he put up “Posted” signs up right across the fence from a couple of stands my buddy had put up several years before this clown ever weaseled his way onto the adjoining property.

From: APauls
16-Nov-22
Honestly if I were wanting a near guarantee for an opportunity on a 150 I'd look to some smaller Sask and Alberta outfitters. Either that or buy T-roy a Yukon moose hunt and maybe he'll let you hunt his farm.

From: buckhammer
16-Nov-22
If you are attaching a number (150 inch 99%) to your hunt you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

From: Ollie
16-Nov-22
If you think anyone can offer you a 99% chance at 150+ you are just plain ignorant.

From: greg simon
16-Nov-22
Winky face, Tongue in Cheek, JOKE.

Evidently not everyone is familiar with these terms.

From: t-roy
16-Nov-22
Wildwilderness……I’d definitely entertain APaul’s scenario. I’d even buy your tag!

From: Rickm
16-Nov-22
And we wonder why things go south on the internet so quickly. I can't help with guided hunts but the 99% on a 150 appears to be tongue in cheek. Good luck on your search

From: Hancock West
16-Nov-22
Definitely some sarcasm with the smiley face.

From: Bou'bound
16-Nov-22
Ted nugent can get you places where people would laugh at a 99% chance on only a 150

From: q d m
16-Nov-22
I have had a farm in iowa and now in Buffalo Co.Wis. if you want a true 150 you need to go hi gh fence.I have Measured for P@Y for over 40 yrs. and i know of no outfitter who can meet your needs. Alot of Guides can tell you there 150's but 5 day hunts are not enough time. I have a lot of friends that have from 2 to 5 hundred Acres and don't di it every year. Good luck you'll need it.

From: RK
16-Nov-22
a d m. Interesting perspective

From: drycreek
16-Nov-22

drycreek's embedded Photo
drycreek's embedded Photo
I can’t tell you what outfitter to choose, but I can tell you another to avoid. I hunted with this outlaw, so my experience is first hand.

From: Pat Lefemine
16-Nov-22
I hunted with Steve Hanson, good guy and ok properties. I shot a 130’s 8. It was the biggest I saw. Passed him in day 2, since I was hoping for a better deer but became apparent that was the best buck around. Had a great hunt but I’d say a 130 is a more reasonable objective.

From: arlone
16-Nov-22
Just watched a hunting show at my brother's and the guy was hunting with Paul(?) Fontaine. I know he was/is Lakosky's neighbor in S.E. Iowa. No personal experience with any outfitters.

From: midwest
17-Nov-22
Pat, did you have to pay the penalty fee?

From: molsonarcher
17-Nov-22
Im in Nicks camp with that same question. It seems like you would have had to since they say on the website that its collected up front.

17-Nov-22
Folks.. he was being sarcastic on the 150”..

From: otcWill
17-Nov-22
I hunted both public and private last year in Iowa. Was the best deer hunt of my life. Killed my best buck. I got access to one spectacular piece through friend of a friend. We ended up with WAY more private ground than we could ever hunt. The public was incredible as well. Go scout in the spring and find out how wonderful Iowans are. Stay away from leases or outfitters IMO. Create your own success and it'll be so much more rewarding.

From: olebuck
17-Nov-22
i hunted with Chad Johnson @ Midwest Antler company when i drew a unit 4 tag 4 years ago. Chad and his family are top notch people - just salt of the earth as good as they come. I personally recommend him, and his business - he has great alot of trophy deer to hunt when you show up. he does his homework and knows how to get bow hunters on mature bucks. i saw my first booner ever there and killed a great mature 10 point at 12 steps...

From: njbuck
17-Nov-22
Cole Winther, southwest Iowa Outfitters. You wont be disappointed

From: Pat Lefemine
17-Nov-22

Pat Lefemine's embedded Photo
Pat Lefemine's embedded Photo
I don’t know anything about a penalty fee. It was a mature buck. The guide suggested I shoot it if he showed up again and I did. It may have been 140, I don’t remember.

From: t-roy
17-Nov-22
Rocky D….I’m certain his “guarantee” comment was said in jest.

However, my “150s for a Yukon moose hunt swap” was made in all seriousness…kinda

17-Nov-22
I would HIGHLY recommend Windy Ridge Outfitting in Cantril IA. My brother hunted there twice and I hunted there once and we are both going back in Dec of this year. Rather than wait 5 years to draw a tag we are going to bowhunt during the late ML season. I saw at least a handful of deer over 150. Seeing and killing are 2 different things. I did kill a 130" 10pt on the last morning of our hunt. I posted on the Bowsite about my hunt. I think it's called Day 1 in IOWA or something like that. Just the sheer # of deer seen was staggering. All private property and an overall great experience for my first guided hunt

From: APauls
17-Nov-22
I think it's really tough for a serious outfitter to push out bucks of that caliber on the regular. You know what it takes for a deer to get there and how often that happens.

Hence my comment about a smaller outfitter in Alberta or Saskatchewan. There are some of these "Farm boy" style outfits where it's a farmer or something and he picked up a few tags, has his guests stay in his farmhouse kind of deal. He will have access to hundreds if not thousands of acres of land in a remote area with genetics that push out that quality of deer. He's gonna have a crappy website, and will be hard to find. He prob has a few lucky SOB's that come back year after year with low turnover because they know what they've got.

I just spent 3 days in Western MB near the Sask line and got permission on 6000 acres of private land. Within morning driving range of my hotel was over 100,000 acres of public land to hunt. Consider that Manitoba has approx 30,000 hunters. The area I was hunting was a speck in our province. I don't think you guys can understand how vast an area like Saskatchewan is. They've got half the population we do. Nearly the entire province is big buck Mecca habitat. The agriculture areas are loaded with deer. The forest has bucks living and dying without ever seeing a human.

I'd never hunted the area I was this weekend, so I was scouting and hunting with blackpowder. That being said we nearly killed a 150+ buck, and saw 3 that we think would be near that mark. Rifle, would have been tagged out. First time ever there. And I can tell you with certainty that most of Sask is better than this area. Most of Sask is more remote than this area. I gun hunted Sask DIY and shot 4 bucks in 4 straight trips that averaged 155" having never been there before my hunt. My luck was certainly better than those in my party, but I don't think you guys really understand what there is over there. I saw bucks that I would give my left nut for. A 160" frame 4x4 with double drops each 12-14". Standing at 80 yards day before we could legally shoot on a piece of property we could legally shoot. With a doe obviously. There are more bucks living and dying without ever being pressured than there are bucks being pressured before they die. It's a completely different game.

Is a 150 ever a guarantee??? No I don't think so. But there are places where you can go that have incredible odds IMO. Now doing it with archery tackle is that much tougher. The terrain up here often isn't conducive to it. Heck the terrain I was hunting this past weekend was tough with a muzzleloader. Just such HUGE country. Low trees, no trees, etc.

From: SaddleReaper
17-Nov-22
I have a lot of non resident 'industry' friends that all go with Shermoe Adventures LLC when they draw Iowa. A couple of them have shot deer in the 140-175 range with that outfit. They tried to tell me to go that route when I drew my tag, but I think it was 4-5K for the hunt... no thanks. I'd rather DIY. Prior to the trip, in my mind, the goal was to try to connect on a 150 class or bust.... lofty, yes, but if it's a deer of that caliber it's likely also mature which is important to me.

I actually drove to Iowa 2 springs in a row before my hunt to shed hunt and meet landowners. Shed hunting has turned into an annual trip, and meeting people I might be friends with for life. I ended up gaining access to some private property for my hunt. Bought a few trailcams and mailed them to my new resident friend. He put them up. He would be the first to admit he didn't know what he was doing when he set them up... He sent me very few pictures in the 2 months leading up to my hunt. Cams showed a few nice bucks in the 120-140 range, and one in particular that was clearly pushing the 170 mark.

The day I showed up (Nov. 9th if my memory serves) it was 70s so I took advantage of the heat to go set up some more cameras in midday, and then we went to check the cameras I had mailed him. Turns out he had set the cameras up to take 1 picture and the delay was 10 minutes on one camera. I wanted to kick him in the nuts ha ha... typical duck hunter that doesn't know chit about deer :^) We laughed about that one for a bit. The pictures those cameras captured showed what existed, but provided no useful intel otherwise. But at least I had an idea of what could show up. I ended up seeing that booner on my way in during gray light for the 2nd sit (morning). Day 2 in the evening I passed a 135-140 that my friend had gotten on camera. Day 3, on my 4th sit I glassed a buck angling my direction, that from a distance I judged to make the mark, and he looked mature.... er so I thought. He had great tine length, but short 19" beams and a 14" spread. As he closed the distance and came into clear view showing his narrow width, I quickly realized he was probably a bit short of my 150 goal, but I was already fixing to shoot him. I killed him. The next day I pulled my cameras. I had pictures of the buck and he looked no older than 3. So I had killed what was likely a 3yr old, 144" 10pt. A great buck, but had I recognized him from camera pics I'd have passed him mostly on account of age. I had 2 weeks to hunt and should have been more patient to let the hunting play out.

One of my big take-aways from that hunt which you may find useful is that if your goal is at least a 150 class (regardless of if that portion of comment was in jest), and unless you are well versed in field judging, waiting for an opportunity at a buck that looks 160 would be smart.

17-Nov-22
This is for Iowa only-

I want a plan to use my points.

Of course I know that on a free range hunt no one can "guarantee" a 150" deer. My point is I am not interested in hunting somewhere without multiple 150" plus deer available to hunt. The time to hunt is worth more to me than the cost (to a point)

Not all properties or outfits are created equal. I want to maximize my opportunity cost on using Iowa points, and taking time away from my KS connections. (I have a friend who owns 4000+ acres, and leases 2000+ more- they kill multiple deer 160-190 every year (with a 200"er or two on camera running around)- only family gets to hunt for now, but I do have permission on 190 acres in that area of big bucks he hooked me up with and said I may get to hunt his if needed...)

From: c5ken
17-Nov-22
Give Shermoe Adventures LLC a call (Bryant Shermoe) 586-212-4319 He runs a top quality hunt. However, you will need more that 3 p/Points to draw a tag in his area. He kills some monsters every year..

From: Indiana_GSP
18-Nov-22
Remember. Iowa is not for Archers who need to hunt over a Bait Pile. A little more skill and scouting will be required.

From: ahunter76
18-Nov-22
Born & raised in Illinois. Now in Iowa. I know several veteran bowhunters with some great places to bowhunt in Ill (5 hunters) & Iowa (3 hunters).. These guys are well qualified as bowhunters. In the last 5 years they have tagged THREE P&Ys between them. This represents many a hour IN THE STAND. Yes, they ALL "see" some dandies almost every year. Getting one in for a shot is another thing.. Those critters get big for a reason & sometimes it's just plain luck on the Deers part. So far this year 7 have arrowed 4 Bucks. 1 150+(Iowa), & Illinois is 2 near 130, 1 under 120, 1 miss defiantly 150+, 1 miss under 120. These are approx. but you get the gist.. All but 1 taken in Nov & LOTS of hours in the stands. Good luck...

From: SaddleReaper
18-Nov-22
Man NY must be the new IA or Il.... :)

Between me and a few friends within a 15mile radius we have killed the following: 10pt 149", 10pt 144", 11pt 152", 8pt 150", 8pt 150". Have a friend about 50 miles away that shot a 12pt 154"

From: ahunter76
18-Nov-22
Saddlereaper-You must be in the "super" spot. I have a good buddy from NY & he knocks down some dandies too.

From: ahunter76
18-Nov-22

ahunter76's embedded Photo
ahunter76's embedded Photo
This is one of those buddys 16 yr old son. He outdid Dad a few days ago.

From: bassmasterjk
18-Nov-22
I've never hunted with Timberghost however a friend has, with good things to say. Seems to low impact type management. I've considered booking with them and spoke to them, but it's been a few years. Following this thread, I have plenty of points and might plan for 2023. If anyone else has an opinion / information regarding Timberghost, I'd appreciate any information

From: Bearman
19-Nov-22
Does Judd Cooney still operate in Iowa?

From: BTP
19-Nov-22
"Remember. Iowa is not for Archers who need to hunt over a Bait Pile. A little more skill and scouting will be required."

Bahhhhh bahhhh. You sir, are goofy.

I just got back. Hunting an Iowa rut is the easiest hunting you will ever see based on my experience. The deer aren't getting rifle hunted, they have a condensed rut so they just loose their mind.

I'll give you 500 lbs of corn and you can bring all your "skill" to SC. Let's see you kill a doe.

From: Bou'bound
19-Nov-22
Show us a photo of the easy deer please

From: Nick Muche
19-Nov-22

From: BTP
20-Nov-22

BTP's embedded Photo
BTP's embedded Photo
I'm just saying. To say you gotta be super hunter to hunt a place with no rifle season, that only allows one bow deer, and non residents only get to come every 5 years isn't that hard. At least what I saw. Now I DID go with an outfitter.

But you had tons of cut corn and beans. Then you had drainages around them with some timber. Find where two drainages come together, look for sign, set up downwind, see 8-10 bucks a morning.

I do apologize, Im too old to be a chest beater, but the gentlemens comment about not bringing corn but skill just flew in my face a bit. I've got one whole week of experience, but it confirmed what I suspected from the TV shows. The Midwest is the place to hunt big deer and it's much harder to bowhunt the south.

From: BTP
20-Nov-22
Elite, you really think you are your handle. You said mature, that deer is 7.5 years old. But I guess you mean to say that only old bucks with more scoring length are smart.

I already booked to go back my trip to go back, had the time of my life. I just responded to a snide comment with my own. My mistake. If someone wishes to ask about the outfitter please PM me. There were 5 bucks killed that scored very, very, well.

From: SaddleReaper
20-Nov-22
ahunter76 super indeed... western NY has deer numbers through the roof and a good mix of grain crops and optimal growing conditions. Proximity to sanctuary type areas helps in some cases to truly see the top end of what NY can produce because in the farm-centric areas deer drives tend to keep the age structure low. Example - where I killed my 6.5yr old buck on Nov. 1 (the 144" 10pt), that wood lot saw a deer drive yesterday morning, our firearm opener, and they shot 9 deer. Not including what the surrounding neighbors shot as a result of the chaos.

From: t-roy
20-Nov-22
I didn’t get the memo that there was gonna be a condensed rut this year:-(

From: midwest
20-Nov-22
My rut seems to get condensed a little more each year. :-(

From: ki-ke
20-Nov-22
I'm with ya Nick....I've only had 2 lockdowns since elk season.....

From: Thornton
20-Nov-22
150" isn't an unreasonable goal for an outfitted hunt, especially for Iowa. Anything less can be shot in about any state if you're patient.

From: Mule Power
22-Nov-22
Been awhile since I checked this thread out.

I’ll get you a buck like that in western Pa for half of whatever you’re paying to drive all the way to Iowa for.

What do you estimate that deer scores?

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