Yup. I have a buddy that does a lot of hunting up there. I live about an hour south of that. Great bucks but they're tough to kill due to terrain and small parcels. Was going to take a trip up to hunt that public last year but never got around to it. Theres supposedly giants in that area if you can get on them.
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Iowa Scouting Trip July/August 2022/Sept
- Thread starter Silvio
- Start date
It's been about 10 years since I've been there, but I was shocked at how much hunting pressure yellow river had. There were people everywhere.
Allamakee County is known for big bucks, but the hunting pressure reflects that.
North cedar/ Snyder Magill might be a spot worth checking out if you need other areas. It had some pretty good habitat areas, or at least it did 10 years ago. I don't make it up that far north anymore. It's too far away for me to hunt.
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Sny Magill gets insane amount of pressure these days. People everywhere up there the last couple of years everytime I've gone up
Silvio
Well-Known Member
Yes...the hunting pressure is insane like back home in Michigan. Guys can't sit all day...thats my benefit for sure...my set ups are in places that are long and hard to get to..it makes the bucks cruise more during early season as the hunting pressure increases. In 2019 my last draw yr a game warden was shocked at the distance I travel on public...he said I must love the sport because no one goes in that far...wish me luck
yup. I've found the same thing. Everyone not from Iowa thinks there is no pressure but up by our zones its crazy on public. If you get to a spot nobodys going it can be absolutely great. Good luck!
Silvio
Well-Known Member
Thank you..
Silvio
Well-Known Member
Well I can tell you...limited access to large parcels of state ground is a real benefit. I've hunted many days never seen another bow hunter coming into state land and to be honest I don't hunt near property lines...there's no need too. I like remaining incognito on these set ups and landowners are nice but reframe from giving access to non residents. This should be a non residents overall tactic...find limited access ground and find set ups that offer non pressured pockets. Believe me you can hunt a highly pressured area where buck have never been hunted...you might be saying how is that possible...
Well Iowa bucks aren't harassed, shot at, or ducked an arrow or two as much during there first 3 to four years growing into adulthood and as such act differently than bucks that are pressured into the apache hills
Silvio
Well-Known Member
First decent buck...hes a 4yr old...got pictures of him years prior
Silvio
Well-Known Member
Heading back to the land of GIANTS…will be back in Iowa for another week of scouting and camera placement. Always exciting going to this place…keep you posted
Silvio
Well-Known Member
First nite in a observation location was exciting as hell…state ground I was set up in a corn field watching two different bachelor groups and two 150 class bucks in the first group. Back in Michigan our DNR would never plant a corn field or lease to a farmer to provide food and cover…it’s amazing to me how the Iowa DNR helps farmers and hunters - imagine that. Anyway I did see a 160+ which I saw several weeks earlier and plan to set up on him tonite and take video
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Silvio
Well-Known Member
the art of getting close - well in this case too close. I wasn’t expecting to have any bucks this close but sometimes the unexpected happens. I was set up in a corn field to film a super 160 buck I’ve been watching this summer but the younger bucks were out earlier then usual and gave me 10+ minutes of great video and photos. Actually had 6 different bucks come within 30 to 10 yards from me…this buck wouldn’t be on my hit list but he gave me great filming
Silvio
Well-Known Member
I finally got a daytime picture of Freight Train crossing a deep creek but the picture is a dim misty early morning
picture. His main beams are longer and still a basic clean 10
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- Jun 28, 2019
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- 8,031
Sweet!!!
Silvio
Well-Known Member
To nights action
Man glassing from a distance I saw several good shooters tonite, I’ve even seen bachelor group bucks running with doe groups…never seen that in Michigan ever. Well I’m only three days into this mini vacation and it’s been spectacular. I’m heading to my deepest state ground spot tomorrow and move a camera that hasn’t generated a buck picture yet…so I’ll try and keep this updated while I’m here
Man glassing from a distance I saw several good shooters tonite, I’ve even seen bachelor group bucks running with doe groups…never seen that in Michigan ever. Well I’m only three days into this mini vacation and it’s been spectacular. I’m heading to my deepest state ground spot tomorrow and move a camera that hasn’t generated a buck picture yet…so I’ll try and keep this updated while I’m here
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Thanks for the reports.
I love Iowa. Wow, its getting harder and harder to draw and much more expensive. When I 1st started going, points were only $10 each and you could draw in high demand zones with 2 points.
Now, the points are over $60 and places like zone 5 pretty much need 5 points to draw.
That puts the total expenditure for a tag at over $900!
Good luck Silvio and keep us posted.
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- Jun 28, 2019
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- 8,031
NY is like MI, they do much of nothing to assist farmers or even their own state land game populations much if at all. I'm a volunter HEP, BOW and Trap Instructor so every year we have a refresher for instructors put on by each of the 9 WMU's in NY. Most of the State HEP program coordinators are Wildlife Biologists too, they are forced to administer the HEP in addition to their wildlife management and conservation duties. Anyway, at these refreshers they touch on state conservation program activities and initiatives.
We were told at least ten years ago now during the Obama Administration that due to the amount of people buying guns and ammo, Pittman-Robertson Funds were exceedingly higher than normal so the state was flush with cash for their programs. One biologist told us it was written in the En-Con Law many decades ago that these Pittman Robertson funds were to be used (in part) to help the state harvest 10% of the timber resource on all state game lands each year. The state would get resources from timber sales and the wildlife would benefit by providing more successional type growth habitat in upland forests to support game and many non game species as well.
Most of our state forests are mature "old growth" style forests and although they look nice, they are horribly deficient in habitat for many upland species including deer. After ten or more years, I've noticed one state forest area that I monitor be harvested for timber........ they do nothing. I can't imagine how it would be if they would just do the timber stand management requirements that were mandated in the Encon Law decades ago!!!
I drive over the border to PA and they have state game lands with food plots and ongoing timber harvests to increase upland game habitat health. If it weren't for many private farmers and land managers around here it would be an absolute horrible place to hunt. The state for whatever reason continues to shirk most of its habitat improvement initiatives and has for decades.
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Silvio
Well-Known Member
Ya I served as the Regional Director for QDMA and secured funds for education and the state agency (DNR) wasn’t happy with the direction of the proposed money direction…simply they wanted its control. Same is true in Michigan with timber sales from state ground and never establishing further habitat improvement programs. Look many DNR’s have stolen financial resources from the public but mostly from wildlife. When I scout and inspect the the state grounds there’s proof of wildlife habitat improvements tree plantings inside and around clearcuts and tree shelters on many of the hardwood trees they have planted, fruit trees, pines, the streams are full of trout, and food plots are large food sources. You can actually see the care provided here by the Iowa DNR. Many states have an agency in name only. Do you really believe CWD was a natural disease accruing in nature or was it planted by fear mongering control freaks of the elites. Follow those original department heads career paths and you’ll find a trail of deception. Well alls I can say Iowa is a special place and when you get stopped by a DNR officer they aren’t looking to write you a ticket it’s more of how can I help the non resident have a great experience. My first trip back in 2019 I got stopped by two different conservation officers and yes the checked my license but also wanted to help get on some buck hot spots…man back in Michigan they can’t wait to throw your ass in the patty wagon and put a notch on their belt for some kind of minor infraction…Iowa is a supreme example of doing wildlife management correctly
Silvio
Well-Known Member
If you were to keep a record of how many days you hunt in your home state and keep track of all your expenditures I bet you’ll find you exceeded the cost of purchasing an Iowa deer tag. I will say the experience of seeing every buck age class while hunting and scouting is worth every penny.. to see one ten point every ten yrs apart back in Michigan isn’t deer management it’s harvest exploitation
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They certainly do their best with what we have and in 30 plus years of time outdoors I’ve never had a bad interaction with a DNR officer, they have a job to do of course but they have all been professional and courteous and even kind about it. They’ll wait to check you until it doesn’t seem like it’s interrupting your hunt for example. Biggest struggle for Iowa is simply a lack of public land. It’s out there but being in the bottom 5 states in the country in acres available to hunt and 49th in percentage of acres that are public isn’t ideal. Makes it really important to take care and protect what we have, support agencies that develop more of it, and be thankful, respectful, and courteous to the landowners that open theirs up to walk in access. Hope you enjoy the time you spend in the state!