Enjoying the pics man. keep em coming.
Its a blessing to hunt a high quality state such as Iowa…my first harvest here was 2.5 miles in and @ age 63 it was going to be a struggle to get him out. I explained this to an adjacent landowner up the road and I gained access permission that nite to retrieve my buck. I pulled my truck up to the property line and ended up only having to drag him 200 yards. God is good…people here are kind and thoughtful. Much of the state ground has limited access which requires crossing river bottoms and getting wet in some cases…so again it comes down to one’s ability and stamina to tread the places others won’t go to too huntThey 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!
When you say where Freight train is coming in on do you mean heading out to feed from bedding or vice-versa?View attachment 70323
well today I placed two more cameras trying to figure out where Freight Train was coming in from…should generate some good intell over the Nxt month…it’s beyond thick security cover so I picked the trails based on last yrs rub lines. I’m actually preaching to my brother in the photo about being more aggressive with camera placements..will see what happensView attachment 70324
Good question…actually I’m 99% always sitting dark to dark so I’m more interested in his approach back to his bedding spotWhen you say where Freight train is coming in on do you mean heading out to feed from bedding or vice-versa?
It’s for the future …we have to give back from the heart. When I was 7 my parents divorced and my Dad moved to St Louis. I had two awesome uncles who took me fishing and hunting every yr, Uncle Amos and Uncle Vince sealed the love of the outdoors in me. I was named after my grandfather Silvio Giuliani who taught me how to shoot a shotgun and take me pheasant/squirrel hunting every year. When I got married we found out my wife couldn’t have kids…so we adopted a baby girl and I became a Big Brother that lasted 16 yrs. My life’s rewards has always been about giving back to the kids throughout my life. God has blessed my life10 fold. Now that I’m retired I can devote my skills and pass them onAwesome work @Silvio. I have completed 1 of my four scheduled hunter and bowhunter safety classes I instruct for this season. I have one tomorrow and Wednesday then two bow classes in September. I’ve been volunteering as a hunter, bowhunter and trapping instructor for over 22 years now. It is always a pleasure to sign a hunter or bowhunter safety certificate for an eager young hunter or old alike. Thanks for passing it on and giving back to this great sport.
Thanks Treecreep…I was out this morning dialing in my RX5 and my backup RealmX. They both are shooting very well. My heart doctor appointment is Sept 22 and should do very well leading into the Archery season. Man I had a close friend call me and offer to hunt his place this yr and unfortunately my Iowa tag is going to consume most of my attention. So thanks for being so kind…as I’ve often have sad the Saddle Hunters forum is the best place to share and meet awesome individuals…have a great season yourselfCongrats on your return to good health.
Your recent posts are very educational and remind me to give a bit more back.
I’m sure there are many here rooting for you to have a memorable season .
Love the enthusiasm and dedication! Good luck!View attachment 71443
jump a booner on day one…I was coming down a very steep ravine on the Far East side of the property and was almost to the bottom so I could cross over to the other side…it was like flushing a partridge from heavy cover…guys this buck was beyond enormous… he ran up above me and I just couldn’t get a picture of him. There was a sign post rub 60 yard from his bed and a big active scrape…man this was an awesome day to say the least. I have four presets chosen so far and more-scouting to do
I’m doing a parcel search for all 355 acre plots in Iowa right now so I can sneak in and slip an arrow into that booner before you do!! Just kidding @Silvio I hope to see your fists wrapped around that big boys’ antler bases this season! Love following your threads!! Sounds like you’ve got a great season ahead of you both at home and in the Booner state!!View attachment 71443
jump a booner on day one…I was coming down a very steep ravine on the Far East side of the property and was almost to the bottom so I could cross over to the other side…it was like flushing a partridge from heavy cover…guys this buck was beyond enormous… he ran up above me and I just couldn’t get a picture of him. There was a sign post rub 60 yard from his bed and a big active scrape…man this was an awesome day to say the least. I have four presets chosen so far and more-scouting to do
A rub like that just gets me wild!!!!!!View attachment 71443
jump a booner on day one…I was coming down a very steep ravine on the Far East side of the property and was almost to the bottom so I could cross over to the other side…it was like flushing a partridge from heavy cover…guys this buck was beyond enormous… he ran up above me and I just couldn’t get a picture of him. There was a sign post rub 60 yard from his bed and a big active scrape…man this was an awesome day to say the least. I have four presets chosen so far and more-scouting to do
Gets my heart pumping just reading about it!View attachment 71443
jump a booner on day one…I was coming down a very steep ravine on the Far East side of the property and was almost to the bottom so I could cross over to the other side…it was like flushing a partridge from heavy cover…guys this buck was beyond enormous… he ran up above me and I just couldn’t get a picture of him. There was a sign post rub 60 yard from his bed and a big active scrape…man this was an awesome day to say the least. I have four presets chosen so far and more-scouting to do
Ya I was really surprised to find a very aggressive rub in SeptA rub like that just gets me wild!!!!!!