Iowa Scouting Trip July/August 2022/Sept

[Silvio]

Gets my heart pumping just reading about it!
I know you’re busy, but if you have the time could you explain how you’re going about picking your hunting locations for this buck?
Are you hunting scrapes? Exit trails? Pinch points?
thanks in advance!

Well yesterday was the first time I had ever stepped foot on this property. The owners have only allowed gun hunting…so bowhunting is going to be extremely fun. I was only able to scout 50% of 100 acres yesterday . The point I’m going to make here is mapping out topography changes and actual sign is the only way to prepare a plan to harvest a buck. The property edges are so steep but using HuntStand and the 3D image tool before coming gave me a great head start to where I wanted to start my scouting. I marked every crossing, buck rub, transition zones, pinch points…etc I came into contact with. I have a lot of foot work yet but here’s a snap shot of yesterdays scouting and potential hot spots for presets. Also keep in mind you can’t just trust a satellite image you need to search and investigate a property to understand how the deer move thru it. Case in point, the north east corner of pines I couldn’t even walk into it since it was extremely thick with low branches. Again deer trails went into it, so it’s a great thermal cover but great Un-disturbed security cover. I suspect the perimeter edge of only gun hunting will help us tremendously as the deer haven’t been hunted in the interior of this property. So far I’ve place one camera over a scrape and one on the SW corner of the pine ridge transition. There’s a very narrow saddle there that produces a really good travel corridor for the deer to travel in and out of that security cover. I’m going to predict this location will produce our largest buck harvest…so let’s see what happens

 

[KYHunter]

Well yesterday was the first time I had ever stepped foot on this property. The owners have only allowed gun hunting…so bowhunting is going to be extremely fun. I was only able to scout 50% of 100 acres yesterday . The point I’m going to make here is mapping out topography changes and actual sign is the only way to prepare a plan to harvest a buck. The property edges are so steep but using HuntStand and the 3D image tool before coming gave me a great head start to where I wanted to start my scouting. I marked every crossing, buck rub, transition zones, pinch points…etc. I have a lot of foot work yet but here’s a snap shot of yesterdays scouting and potential hot spots for presets. Also keep in mind you can’t just trust a satellite image you need to search and investigate a property to understand how the deer move thru itView attachment 71461View attachment 71462

Thank you! Cool to see Your perspective on scouting.
Excited to see how it plays out for you and excited to learn from your success.

 

[Silvio]

Today was a grueling day…presets and stand placements were my priority today. The sticker burrs were so heavy…the steep slopes are covered with this tall weed. I was only able to complete two presets today…will be back at it tomorrow

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Today was a grueling day…presets and stand placements were my priority today. The sticker burrs were so heavy…the steep slopes are covered with this tall weed. I was only able to complete two presets today…will be back at it tomorrowView attachment 71603

The deer hate the stuff, too! lol.

 

[Silvio]

Ya…the deer here are bedding in this stuff…it’s waist to chest high throughout this 100 acre section. I’ve been out everyday mapping the property for season opener…presets today and a machete to clear trail in this stuff today…it kicked my rear end for sure.

 

[Silvio]

Good luck this year. It's good to hear you are doing better.

Thank you…it’s taken the year to really get back into shape…I really worked at it…so my wife is having a hard time letting the dog off the lease though..I’m in heaven here in Iowa…I’m with my wife but I’ve been scouting by myself this week…my nephew has to work

 

[phatkaw]

I envy your opertunity to be hunting Iowa!

I really appreciate you bringing this to us here!

Awesome stuff!

 

[Silvio]

I envy your opertunity to be hunting Iowa!

I really appreciate you bringing this to us here!

Awesome stuff!

Thank you…it’s been a four days…Tuesday tomorrow will be my last day to geterdone so to speak…I have one more camera to put out, one more preset,,,and a little more scouting out the north side of the 10 acres of pines…cameras have been giving me issues because of the topography but it looks like two of my cameras will need repairs. I’ll be back in October some time…also I hope and pray every serious whitetail hunter experiences Iowa…there’s nothing like it

 

[HalfsackZac]

Thank you…it’s been a four days…Tuesday tomorrow will be my last day to geterdone so to speak…I have one more camera to put out, one more preset,,,and a little more scouting out the north side of the 10 acres of pines…cameras have been giving me issues because of the topography but it looks like two of my cameras will need repairs. I’ll be back in October some time…also I hope and pray every serious whitetail hunter experiences Iowa…there’s nothing like it

Posts like these remind me how blessed I am to live here.

 

[CooterBrown]

Thank you…it’s been a four days…Tuesday tomorrow will be my last day to geterdone so to speak…I have one more camera to put out, one more preset,,,and a little more scouting out the north side of the 10 acres of pines…cameras have been giving me issues because of the topography but it looks like two of my cameras will need repairs. I’ll be back in October some time…also I hope and pray every serious whitetail hunter experiences Iowa…there’s nothing like it

So where is a good place to hunt public land there for an out of state person that hasn't ever even been to the state.

 

[Silvio]

W

So where is a good place to hunt public land there for an out of state person that hasn't ever even been to the state.

Well that’s hard to say…but I’ve hunted the northeast corner Alamakee County on public in 2019. The deer densities are low but access is the challenge…if your willing to hike or bike back into some areas the experience is worth the struggle. There’s plenty of state ground to check out there

 

[Silvio]

Posts like these remind me how blessed I am to live here.

I can tell you your state has managed the deer herd correctly…if you live in a state such as Michigan you will find political puppets in title and name only. The blessing here is that money goes back into the state lands and streams. Dont ever let some bureaucrat change the culture or the deer management tools. Hell back in 2019 I was checked by two different Conservation officers and all’s they wanted to do was help me get into deer. In Michigan if you get stopped they are going to write you a ticket for something…State agencies run by demo-rats have a castopo mentality…I brought a friend of mine here several weeks ago to help me place cameras out on state ground and he’s 72 had only saw one 10 pt back in Michigan in 40 + years of hunting. He saw more mature bucks in natural feeding patterns in one evening the all those yrs of hunting back home. Do the math…state agencies such as Michigan rob from the hard working hunting public. That’s why I’m so appreciative for the state of Iowa…I wish they would have a special drawing for seniors so I didn’t have to wait 3 to 5 yrs

 

[sureshot]

And every year we have to try to defend our deer hunting regulations. Lobbyists push to get new laws passed every year such as allowing rifles, crossbows, and non-residents to get buck tags every year.

Iowa shouldn't have to support the entire country's deer hunting population. If other states would adopt some of iowa's regulations, they would be way better than iowa (such as no gun season during the rut). Iowa only has 6% timber in the state and is in the bottom 5 states of public land (don't remember the actual number).

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[Silvio]

And every year we have to try to defend our deer hunting regulations. Lobbyists push to get new laws passed every year such as allowing rifles, crossbows, and non-residents to get buck tags every year.

Iowa shouldn't have to support the entire country's deer hunting population. If other states would adopt some of iowa's regulations, they would be way better than iowa (such as no gun season during the rut). Iowa only has 6% timber in the state and is in the bottom 5 states of public land (don't remember the actual number).

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your correct every state should be like Iowa when it comes to deer hunting regulations. Unfortunately a great percentage of states manage for generating revenue. So like I mentioned never let these bureaucrats change your deer management philosophy by bringing in a new chief of Wildlife with a failing record from another state. That how they like to do it…

 

[Silvio]

Ok let’s get back to the fun stuff…found a scrape near one of my cameras yesterday and the buck who worked it up

 

[CooterBrown]

Ok let’s get back to the fun stuff…found a scrape near one of my cameras yesterday and the buck who worked it upView attachment 71720

What did he look like

 

[HuskerInIowa]

And every year we have to try to defend our deer hunting regulations. Lobbyists push to get new laws passed every year such as allowing rifles, crossbows, and non-residents to get buck tags every year.

Iowa shouldn't have to support the entire country's deer hunting population. If other states would adopt some of iowa's regulations, they would be way better than iowa (such as no gun season during the rut). Iowa only has 6% timber in the state and is in the bottom 5 states of public land (don't remember the actual number).

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Think we’re 49th in percentage of acres and 46-47 in total acres last l looked. Not trying to derail a cool thread that’s full of fun and positivity, just sharing info. The reason I spend so much on BHA, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, etc.

 

[HalfsackZac]

I can tell you your state has managed the deer herd correctly…if you live in a state such as Michigan you will find political puppets in title and name only. The blessing here is that money goes back into the state lands and streams. Dont ever let some bureaucrat change the culture or the deer management tools. Hell back in 2019 I was checked by two different Conservation officers and all’s they wanted to do was help me get into deer. In Michigan if you get stopped they are going to write you a ticket for something…State agencies run by demo-rats have a castopo mentality…I brought a friend of mine here several weeks ago to help me place cameras out on state ground and he’s 72 had only saw one 10 pt back in Michigan in 40 + years of hunting. He saw more mature bucks in natural feeding patterns in one evening the all those yrs of hunting back home. Do the math…state agencies such as Michigan rob from the hard working hunting public. That’s why I’m so appreciative for the state of Iowa…I wish they would have a special drawing for seniors so I didn’t have to wait 3 to 5 yrs

It’s funny you bring up the conservation officers. I called one yesterday with one question about a public spot I found, and not knowing me or having ever talked to me ever, He kept me on the phone for the better part of 30 min giving me all kinds of tips and even went as far as to text me onX maps of places to scout. It is really cool when a guy takes a job like that to help people not just to write tickets.

 

[Silvio]

It’s funny you bring up the conservation officers. I called one yesterday with one question about a public spot I found, and not knowing me or having ever talked to me ever, He kept me on the phone for the better part of 30 min giving me all kinds of tips and even went as far as to text me onX maps of places to scout. It is really cool when a guy takes a job like that to help people not just to write tickets.

It’s the Iowa culture here. People are friendly and the State Game Depart realizes how important there job is - simply they regard their relationships are very valuable-with the public…refreshing to say the least

 

[HalfsackZac]

It’s the Iowa culture here. People are friendly and the State Game Depart realizes how important there job is - simple they regard their relationships very valuable-with the public…refreshing to say the least

Good luck in our fine state and if you get a bruiser this year post pics on this thread so we can see.