2016/2017 Iowa Late Muzzleloader season

[Gellar]

It's one of my favorite times of year again, not Christmas, but Opening day of late season for Archery and Muzzleloader. The weather has been great the last couple of days -18 yesterday and -5 today. We are in a warming pattern for the rest of the week, but deer have been hitting the fields and two "shooters" were on the edge of the timber at dusk last night! I will try and update after each hunt, I typically hunt during the afternoon/evening but am planning on doing some still hunting on South facing slopes. I will be in Allamakee county, which is zone 9 for non residents and will be hunting on public land. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

[JohnCushman]

Good luck!! Looking forward to the hero shot

 

[1976]

Good luck, hope to read the final chapter in the fallowing days, and see the pictures.

 

[maxx]

I will be out with my boys. We drove around last night and there were deer everywhere.

 

[Flatrock]

Best of luck to you. Will be curious to hear how it goes.

 

[duckhunt]

Ive been hoping you were going to do a thread on this.

 

[Trigger50]

Love hunting deer in snow !

 

[FishN4Eyes]

Good luck to you!

I'm heading to Zone 6 from 12/31-Jan 7, can't wait!

 

[1_pointer]

Good luck! That's a hunt that's on my radar as it's doe only here in IN during that time frame.

 

[Gellar]

Thank you for all the well wishes! The deer have been on the feed since the snow stopped late Saturday afternoon. On Sunday I got a blind set up. I use that term loosely, because it is no more than a log in a fencerow with some other vegetation to conceal and block the wind, but it does enough and the deer come in close. I had 12 deer within 30 yards of me. 5 were bucks with antlers the largest of which was a 6 pointer. At least 2 of the deer were shed bucks with fresh blood around what was the base of their antlers. The rest were does and yearlings. Because of work obligations I won't be hunting again until Thursday, but I will be scouting and watching each night. I found this shed on a trail walking out to my blind and believe it is from one of the shed bucks that I saw last night.

 

[sbhooper]

It's going to be nice the next few days. Should be nice to be out, but maybe not for deer movement. Good luck.

 

[280rem]

Good luck to you!

 

[duckhunt]

I talked the wife into letting me get an antlerless tag. I will be heading up to your neck of the woods sunday night.

 

[Gellar]

I talked the wife into letting me get an antlerless tag. I will be heading up to your neck of the woods sunday night.

Good luck! Be careful out there! If you need any help finding a doe around the harpers ferry area let me know I can put you in the right direction.

 

[Gellar]

I set up a new blind on Wednesday after I spotted a nice buck coming out to a field on public ground off of private ground and hunted there on Thursday night. Does started coming out around four and small box came out shortly after right at legal shooting time the buck I was after came out but I was not able to get a shot at him. And I think I may have messed up because I had my bow and my muzzleloader with me and tried to get him with the bow first but was unable to get a shot. If I would not have been greedy and just use the muzzleloader I would have a grip and grin Photo to post today. There is still about 15 days left in the season so I still have high hopeseven though the weather does not look good for a couple of days

 

[maxx]

Going to get out tonight.

 

[walnuttree]

Good luck! Cant wait to see a photo!

 

[Gellar]

Found another shed on Tuesday. This may be the deer that I was after. I haven't hunted since then so I do not know, it is really windy today and the longterm forecast looks cold!

 

[duckhunt]

Any updates?

 

[Gellar]

Sorry for the break in updates.

The flu bug hit our house, first our daughter was sick and I always feel guilty about not spending time with her especially when she is sick. This was followed by my wife getting sick and being couch ridden for a few days, so I was babysitting. Grandma did babysit one day and I spent the day with my dad and another friend trying to rouse up a few deer doing small drives. We saw a lot of does and what were probably shed bucks. In the afternoon, the conditions started to change and we were receiving Freezing rain. My dad had a 1.5 hour drive back south and he decided to leave before the weather got worse. And to be honest, after I found the sheds from the buck that I was after, I kind of lost my motivation to go. Luckily, I have a freezer full of deer, a little moose left from last year, Turkey, salmon and some walleye from the summer. We won't starve! Next year is fast approaching and I am looking forward to a Colorado OTC Archery Elk Hunt and if all goes well my dad and I will travel to Alaska in November if I draw a Mountain Goat tag or September for a Registration Moose Hunt if we don't draw the tag.