‘21 Iowa whitetail

So that buck gave me a little inspiration yesterday since I have another tag. I'm perched in the tree right now just passed seven deer at less than 10 yards. Including a thick 8 point that if I hadn't filled a tag already would have been dead. No pics some of the does had me pinned down. I'm easier to spot nowadays that I'm bigger (around)
 
So that buck gave me a little inspiration yesterday since I have another tag. I'm perched in the tree right now just passed seven deer at less than 10 yards. Including a thick 8 point that if I hadn't filled a tag already would have been dead. No pics some of the does had me pinned down. I'm easier to spot nowadays that I'm bigger (around)
Snowing here. The deer are behind my house again. I need to unload my muzzleloader if a doe comes close.
 
Wanted to comment on this thread.
Something about cold weather whitetail hunts gets me stoked. I get as excited with still hunting deer during the rut as anything, especially if I am rattling or grunting. Shooting a buck in the final minute of daylight with blackpowder is pretty damn cool.
Congrats on a great deer!
Reminded me of a hunt I had.
Drove 6 hours in wretched blizzard conditions to an Eastern Montana BMA.
Location...the boonies, an hour from the nearest town. Pulled up to my campsite and had to shovel 18" of snow to set up my tent. -18 degrees, a pole broke . Long night, cold. Woke up to frozen water, stove wouldn't work. F-it. Put on every last bit of clothing and trudged off in the dark to hunt timber. Hour after daylight its snowing...-20. I cut tracks on some deer and followed them side hill where they entered a timbered hollow. With my 25.06 over my shoulder I suddenly spied the deer not 20 yards in front of me. The buck had his head up yanking on some branches. Minutes passed in plain view before I slowly swung my rifle around for the shot. Not an Iowa monster but a solid 146 Montana buck. I beat it the hell out of there once he was loaded. The rancher just shook is head at me.
You will remember your hunt a LONG time. Thanks for sharing.
 
Wanted to comment on this thread.
Something about cold weather whitetail hunts gets me stoked. I get as excited with still hunting deer during the rut as anything, especially if I am rattling or grunting. Shooting a buck in the final minute of daylight with blackpowder is pretty damn cool.
Congrats on a great deer!
Reminded me of a hunt I had.
Drove 6 hours in wretched blizzard conditions to an Eastern Montana BMA.
Location...the boonies, an hour from the nearest town. Pulled up to my campsite and had to shovel 18" of snow to set up my tent. -18 degrees, a pole broke . Long night, cold. Woke up to frozen water, stove wouldn't work. F-it. Put on every last bit of clothing and trudged off in the dark to hunt timber. Hour after daylight its snowing...-20. I cut tracks on some deer and followed them side hill where they entered a timbered hollow. With my 25.06 over my shoulder I suddenly spied the deer not 20 yards in front of me. The buck had his head up yanking on some branches. Minutes passed in plain view before I slowly swung my rifle around for the shot. Not an Iowa monster but a solid 146 Montana buck. I beat it the hell out of there once he was loaded. The rancher just shook is head at me.
You will remember your hunt a LONG time. Thanks for sharing.
That is a great story! A buck that scores 146 is nothing to be ashamed of no matter where you kill it, but yours sounds like an adventure!

The colder the better! I used to bow hunt during the late season but a few years ago it was in the double digit negatives for a high and I was sitting along the bluff edge to the Mississippi River so the wind was brutal cold coming off the ice. I was hunting a 160” deer that I had on a good pattern. Sure as the sun rising in the East the buck walks down the trail and stops right in my shooting lane. No matter how hard I tried I could not pull my bow back because I was so cold. The buck just stared at me. Probably thinking Wtf are you doing up there?

I still have a bow tag available so maybe I’ll go back out again before January 10.
 
I don’t want to hijack your thread but I am also a late season lover here in Iowa. Was having a pretty rough year so far but a couple nights ago I got out and sat in the middle of corn row about 30 yards from a little draw they follow out. He played it perfectly and came out at 30 yards with two does. Wasn’t planning on pulling the trigger but after staring at him for 10 minutes I couldn’t take it anymore and pulled the trigger. Kind of surprised it actually worked and they didn’t spook. Stood up and turned around to see a true Iowa giant and one of biggest deer I’ve seen standing 200 yards away in the middle of the field. Growing up I was lucky to just get a shot at a doe so I am more than happy with him but that was kicker. Wishing you goodluck in the last couple days! 8EEA7FAB-BB8E-48B6-96D8-0B393831C42E.jpeg
E2643835-29FC-4CDE-A72E-AE4D227CF703.jpeg
 
This morning as I was pulling out of the driveway to go to work 1/2 mile down the road I saw a deer cross the road. I could see antlers so I hammered the accelerator to get a better look. By the time I got there I only could see him from behind, but he was big. I got all warm and fuzzy thinking about him.

I have not bought a bow tag yet this year. I am seriously considering purchasing one now, the season is open until the 10th.

This morning he went into a thick ditch on a west facing slope. It’s close to the road but there are always deer bedded in there. I figured that was his little giddy hole. But I have no clue where he’d be going to get food in that spot. He was exactly 1 mile north of where I shot the buck last week.

This afternoon at last last light I went for a drive and a big buck came from the north to the area where I shot the buck last week. I couldn’t tell if it was the same one I saw this morning, but if it’s not I wouldn’t complain about him either!
 
I don’t want to hijack your thread but I am also a late season lover here in Iowa. Was having a pretty rough year so far but a couple nights ago I got out and sat in the middle of corn row about 30 yards from a little draw they follow out. He played it perfectly and came out at 30 yards with two does. Wasn’t planning on pulling the trigger but after staring at him for 10 minutes I couldn’t take it anymore and pulled the trigger. Kind of surprised it actually worked and they didn’t spook. Stood up and turned around to see a true Iowa giant and one of biggest deer I’ve seen standing 200 yards away in the middle of the field. Growing up I was lucky to just get a shot at a doe so I am more than happy with him but that was kicker. Wishing you goodluck in the last couple days! View attachment 207908
View attachment 207909
I’ve had that happen to me, it makes you ready to fast forward to next season! I’ve Never shot one and then saw a bigger one, but I have stood up or climbed out of the stand and had big bucks staring at me.
 
I don’t want to hijack your thread but I am also a late season lover here in Iowa. Was having a pretty rough year so far but a couple nights ago I got out and sat in the middle of corn row about 30 yards from a little draw they follow out. He played it perfectly and came out at 30 yards with two does. Wasn’t planning on pulling the trigger but after staring at him for 10 minutes I couldn’t take it anymore and pulled the trigger. Kind of surprised it actually worked and they didn’t spook. Stood up and turned around to see a true Iowa giant and one of biggest deer I’ve seen standing 200 yards away in the middle of the field. Growing up I was lucky to just get a shot at a doe so I am more than happy with him but that was kicker. Wishing you goodluck in the last couple days! View attachment 207908
View attachment 207909
And you didn’t highjack anything! Post your stories all you want!
 
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