Iowa apps due soon

[wyoming556]

Just finished my Iowa application up. For a mere $567 you get a chance at a tag. I'm thinking this has to be one of the most expensive whitetail tags in the US. . Finally I am finished on tag application fees for the year and the credit card can take a break.

Anybody else planning on hunting Iowa this year?

I just love the tase of that corn fed venison. Anyhow the deadline is getting close.

 

[Dana]

Yup, I'll be there!

 

[ARO]

Gonna submit mine tonight. I have 4 pts, but my buddy only has 1 pt, so were gonna put in for the first shotgun season. Zone 4.

Good Luck to everyone

 

[jeffpg]

I likely have enough points to draw there but simply have not found the place I want to burn them on. I believe it IS the most expensive whitey tag & I want to make it count but I'm not interested in paying a ton of $ for trespass fees. If I can't find a good spot to hunt on soon, I'll probably just get another point & hunt elsewhere again this year.

Any good info out there on where to find some quality ground without breaking the bank?

 

[Dinkshooter]

I use to apply for Iowa before that price increase. No whitetail is worth that money.

Just remember a elk tag in a western state is around that same price!!!

 

[wyoming556]

ARO,
Sounds like you should get your tag. I drew that one last year with 0 points. It's strange that Iowa doesn't release their draw odds like most other states. I have read that the archery tags are the hardest to draw in Iowa. Must be because archery season hits the rut and all the gun seasons are before or late in the rut. Anybody know where to get Iowa draw odds?


Dink,
For me the difference in a $500 elk tag and a $500 whitetail tag is the average odds of killing something on western elk hunts are around 10-20% success while the Iowa whitetail tag is around a 80-100% success rate for me. That being said I completely understand how you guys that kill elk every year see a $500 whitetail tag as a waste of $. The Iowa tag would not be so bad if you didn't have to buy the $125 doe tag. They should just throw that in like Nebraska does.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

From an Iowan:

Only 1% of the state is public land so you better have a place to hunt. The DNR in this state has really screwed things up in the past 3 years. The auto insurance companies and Farm Bureau complained that there were too many deer. The DNR sold thousands of doe tags and decresed the population like I could never have imagined.

I have bow hunted this state for 20+ years and was so happy with the deer numbers. In my best stands I would see deer every night (5-7 deer per night). The first 15 years that I hunted I had one stand that I only got skunked three nights out of 100+ sittings. Well, after this "deer depopulation" by the DNR...... last year I sat in that stand & 1/3 of the time I saw ZERO deer & on the other nights I was lucky to see 3 at the most. In my other 11 stands I just hope to see a deer on any given night. We have had three really severe winters here in Iowa and the winter kill has also taken it's toll.

The DNR has finally seen the havoc that they have caused and wanted to cut back on tags this year..."Too little too late" in my opinion. Behold the new governor has refused to change to the new deer quotas so the DNR will still be selling all those doe tags. I wonder how "DEEP" the auto insurance industy and Farm Bureau are in the pockets of the politicians???

My advice would be to save your points and wait (hopefully) for the population the rebound in 5 or so years.

Note: I live in northeast Iowa and this is what we are seeing around this part. I am not sure how bad it is in other parts of the state.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[putm2sleep]

echo what pointingdog says, .....grew up in SW Iowa, better have a place. HUGE bucks, great state with the DNR screwing things up big time. no access, gone like CRP, big coveys and great times.
the DOW not much different here....screwing it up, tags and hunting is all on private land....the big ranchers / big money have these guys in their pockets, hell everything east of I25, litterally, is all locked up.
...our elk unit went from 400 cow tags to 85.....315 guys do not get to hunt this year?
ridiculous.
i better just shut up and hunt - hunt OYO til ya die if ya can!

 

[ARO]

I got a place already lined up, tresspass fee type hunt in zone 4, near Afton i think.. Should be able to draw this year..