Depending on where you go in Southern Iowa you will possibly experience a hunt of a life time, regardless or not if you "nail" that monster lurking in the woods. If you will be in a county that is in the lower two tiers of the state, you will no doubt have an awesome opportunity to harvest not only a deer, but possibly a mature buck; this is totally dependent on the management of the land among other things. The lower two tiers of the state are experiencing an excess of deer and will provide you with a shooting opportunity.

You will be happy to know (if you are out of shape after the holidays!)that most of Iowa is fairly flat with rolling hills in many places, and possibly steep hills if along a river basin. With timber that could possibly be thick and impossible to walk through or even light woods. To be fair, the state of Iowa has possibly every combination of timber and hills that you could possibly think of, including many wide open fields for late evening glassing.

If you have any questions about a specific area I could possibly aid you with more information and personal knowledge.

Will you be hunting on private land or working with a guide/outfitter?