Ohiobuck25

Do any of you know how many bucks you can harvest per year in Iowa? I thought I remembered seeing one particular proffesional hunter with three bucks that he took in Iowa this past season.

Pope94/IA

Well since im a youth I can get a youth tag (any sex), a bow tag (any sex) and a muzzleloader or shutguntag (any sex).

But non-youths can only get a bow tag and a muzzleloader or shotgun tag. I think you can also get a landowners tag but im not sure if its for any sex or not.

fletch920

We can get a bow tag (anysex), and a gun tag (any sex). Also, as a landowner we can get one additional tag (any sex) for any season we choose.

Now, to confuse the issue more. Our state also allows party hunting during the shotgun season.[:@] So, your buck killing there is only limited by the number of tags available to you by your group.

Hope that helps.

Cleter

Also to add I heard that they have what they call celebrity tags for the so-called professional hunters that are going to be filming and promoting Iowa hunting.

Ohiobuck25

I thought so! It's amazing to me that Iowa keeps producing great bucks year after year,considering theyallow hunters to take 2-3 bucks per season. You would think at that pace, Iowa would start to see some P&Y and B&C numbers drop in the near future, IMO.

fletch920

The tag regulations have been this way for quite a few years now. Compared to most states we still enjoy pretty low pressure. I think the most important factors are that we do not have a gun season during the rut, and our DNR has been smart to limitthe number of nonresident tags available. The system obviously is working, yet there is a big push by nonresident landowners and realtors to give all nonresident landowners tags. They refuse to acknowledge the fact that their greed will without a doubt turn our state into another pay to hunt state much like Texas or Illinois. Right now, Iowa is still a great place to get access and hunt huge deer. Most nonresidents are willing to wait for that opportunity and enjoy high success rates and easy access to land when they do draw a tag. (usually every 2nd or 3rd year).Case in point, I know a young man from Mississippi thatpatiently waited3 years to draw an archery tag but was rewarded with a 181"monster whiteyfor his patience.Unfortunately, there are those that always want more and dont care what happens to anyone else as long as they get what they want NOW. Greed pretty well ruins everything it touches. Deer hunting is no different.

Cleter

Well put fletch920!

IOWABUCKHUNTR

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I thought so! It's amazing to me that Iowa keeps producing great bucks year after year,considering theyallow hunters to take 2-3 bucks per season. You would think at that pace, Iowa would start to see some P&Y and B&C numbers drop in the near future, IMO.
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Another one of the big reasons is the switch to better land management and a steady food supply during the antler growing seasons... Farmers may not like it or agree with it, but they are actually in a way "growing" these huge bucks... Heck, you won't ever hear me complain

early in

Is it true that zones 5 and 6 are the best big buck producing zones in Iowa?

AF Hunter

NO!I moved to zone 5 for the small bucks. We don't have any big bucks down here!!!!! I heard Mont County, PA was the place to go for the big 'uns!