Bow Hunting In Iowa
 

I am looking to Bow Hunt in Iowa and I am wondering if anyone has tried to get a Non-Resident Bow tag in Iowa. How much did it cost and were you drawn your first time or did it take several tries? I'm interested in bow hunting NE Iowa because I've located some land to hunt there. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

RE: Bow Hunting In Iowa
 

If you are gonna hunt Iowa, you better hurry. Season ends January 10th.[:o]
Anyway, look at the Iowa DNR site, just do a search for it. All the info is on there.
But why would you want to hunt Iowa? We have NO deer here. And the ones we do have all look like Bambi so it really isn't worth it. LOL

RE: Bow Hunting In Iowa
 

You need to start building points. NE Iowa is going to take some points to draw so you will have time to plan.

RE: Bow Hunting In Iowa
 

BowHunterFettsays it all.

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RE: Bow Hunting In Iowa
 

Thanks for the help! Those IA deer sure look tempting when I'm sitting on the MN border. My g/f is a little upset w/ her Pa for taking me trapping in NE Iowa and showing me all the hunting opportunities there. :) Now, I will be able to hunt WI, MN, and IA. I couldn't believe the lack of bow hunters in NE Iowa on November 7th. Out of all the state land we saw, I think we saw only 10 or 11 trucks that I assume were bow hunting.

So from what I gather, I'm going to have to draw for points and then after "X" amount of points, I will earn a tag for bow hunting. Any idea on a time frame? 2 or 3 or 5 years?

Another quetions too, does it help if I apply w/ a land owner in IA? I've been told that can help a NR hunter build points or something like that.

Thanks again!

RE: Bow Hunting In Iowa
 

First off you need to see what zone your hunting. You can see that here.
http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/files/deer_nrzones.html

Once you find that out you can check the 2006 application information here. This will give you a idea how many people applied for your area last year and how many didnt get a tag. Keep in mind people can apply for points only now then when they want to they can apply for a zone. Also some people may not apply for the same zone every year. This will give you a rough idea.
http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/pdfs/06nrdeer.pdf

Applying with a landowner doesnt get you anything. They have to apply just like you and I for a license in the draw. If they do not get pulled for a tag they then can apply for a antlerless only tag for their property. You can read that here.
http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/pdfs/06nraffidavit.pdf