Iowa DIY hunt 2016
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Southampton Pa BUCKS CO
Posts: 2,492
Iowa DIY hunt 2016
I have 4 points and I am thinking of doing a DIY hunt in 2016 instead of going with a Outfitter. I talked with a WCO and he said to checkout Ratburn Res. in Lucas county and LaHart and Tyrone in Monroe county. Have anybody on here ever hunt any of these's WMA's? I checked them out on the Iowa web page and the look nice. Any info I can get on here would be helpfull if possible.
Thanks
HJ
Thanks
HJ
#3
hatchet jack,
I'm a nonresident who has drawn and bowhunted that area since ~1990. The public land is not what it once was. With technology and info it has gotten more crowded each year. I even scouted the prior Februarys each of my last two hunts. But once season arrived the remote places I picked got raped from opening day. Both by residents & nonresidents. Nonresidents are fixed in number thank god, but the biggest change I'd say is the increase in popularity with resident bowhunters. The nonresidents who do show up are nearly all tech savy with Google Earth knowledge and hand held GPS's with private ownership chips which results in the deepest public corners now getting pressure. With all this in mind, the deer are pressured well before rut. Best tip we learned was when you get there, patrol the parking areas and note which ones don't have vehicles. Hunt there, even if the land doesn't look as promising on aerials. This strategy is hard to accept, but paid off for us the last two times we drew.
If there are other hunters anywhere you go, leave immediately to seek unpressured parcels. The parcels with good crops get hit very hard over and over, and you can do quite well if you seek out the nearby parcels with less sign, but no hunters.
On a positive note, as Topgun mentioned pheasants were once VERY abundant in that area. However, since then a series of harsh winters has basically extirpated all of them. Don't bother bringing your shotgun for side action! The good part of this is there were ZERO bird hunters blasting around the public ruining it. Those bird hunters won't spoil their private land, but run like hell to the public to ruin it for deer hunters. This is just a fact, but no longer an issue due to no pheasants. Keep this in mind when evaluating parcels. Big grass fields will harbor stud bucks when no bird hunters scour them.
I'll probably cash my points and draw next year. Good luck.
I'm a nonresident who has drawn and bowhunted that area since ~1990. The public land is not what it once was. With technology and info it has gotten more crowded each year. I even scouted the prior Februarys each of my last two hunts. But once season arrived the remote places I picked got raped from opening day. Both by residents & nonresidents. Nonresidents are fixed in number thank god, but the biggest change I'd say is the increase in popularity with resident bowhunters. The nonresidents who do show up are nearly all tech savy with Google Earth knowledge and hand held GPS's with private ownership chips which results in the deepest public corners now getting pressure. With all this in mind, the deer are pressured well before rut. Best tip we learned was when you get there, patrol the parking areas and note which ones don't have vehicles. Hunt there, even if the land doesn't look as promising on aerials. This strategy is hard to accept, but paid off for us the last two times we drew.
If there are other hunters anywhere you go, leave immediately to seek unpressured parcels. The parcels with good crops get hit very hard over and over, and you can do quite well if you seek out the nearby parcels with less sign, but no hunters.
On a positive note, as Topgun mentioned pheasants were once VERY abundant in that area. However, since then a series of harsh winters has basically extirpated all of them. Don't bother bringing your shotgun for side action! The good part of this is there were ZERO bird hunters blasting around the public ruining it. Those bird hunters won't spoil their private land, but run like hell to the public to ruin it for deer hunters. This is just a fact, but no longer an issue due to no pheasants. Keep this in mind when evaluating parcels. Big grass fields will harbor stud bucks when no bird hunters scour them.
I'll probably cash my points and draw next year. Good luck.
Last edited by Zim; 06-06-2015 at 08:51 PM.
#4
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Southampton Pa BUCKS CO
Posts: 2,492
Thank you Zim and Topgun. Maybe it would be wise to come out in early October before the Rut. Is the Hunting pressure any less that time of the Month? If you had 2 weeks to hunt what two would you hunt. I was also thinking of finding some land with water/Lake and bring a boat. Try to get to some hard to get to spots with the boat. Thanks for the info!!!
HJ
HJ
Last edited by hatchet jack; 05-27-2015 at 05:50 PM.
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
Thank you Zim and Topgun. Maybe it would be wise to come out in early October before the Rut. Is the Hunting pressure any less that time of the Month? If you had 2 weeks to hunt what two would you hunt. I was also thinking of finding some land with water/Lake and bring a boat. Try to get to some hard to get to spots with the boat. Thanks for the info!!!
HJ
HJ
#7
hatchet, Yes you should try to scout any of that area if possible. The vast majority of it is quite accessible, but ya using a boat to access some of those remote western areas might be worthwhile. I'd try to have that figured out before season though. As to which weeks are best I would not rule out early season if a cool/cold front moves through.
#8
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Southampton Pa BUCKS CO
Posts: 2,492
hatchet, Yes you should try to scout any of that area if possible. The vast majority of it is quite accessible, but ya using a boat to access some of those remote western areas might be worthwhile. I'd try to have that figured out before season though. As to which weeks are best I would not rule out early season if a cool/cold front moves through.
HJ
#9
hj, Do you use climbers? I hunt almost exclusively with 2 Lone Wolf hand climbers and move around constantly. Don't fall in love with one spot. I think you'll enjoy it more as well. Iowa public is fun. If you put some time in you will find places that don't get the pressure. Just don't get frustrated if you find yourself looking into someone's trailcam. Seen plenty of those, as well as locals who leave up their fixed stands year round. I marked several ladder stands. Also seen stands pop up overnight but nobody hunt them in archery. Just set by shotgun hunters.
I really enjoy hiking the hills and hollers in February, when I do all my scouting. It's a really good idea to install the private land chip in your GPS because there are tons of unmarked property lines.
I really enjoy hiking the hills and hollers in February, when I do all my scouting. It's a really good idea to install the private land chip in your GPS because there are tons of unmarked property lines.
Last edited by Zim; 06-07-2015 at 04:37 PM.
#10
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Southampton Pa BUCKS CO
Posts: 2,492
hj, Do you use climbers? I hunt almost exclusively with 2 Lone Wolf hand climbers and move around constantly. Don't fall in love with one spot. I think you'll enjoy it more as well. Iowa public is fun. If you put some time in you will find places that don't get the pressure. Just don't get frustrated if you find yourself looking into someone's trailcam. Seen plenty of those, as well as locals who leave up their fixed stands year round. I marked several ladder stands. Also seen stands pop up overnight but nobody hunt them in archery. Just set by shotgun hunters.
I really enjoy hiking the hills and hollers in February, when I do all my scouting. It's a really good idea to install the private land chip in your GPS because there are tons of unmarked property lines.
I really enjoy hiking the hills and hollers in February, when I do all my scouting. It's a really good idea to install the private land chip in your GPS because there are tons of unmarked property lines.
HJ