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1 Buck state In iowa??

Would you be FOR a 1 Buck state for iowa?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 72 71.3%

  • No!

    Votes: 20 19.8%

  • Maybe, need to think about it.

    Votes: 10 9.9%

  • I have a better idea!!! (Post below).

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    101
Starting to understand where you're coming from Sligh1. Way more numbers there.
Here if bait could draw all of the deer from 300 acres of timber you'd be looking at maybe 15 deer, realistically tho probably 10, might be one buck over 4.5. And bait doesn't work for a lot of bucks when you're trying to kill them, but it sure helps to see most of what's out there though.
Used to be a two buck season just to the North of here. First buck was usually a meat buck, next one you'd hold out for something better. With a one buck season most hunters are a whole lot more fussy - really improves age class.
And the amount of doe tags you have blows my mind. No such thing here. One bad winter every 5 yrs or so really controls numbers.
 
@Bucksnbears nailed it. BIG BUCKS have ruined Iowa for the non-elitests, which happens to be the vast majority of the hunting population. And I'm guilty of some of it too.

@Buckscrape my response about bait not considered hunting in IA was a much shorter version of what Skip just said. Way different environment in IA than Saskatawan (sp).
 
Obsessed said:
@Bucksnbears nailed it. BIG BUCKS have ruined Iowa for the non-elitests, which happens to be the vast majority of the hunting population. And I'm guilty of some of it too.

@Buckscrape my response about bait not considered hunting in IA was a much shorter version of what Skip just said. Way different environment in IA than Saskatawan (sp).
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So if a person shoots a big buck he’s an elitist? I think most hunters dream of shooting a big buck. Deer hunting wouldn’t be so popular if they didn’t. I know many meat hunters and they shoot bucks over does. Why?!? Because everyone has a place in their heart for antlers. Even the weekend warriors will pass on does for a buck. Every person has their own “Big” and they’d rather harvest that than a doe.

So if there were more “big” bucks general satisfaction across the board would rise therefore less hunters would be lost. It’s easy to see access is the main issue in Iowa? And why is access such an issue here, it’s simple we have less suitable habitat for whitetail than the surrounding states and most of that habitat is private. Add in high grain prices and it continues to get bulldozed and put into crop production. Do a 5 year map difference and watch all the draws of timber disappear.


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CurtisWalker said:
So if a person shoots a big buck he’s an elitist? I think most hunters dream of shooting a big buck. Deer hunting wouldn’t be so popular if they didn’t. I know many meat hunters and they shoot bucks over does. Why?!? Because everyone has a place in their heart for antlers. Even the weekend warriors will pass on does for a buck. Every person has their own “Big” and they’d rather harvest that than a doe.

So if there were more “big” bucks general satisfaction across the board would rise therefore less hunters would be lost. It’s easy to see access is the main issue in Iowa? And why is access such an issue here, it’s simple we have less suitable habitat for whitetail than the surrounding states and most of that habitat is private. Add in high grain prices and it continues to get bulldozed and put into crop production. Do a 5 year map difference and watch all the draws of timber disappear.
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No to the 1st sentence. People locking down large chunks of land to farm BIG BUCKS and now wanting implement legislation to turn an entire state into a BIG BUCK state is what I consider elitest.

I agree 'Access' is the biggest or one of the biggest factors. I believe the locking down massive amounts of private land, due to BIG BUCK fever, is what's caused a majority of the land to becoming inaccessible over the past 20 to 30 years.

I LOVE deer hunting and would hate for it to go away, but Iowa has some of the most fertile black topsoil in the world, along with one of the best growing seasons with good mix of rainfall and sunshine. There are some draws / ravines that will never be bulldozed and farmed due to the soil quality and depth, etc. With this said, I don't begrudge farmers from increasing the productivity of their land at the expense of decreasing habitat of the whitetail deer herd in the state.
 
Obsessed said:
No to the 1st sentence. People locking down large chunks of land to farm BIG BUCKS and now wanting implement legislation to turn an entire state into a BIG BUCK state is what I consider elitest.

I agree 'Access' is the biggest or one of the biggest factors. I believe the locking down massive amounts of private land, due to BIG BUCK fever, is what's caused a majority of the land to becoming inaccessible over the past 20 to 30 years.

I LOVE deer hunting and would hate for it to go away, but Iowa has some of the most fertile black topsoil in the world, along with one of the best growing seasons with good mix of rainfall and sunshine. There are some draws / ravines that will never be bulldozed and farmed due to the soil quality and depth, etc. With this said, I don't begrudge farmers from increasing the productivity of their land at the expense of decreasing habitat of the whitetail deer herd in the state.
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The reality is- we are fighting - only DEFENSE to keep the regulations the same. Iowa is a “big buck state” & people are trying to save it or keep it that way- that’s DEFENSE. A line in sand for “NO MORE!”. But that line keeps getting pushed. As weapons are more powerful, NEW WEAPONS ADDED, shoot longer ranges, killing is more effective & SEASONS ARE LONGER….. we have to dial things back. & all of those things have happened. Add to it, a DECLINE in deer population of 25% in 10 years. How could we NOT consider dialing things back? Things that would still allow folks to shoot 2-3 bucks & limitless does. I just don’t see how that’s elitist? Or how 2-3 bucks & limitless does isn’t enough?!?! New hunter numbers are declining along with access to quality land. How many more things have to go backwards before we dial things back?????

To be clear: none of this does impact me personally. & an elitist would want more buck tags to shoot giants on some well managed farm. So those that want a tag taken away from them - at least they are joining the party. I’m thinking purely of new hunters & folks with declining access. I take as many hunters on as I can handle. I’m overloaded & many have no good place to go.

70’s & 80’s we could shoot very few deer. Maybe 1. Why, when things are going the direction they are, we need to shoot more than 2+ bucks & unlimited does is where I’m stumped. How isn’t that enough for anyone?!?!?! By definition- that fills a freezer more than a family of 50 can eat!!! & gets a guy multiple bucks. Seems like plenty. Just like the weapons, seasons & killing - it’s PLENTY & IMO- too much. & they are going for more. The more they push it, the more the system can’t handle it.
 
Obsessed said:
I don't begrudge farmers from increasing the productivity of their land at the expense of decreasing habitat of the whitetail deer herd in the state.
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I have a problem with this and it has nothing to do with deer or deer habitat. Most of what goes on in this regard is very short sighted. It's horrible conservation. It pollutes water. It affects fish. It affects rabbits and birds and bees and everything else. Seeing all the black snowdrifts in certain areas really bothers me frankly.
 
Again, I agree with most of the items stated.

I thought EHD and CWD were the main culprits for the dramatic population decline. If so, from what I've read, high population density helps promote their spread. Growing the deer population to levels it was pre EHD / CWD may not be the best idea for statewide QDM.

Access to hunting ground is killer, but our opinions differ on what the main driving factor behind this is.

No biggie. Want to impact legislation? More power to ya. I've spent some time at the Capitol supporting and fighting other items. If the hunting legislation changes, I'll continue to play within the rules.
 
Obsessed said:
I thought EHD and CWD were the main culprits for the dramatic population decline. If so, from what I've read, high population density helps promote their spread. Growing the deer population to levels it was pre EHD / CWD may not be the best idea
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Great post. I’m certain we agree on majority & this site would be boring without differing views. & heck- id disagree with MYSELF on things after any 5 year period goes by & we learn new things & ideas.

On the EHD & CWD…. Real quick….. EHD is a ball busting killer & ravaged in 2019. Deer populations had “a little” to do with it but not much. It hit so hard because: It was a new strain of EHD that iowa deer had never been exposed to. The epicenter was: WARREN, lucas, Madison, Clarke, Monroe & few surrounding counties. Horrible.
The rest of the state- like where there’s “no deer” - like about 75% of the state…. The little cover that was there got pounded & now hunters find very very very few deer. No ehd for most part. It’s hunters killing too many. Examples would be like the whole north & central part of state. NW, NC, mid central, etc. Like, the majority of our state. Very very few deer. To me it’s sad. To hunters it’s sad. To farm bureau it’s a celebration. But to doze every last tree out to farm to the creeks is a celebration to them as well. I won’t join their thinking.

CWD is not a killer in iowa. The response to CWD is the killer. Hunters wiping deer out with guns & bows to thin the herd is the only killer. Which government states is to “slow the spread until they can find the cure”. Without cure, all for nothing. Cwd isn’t a population killer except for government push to kill the deer off the land that the Prion remains forever (& can be transmitted by other animals like crows & coyotes & through moving plant material like hay).
Interesting times. Nothing stays constant is the only thing we can count on ;).
 
Curtis Walker the Deerhunter aka CWD has had little affect on our population.


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Yes!

While we're at it, do away with the $2 LOT and make it a paid anysex good for any season on your property, same with turkey. OPen it up to all landowners, not just in-state owners...But lets make it only 1 buck tag, regardless of LOT or paid.

Anyone who sells a tag or violates, should have a stiff penalty.
 
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