Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Farm Bureau Policy

ElkHunter

ElkHunter

Life Member
I'll start this post by saying my folks spent 35 yrs milking cows on the farm and know how tough it is.I truly understand the landowner has the right to do with their land as they see fit.

Last summer FB had a 1 or 2 day seminar, class call it what you want. It was given to show farmers how to increase the profit margin with deer and turkey hunting. They were given the in and outs of leasing their ground and bringing in more hunters.
I can assure you FB is serious about a guaranteed license for the non-resident. Their policy hasn't changed, they've just included an economic benefits to the landowner.

I'm sorry if I don't see the BIG picture here. I feel the more land that is tied up, the less deer that will be harvested. I'll try to explain. If I'm a non resident or resident and have paid for the rights to hunt, I want to protect my investment and control who hunts and what they harvest and MOST of the time take only the largest animals.This is only human nature.In a perfect world the owner or leasee would take their trophy animals then open it to other hunters and the real game management would begin. The trophy animals could be displayed, the deer herd could be controlled and everyone would be happy. I will admit there are a few individuals and groups that realize that deer numbers must be controlled and allow other hunters, but that's a small percentage.Trouble is this isn't a fairy tale. This is real, you can't click your heels together and make the problem go away. Human nature says I'm going to protect what is mine.

I don't know what the solution is.Hell I don't even know what all the questions are, but I don't think this is the path we should be taking. I know times are changing but things are moving way to fast, and once change has been made 9 times out of 10 they don't go back. I really think FB is shooting themselves in the foot.

I'll keep everyone posted and if something makes it to the State House that affects hunting,I'll post it and ask that you make some phone calls.

Let me CLEARLY state this isn't necessarily IBA policy. This is my opinion.
893soapbox-thumb[1].gif


I know there will be people, who disagree with my opinions. Post them, that's what makes this a great country, everyone has the right to an opinion.
grin.gif
 
This was one of the topics of discussion at our IBA board meeting yesterday. There was lots of discussion over it. This is going to be interesting to watch in the coming months. Things are already starting to roll. Like Randy said, be ready to start making some phone calls. There is going to be lots of discussions and different views on this. I think this is going to be a on going topic. I just want to make sure that there is going to be a place for my kids and grandkids to hunt in the future, with out having to shell out some serious dough to harvest a deer. IMO
 
The last two years it has gotten closer and closer to a huge increase in NR tags. If memory serves me right, I believe it was only beaten by one vote last year and by about 9 the year before. Does that sound right?? Anyway I predcit an NR tag increase will make it to the floor for a vote this year.

Although I will be glad to be able to hunt every other year instead of every 3rd year, I fear that my hunt quality and the number of spots I can hunt may take a dive.

No easy answers here. As our population grows and our spots to hunt decrease, the problem only compounds.

Remember one thing though. Its about ten times better in IA than any where else in the MIdwest. Take advantage of your oppurtunities while you still have them.

That was kinda a downer wasn't it.
frown.gif
 
Fellow hunters??? Are you out there?? Or is this the PETA board??? I cant believe anyone who posts here would deny a landowner a tag to hunt his own land. Socialism at its best, and unconstitutional. Landowners pay tax. Taxation without representation is what we all came to America to escape. Cmon guys. Get real. Support ALL landowners if you want a place to hunt!!! Support all hunters if you want a place to hunt. Quit trying to be so #@#$@#$ exclusive and closed door closet people. Once you are in the closet, you want to close the door and keep everyone else out. I thought we needed to SUPPORT HUNTING. ALL LEGAL HUNTING...... IN ORDER TO HAVE A FUTURE IN THIS SPORT.......but what do I know. Yeah, talk to your legislator....tell them to get real and let ALL LANDOWERES get a tag to hunt deer on their own land. Demand it. If you dont do what is right here, the courts will decide for you and you may not like what you get.
180bc
 
I have had the opportunity to bow hunt several large leased properties this past fall. While I don’t lease land myself, I was hunting at the invitation of friends who had the lease.

The deer herds on the leased property were in IMO out of control-way too many deer! These leased properties had far more deer than the surrounding private properties that allowed deer hunting. The guys that leased the property all agreed that they were unable to control the ever increasing population of deer. They also stated that the quality of trophy bucks was declining due to the doe population. Most of them felt that the real problem was deer coming onto their leased property during hunting season and staying since they were safe from the majority of hunters.

I also spent a number of hours these past few weeks driving around and talking with hunters in both the first and second shotgun season. I asked them if they were seeing more deer than in past years. Every one of them told me that they had not seen the numbers of does this season that they had three to four years ago.

When I asked them why they thought they weren’t seeing as many does I heard the following: “because most of the deer are over on (farmers name) and he doesn’t allow huntingâ€, “because (farmers name) has his land leased and all the deer are over there holing upâ€, “because the DNR has allowed too many does to be shot the last few years†or “the deer are smart, they know that once the shooting starts they can get over on that leased land and be safeâ€.

The issue of leasing hunting land, controlling the deer herd, outfitters coming into Iowa, and landowner desire to increase there families income is a complex one.

Unfortunately IMO it is an issue that is being controlled more by the legislators than the DNR. All we can do as hunters is to let our state representatives know how we feel, then see if they vote for the majority of their constituents. We must be ever mindful that the majority of the public may not agree with those of us who deer hunt!
 
180BC,
I guess I really don't understand the point you're trying to get across in your response. The original post wasn't directed at the idea of denying any landowner the right to hunt his/her own property, it was directed at the idea that leasing large tracts of private property to in state and out-of-state hunters wasn't necessarily an answer to decreasing the number of deer in the state. I doubt you'll find any PETA members on this site, however you will find an overwhelming supply of hunters who fully support other hunters along with the landowners. Maybe I missed you're point, or maybe I just like things the way they are right now in my state.
smile.gif

CRITR
 
I tried not to get in this thread but I'm going to. Critr, the reason things are DEFINITELY going to change in Iowa are due to web sites like this one and the non-stop exposure of your state by Drury and Kisky Outdoors, to name just a couple, making money on deer hunting in Iowa. The question isn't if, it's when the change will come. Everyone from farmers to realty companies will exploit the hunting resource in Iowa. I don't want to see it change either, but it's coming. Just ask Illinois hunters. The almighty dollar will prevail.
 
DOR,

There has been a strong partisan atmosphere in the Iowa legislature, so what we've recently seen in the past may not be a true reflection of how the vote could go.
 
Hey guys, the reason non-res tags hasn't come up for a vote is that the legislature has had much bigger fish to fry,namely just making a budget. Be ready with your calls and e-mails
 
The Farm Bureau is in a rather interesting position.

First off it is NOT a farmers orginazation.It IS an insurance company. The membership is mostly nonfarmers. I believe Cook County Illinois has their greatest membership. Read that Chicago.

I participated in numerous Wildlife Study meetings sponsored by the IDNR and chaired by Richard Bishop. The Farm Bureau attended those meetings also. From the git go their position was that there are "Too Many Deer". They did everything in their power to influence legislators to FORCE the IDNR to lower the deer numbers. The Legislators finally pressured enough enough that the department was forced to embark on the current "lower the deer numbers" crusade.

Now SOME farmer members are seeing how they can benefit economically from leasing their land for hunting.

I do not see how the Farm Bureau can have it both ways.

I personally believe that those of us who have a concern about hunting access, and do not have the ability to own our land better be in the forefront of DEMANDING the creation of more lands for public access.

I have this year seen first hand the effects of leasing land. It sure does change some things. Yes, locals can no longer use the land. That ain't all bad. I did lose a piece of ground that I had access to. However, there are more mature deer in that area than their would be if locals still hunted it. The majority of the known harvest of these mature deer in that area were taken by locals on the edge of the lease where they could hunt.Yes the people doing the lease do a very poor job of doe harvest and population control.

I witnessed another group of killers in another area kill 32 deer. Approximately 20 of them were yearling bucks. I do not believe there was a mature buck in the bunch. I could not believe what I SAW. Last year they did a good job of selective harvest and I commended them for that. This year was a complete reversal. Disgusting and extremely disappointing.

In no way shape or form can these guys be called hunters. A couple years ago 90 year old landowners in the nursing home filled landowner tags.

I am not sure what the answer is, but we had better be involved in the legislative process. I have never been a Farm Bureau member. Those of you who are just to buy insurance ought to seriously examine your options with other companies.

Sorry for the long winded post, but I feel quite strongly about this and for better or worse feel the need to express my opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom