Iowa Comparision

[PAHunter]

Just wanted to get a take on the quality of hunting in Iowa,compared to the hunting here in PA.We don;t have the quality just yet but over the past few years it has improved.But over all to get a good idea,whats the hunting like?Does your herd get the pressure in hunting like it does here?Do you mainly hunt private,leased,or gamelands?I know I read and see alot of whopper bucks taken from the area,is this the norm if you but your time in?How many trophy bucks do you see each season while hunting?I'm mainly reffering to bowhunting season and was just wondering what it's like out there compared to here.Like I said it is improving here,but don't think the hunting will ever reach the quality you have.Quality as in trophy bucks,thats what I'm talking about.I just think the pressure is to severe here to harbor too many quality bucks,their slim pickins,but they do exist,but not in quanity.Over the last 4 years I've been seeing a few 125-140 class bucks,with an acassional 170 or so,which is a big improvement for us.But I'm lucky if I see maybe two P&Yer's during the entire bow season. I've arrowed 3 P&Y in the last 4 years in the 125-140 class,but hoping to break the 150 barrier someday,but it's tough enough here to score on a average P&Y.I'm hoping someday to see more trophy cabiliber bucks here 150 and up.Kiling a 180+ is about unheard of here atleast in my area.What do you guys see in our future with what I've told you as far as 150 and up bucks go?

 

[alaskanwhtail]

From My experiance on this site and never being in IOWA, is the location is a big factor and all in what you want to harvest.. Talking with a few guys on the site has given me a pretty good indication that 140 class bucks are commin, But location is the factor. I think LIV4RUT will spell this one out in great detail, as Hes the one I've really gotten to know with hunting and storys with such... Many others also!!!!I've hunted PA and the pressure is hard and many deer dont get to hatch into maturity, but with the latest antler restriction, I know it will only get better...

 

[5465]

hey PAHunter you also have to take into consideration that the deer in iowa and PA are 2 different breeds also. ours here in ohio is the same breed as iowa. our breed of deer came from up towards the north. i can't remember your exact breed or where it came from and your deer are the same as the deer in west virginia. i believe they were brought up here from the south, i'll find out and let you know!

 

[Liv4Rut]

I think no matter where you hunt it is all about location and time, if you could hunt every day of the season the pay off would most likely be better than just being a weekend hunter like me, with college and all. im sure some farms in PA and IA are more likely to have 150 class bucks than other farms. same with 170 class bucks, i would say i have pretty good land to hunt, and see 2-3 170+ bucks a year, but its not like an everyday thing which most people think about iowa, alot think there is a 150+ buck behind every tree, thats not true. I would say an average buck i see is a 125-140 class buck.the hunting is tough, and the land is getting harder and harder to gain access to hunt, with it becoming more well known for a big buck state. There is alot of great deer in iowa, but im sure in the right place in PA the hunting wouldnt even compare to an average hunters hunting spot in iowa. you dont see many guys killing 170+ bucks every year, but the guys that do, have alot of time and exceptional ground compared to the average hunter anywhere in the US

just my 2 cents

 

[SaskGuy]

I realize our strain of whitetail and the land we have are totally different but I do think that success in both places would be a result of similar things. Like LIV said, there are not 150"+ bucks runnign around up here behind every tree, not even close. With that said the chances of seeing one or more than one and larger ones is much greater in one area than another, even when the 2 areas are close together. Case in point. Across the road from my house is about 2000 acres of mixed forest, spruce, pine, aspen, willows etc.... Tucked in the middle off the road, foot access only is a 160 acres alfalfa field. One would expect this to be a hotbed for big bucks............wrong. I've figured out why after only 2 yrs of living in my house. the landowner is a great guy, will let anybody hunt it but that's the problem. Anybody and everybody does. Last count this yr had 14 bucks and loads of does taken off the field, he complained to me about the lack of big bucks, I didn't feel it was my place to tell him what was wrong as he's not a trophy hunter anyways. Just 5 miles down the road is another area I hunt, this area is where I see all of my big bucks and generally where i pull the trigger, it's also where all my big sheds come from. Now one would expect this area to have less good bucks as it's visible from the road and not even real secluded but the difference is the landowner, he only lets a couple guys hunt it each yr, and walk in and out only, this eliminates all but me most days. The difference is pressure on the animals, so close to each other and in such similar areas has caused a tremendous difference in the size of the bucks and # of mature bucks. In this location, I expect to see a 150+ buck each time out, in the one right near my house, I don't even expect to see one a yr even though to the casual observer they are identical tracts of land. I', no expert but I'd say the amount of pressure and willingness to pass on smaller bucks is the # 1 contributor to big bucks, just my 2 cents, more like 2 dollars the was I've rambled.

 

[shugs]

hey,
ive been hunting iowa for only 10 years cuz of my age. but anyway dont think im an idiot cuz im a teen. ive started hunting-walkin with dad while pheasant hunting. i have taken two buck this last season two decent-small eights. on the other hand my dad has taken two big bruisers, while everyone else takes anything whith antlers on its head. people around here will mostly take spikes because they apparantly dont know that it takes work to harvest big bruisers like my dads. my and my dad start scoutin in late july, early august because iowas youth season runs last two weekends of september till the first sunday of october, so basically abou 2 and half week long youth season.We have alot of pressure during shotgun season because people around here will shoot at anyting that moves about 150 yards awawy. if you want to get a big bruisers here, you have to scout a month and a half before season starts. if you want to cut down on that time go out and may a decent trail game camerea. the best time to hunt in iowa is early bow early muzzleloader and youth because these are times when bucks come to grunting and rattling. Oh yeah this is when deer have hardly been pressured.
hope this answered most of your questions

p.s. early bow is during rut.

 

[PAHunter]

Thank's for the insight guys,I actually had the impression of more trophy bucks then what you stated.I never thought there was a 150 behind every tree,but thought atleast one behind every other though.Kidding aside,I now have a better understanding.You definetly have more trophy bucks,but not that easy to come across,as I believed.Like Saskguy claimed,limited access to hunting will harbor bigger bucks and we lack that here.Everywhere I get permission so does everyone else and even posted areas you cant get permission usually get hammered by the owner and hunting friends.The antler restriction helps some,but it only lets some 1&1/2yr. olds get bye, then they more than likely get whacked the next year.So not many bucks get to make it to their 3rd year here,because of the pressure and the mentality here, they just want to kill a buck even if it has only little forks on it's head.I believe we have good genectics here,but they just can't survive that long to have a good number of 150 and up bucks.