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BONECRUSHER09

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New to the site and live in East Tennessee/ Southern Virginia area! My friend and I are very interested in extending our range in search for whitetails. We have been to southern Ohio and Illinois with some success but are trying to plan a trip to Iowa for next season. Does anyone have any tips or success stories for Public Land?? And if so what areas? Just trying to get some feed back. Thanks for looking
 
get public land plot books. have some people I know that go on public. see and shoot some nice deer. They are out there, but I don't know where in the state those areas really are or how big the ground is.
 
If I were you I would be looking in at public hunting ares in Clayton County in n/e Iowa.The Yellow River Forest area and thousands of acres open to the public.They also have the greatest amount of deer in the state by far.Their havest is close to the total of any other 2 counties combined.And they don't have a late rifle season to skew the numbers.Just my $0.02 worth.
 
archery95 said:
If I were you I would be looking in at public hunting ares in Clayton County in n/e Iowa.The Yellow River Forest area and thousands of acres open to the public.They also have the greatest amount of deer in the state by far.Their havest is close to the total of any other 2 counties combined.And they don't have a late rifle season to skew the numbers.Just my $0.02 worth.
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The reason the harvest is so great is because there are two hunters for every deer. You're literally risking your life hunting Snyme Gill and Yellow River. This public land is used heavily for trout fishing, grouse hunting, turkey hunting, squirrel hunting; you name it. Your lucky to even find parking! I would guess that 90% of the plates i see are from other counties. Locals have learned to stay away! I would look at southern Iowa.
 
I would call DNR officers accross the state and get feedback from them. I personally would look outside Northern or Southern Iowa. There is good hunting throughout the state.
 
The part you have not mentioned is drawing a tag, many areas of the state it will take you at least two or three years to draw a tag.
 
Volga river recreational area in Fayette county is 5500 acres of phenomenal ground with very little archery hunting pressure. they have a farmer that puts in food plots every year and there are a ton of deer. I guess you need to clarify whether you are bow or gun hunting? If you are gun hunting dont go near any of the state land in Northeast Iowa during gun season, its a rodeo to say the least.
 
Thaks

Me and bone crusher09 work together. We got turned on to this site from Todd from White K. I was looking in on Loses hills area in Monona, and Harrison co.That 5500 acres you are talking about sounds great.We are going to bow hunt Illinois this coming season, but next year we are going to try and come to Iowa. That will give us next spring to come up and scout. For zone 3 should we buy a point this year? Is zone 3 a two or three yr wait? What zone is Fayette co. in? Thanks guys for the help!!!!!! p.s we will only be bow hunting? If you all had 10 days to hunt which would you plan for?
 
Buy a point regardless when you are planning on coming. I don't think it matters what zone you apply for until the year you get drawn. It never hurts to buy points and have them. You can buy a point every year until you have enough that you think you'll draw(normally 3 points) then you actually apply for your tag that year. Nov 3rd-12th

My .02
Good luck​
 
trust me buy a point now or you wont hunt until at least 2013 for that area, i was there in 07 and it was awesome...
 
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