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SF464 and HF60

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koday

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**Attention Iowa Deer Hunters and Conservationists**

If you have yet to do so, I strongly encourage you all to educate yourselves on the following proposals (SF464 and HF60) that are being considered for approval.

Please read through the proposals at the following link and decide if this is the road we want our great resource to head down: https://www.iowabowhunters.org/news.html#news
(Specifically, read the details on SF464 and HF60)

I will include a link to our state representatives below. I encourage you all to reach out to them with your thoughts on these proposals. If we don't speak up for ourselves and our resource, no one will. It is our duty and responsibility as hunters and conservationists.

Thank you in advance to any of you who will take the time to educate yourselves and reach out to voice your opinion. Have a great day!

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislat...pjoJFG8SMy2FgjD7SIYLjw_wiPY-p9_xY7EARU3zcsa5g
(Be sure to contact both the Senate and House representatives (there is a filter where you can select "both")
 
As Skip had posted about yesterday, I am receiving the same feedback from our state representatives that they are not hearing anything from hunters! This is crazy! These proposals are being drafted up and voted upon without ANY feedback from the people that will directly be affected: hunters! Not only are we the voice for our hunting community, but we are the voice for wildlife and the great resource we have here in Iowa. Like I said, everyone needs to make up their own mind on this, but I find it utterly ridiculous that one of the proposals is "reducing the fine for poaching an antlerless deer out of season from $1,500 to $50". We can all read between the lines on where the support (or money) is coming from in regards to this portion of the bill.
 
Response from Representative Baxter on HF60

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booneriverbucks said:
Response from Representative Baxter on HF60

View attachment 120648
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Got the same email from Terry. My response was as follows:

Terry,

I can offer a very unique perspective and I could not disagree with you more. I hunted Iowa as a non-resident multiple times. I paid a guild multiple times. I waited my turn and came when I could draw a tag. The point system is not broken. It is working great. I have also seen what poor management can do to a state.

Now, as a resident of many years I know I see it from this side. Giving outfitters set aside tags makes acquiring private ground for residents exponentially harder. This is not good for IOWA residents. Outfitters lease ground for $25+ per acre because on average they are charging $4,500 for a 5 day hunt. A normal person cannot compete with this. This leaves Iowa residents out in the cold in many cases or forced to hunt public land. As a state Iowa is 5% timber and has very little public land compared to most states. Public land hunting is not quality hunting in almost all cases.

The biggest impact on losing hunting numbers is access to quality hunting opportunities. "I don't have anywhere good to hunt" is the number one thing I hear. Encourage outfitting, access goes downhill even further. Look no further than our neighbors in Illinois. We don't have to guess about these things. There are plenty of case studies.

Next, I could not disagree more that outfitters do a good job of managing the deer herd. I do this as part of my living. I manage alot of farms. Outfitters are Terrible at it! First of all the biggest thing you can do for herd management is manage the does. Out of state people are not coming here paying upwards of $5k to manage does. They want a big buck. That's it. And when it comes to bucks they do a terrible job with that too. You see back in the day, I was of those out of state people. The first 3 year old I saw was the biggest deer I had ever seen. I shot many 3 year olds on guided hunts. For someone from Michigan, or Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, or wherever they come from those are trophies. I was one of those people! In terms of herd management and quality deer that Iowa has become known for, that is the worst thing that can happen.

As for the person that claims the situation is killing his outfitting business, well I think he needs to do a better job running his business or find a new one. It is no secret on how long it is going to take to draw a tag. Draw results are posted every year. If he is booking people without enough points and or not taking deposits that go to the next year..... well shame on him. We surely do not need to change laws to support people that do not adapt.

Lastly, your comment on economic impact is off base. Do you know how many people move here that don't want to wait to get tags as a non-resident? It is a TON. There are thousands. I personally know dozens. Those people contribute to the economy 365 days a year, pay taxes, buy houses, etc. A ton of those folks would just stay in their own state and pay an outfitter if they no longer have to wait in line.

The fact is Iowa is the cream of the crop of whitetails states and I am very disappointed that there is a yearly onslaught of proposed laws trying to chip into that greatness.

I am certain you will not change your mind, but I do think the logic in support of this bill has some major flaws.
 
Why buy doe tags when it’s only $50 to get caught poaching one? Shoot 4 before you get caught and you’re money ahead.

Also, I’m kidding before anybody freaks out about my post.
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
Got the same email from Terry. My response was as follows:

Terry,

I can offer a very unique perspective and I could not disagree with you more. I hunted Iowa as a non-resident multiple times. I paid a guild multiple times. I waited my turn and came when I could draw a tag. The point system is not broken. It is working great. I have also seen what poor management can do to a state.

Now, as a resident of many years I know I see it from this side. Giving outfitters set aside tags makes acquiring private ground for residents exponentially harder. This is not good for IOWA residents. Outfitters lease ground for $25+ per acre because on average they are charging $4,500 for a 5 day hunt. A normal person cannot compete with this. This leaves Iowa residents out in the cold in many cases or forced to hunt public land. As a state Iowa is 5% timber and has very little public land compared to most states. Public land hunting is not quality hunting in almost all cases.

The biggest impact on losing hunting numbers is access to quality hunting opportunities. "I don't have anywhere good to hunt" is the number one thing I hear. Encourage outfitting, access goes downhill even further. Look no further than our neighbors in Illinois. We don't have to guess about these things. There are plenty of case studies.

Next, I could not disagree more that outfitters do a good job of managing the deer herd. I do this as part of my living. I manage alot of farms. Outfitters are Terrible at it! First of all the biggest thing you can do for herd management is manage the does. Out of state people are not coming here paying upwards of $5k to manage does. They want a big buck. That's it. And when it comes to bucks they do a terrible job with that too. You see back in the day, I was of those out of state people. The first 3 year old I saw was the biggest deer I had ever seen. I shot many 3 year olds on guided hunts. For someone from Michigan, or Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, or wherever they come from those are trophies. I was one of those people! In terms of herd management and quality deer that Iowa has become known for, that is the worst thing that can happen.

As for the person that claims the situation is killing his outfitting business, well I think he needs to do a better job running his business or find a new one. It is no secret on how long it is going to take to draw a tag. Draw results are posted every year. If he is booking people without enough points and or not taking deposits that go to the next year..... well shame on him. We surely do not need to change laws to support people that do not adapt.

Lastly, your comment on economic impact is off base. Do you know how many people move here that don't want to wait to get tags as a non-resident? It is a TON. There are thousands. I personally know dozens. Those people contribute to the economy 365 days a year, pay taxes, buy houses, etc. A ton of those folks would just stay in their own state and pay an outfitter if they no longer have to wait in line.

The fact is Iowa is the cream of the crop of whitetails states and I am very disappointed that there is a yearly onslaught of proposed laws trying to chip into that greatness.

I am certain you will not change your mind, but I do think the logic in support of this bill has some major flaws.
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You hit the nail on the head there! Great response! Add my name to guys on the list you know that moved out here specifically to be able to buy and manage their own land. But with that I have a partnership with an out-of-state buddy who has to wait like everyone else to draw a tag and also have other friends from back home that enjoy coming out and helping me with food plots, hanging stand, etc. as well as being able to draw a tag and experience the great hunting Iowa has to offer every four years or so. This bill will pretty much add even more years to their wait. And yes outfitters will gobble up and lease more private farms that residents are used to be able to hunt.
 
Terry Baxter has family in Minnesota that had to deal with trespassing from non residents because they didn’t have a guide??

Huh? That’s a bad excuse! Never ever heard that is an issue. Maybe locals on occasion...but not NR ?
 
Iowa law shelters landowners from liability for hunting accidents when they allow people to hunt on their land for FREE. Charge an access fee or lease out hunting rights, you just exposed your farm to legal action. Insurance lawyers will “shotgun” sue all parties involved to cover any losses. Outfitters lease farm ground with liability releases, yeah, good luck. Better have a large umbrella insurance policy.


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Let’s throw this out there also. A group of nr’s get together and purchase a decent chunk of ground. They then form a guide service. Now they are guaranteed tags every year without paying for a guide. The company is just a shell to guarantee tags for them and their friends.

Are these “guide services” going to be regulated or have any oversight? We already have nr’s operating as guides. There will be no leftover tags.
 
Man, this is a bummer to see. Missouri OTC tags are used to pimp out deer for tourism. It sure sounds like that what that particular state rep is after.


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If that "outfitter" who spoke to the committee in Baxter's response had all his hunts cancelled that's completely on him for not working with clients who had the points. FFS, Iowan's aren't responsible for a poor business plan. I have a buddy who owns an outfitting biz in my same county and his client waiting list is page after page.
 
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