SOLD OUT

[Ghost]

Maybe I'm over reacting a little, not sure.

But it seems to me that the doe harvest was a record last year and the Iowa deer hunting community is just now starting to really catch on to the importance of harvesting does. It takes time people! Years and years of Iowa tradition of only shooting bucks regardless of antler size is not something that is overcome overnight.

The new Iowa DNR deer seasons and regulations leave me feeling a little "sold out"!

I talk with many shotgun groups each year and am almost known for my "preaching". It is all about educating the general hunting public.

Not trying to beat a dead horse here guys, I just find it very, very, disheartening that our deer hunting regulations are going in this direction.

WJS...I'm disappointed...that's all you will hear from me on this subject...

 

[Critter]

You're not alone Ghost. In my opinon the "flood gates" have been opened, and it'll only be a matter of time before the quality of hunting we have in this state drowns. I really feel bad for you guys in the Southern portions of the state. No amount of explanation or figures is going to make me believe that these new regulations are based on deer numbers more than it is money-based, I just wish they would come out and say it.
CRITR

 

[BJohnson]

The disheartening thing also is this. I constantly hear on these TV shows, "take a child hunting" or "pass it on", etc. Well, I don't know how the rest of you feel but honestly have reservations about getting my son passionate about the deer hunting when I think about the almost yearly frustrations I feel concerning land access, increasing land values, larger and larger tracts of property controlled by small groups or individuals, etc. Couple that with the recent indications from the DNR about the future directions in hunting regulations and I wonder if I would want to be "getting into" this sport in the next 5-10 years.

 

[cornfield]

I am with ya Ghost. Don't really know what else to say. Every year we are learning more and getting closer to their goals. Evidently that isn't good enough. Just too much pressure from Farm Bureau and State Farm is the bottom line and some of them are trying to keep their jobs.

 

[teeroy]

i could have sworn that i read, under the old (last year's) system of increased doe harvest, that the population would be "in check" in 2-3 years. which meant things were progressing at an adequate pace. but evidently not in the eyes of the legislature, or insurance companies. i guess they can't let the policies in place run their natural course, and instead want to decimate the herd to "1997 levels". who asked the hunters what level we want the herd at? i know, in my area, i'm happy with the deer numbers we have.

i think this should prove to everyone, that if "they" decide enough deer weren't taken this year, even more drastic (retarded) measures will be taken. can rifle season in the rut be far down the road?

 

[Super7]

Guys you might as well get ahead of the game and start forming what we call here in the EAST is a hunt club. Don't let the outfitters lease up all the good land before you get started. If you are a serious hunter you will be alot better off by drawing up a long term lease on the best property you and your buddies can afford. Free hunting land is an endangered species. We paid 1 to 3 dollars an acre when we first started leasing land. Now it is $12 or higher. Thus the long term idea. Lock it in for as long as you can at the lowest price. Form a club with an average of 80 to 100 acres per member, set an antler point or width measurement, and hammer the does. QDMA works if you can control enough land or form Co-Op's with alot of smaller tracks. A well run club that has a few amneities (cooler, running water, electricity, and camp area) turns into a year long investment.The cost is not as bad if you use it year round, and not just during hunting season. If you get started early in the game you should be able to lease some pretty darn good land that would only get better with a little management. If you are using it year round it cuts down on the pouching problem. Might as well protect what you work so hard to grow.