Time for The Orange Army to hit the Timber

[Trapshooter1]

My group always hunts first gun. We do it as a family/guys weekend. And have a Lotta fun doing it. My family has been group hunting as a tradition for many years before I was knee high. (I enjoy listening to the old boys make the plans) and listening to the stories of the "old days". It's all part of the fun. Everyone have a safe weekend.

What about everyone elses history??

 

[Wapsi Tree Rat]

I will be out there, my army in orange, my army of exactly one. I'll be in my tree looking for some Christmas candy. Go ahead guys, send that big buck under my stand and this year I just might pull the trigger.

 

[2-bucks]

First season will be sitting on my property trying to get my daughter a buck. There are one or two big ones in the area and she is plenty patient/picky enough so if we log enough hours on stand she has a chance at a wall hanger. Second season I hunt with a small (6-7) group and do drives to fill freezers. Looking forward to both.

 

[iowavf]

We've been sitting for several years now since we lost a lot of our hunting ground. I liked when we use push and it was a good time, but I'm older now and sitting in my nice warm, dry blind with a comfortable chair all day listening to the radio with hot food is a nice change. I don't see the number of deer I use to see, but still have a few that hang around the section and few that travel through the area.

 

[Bowtech84]

This is my 20th year in a row. A lot has changed but it's still fun to get together with everyone. Good luck all - be safe.

 

[Hardwood11]

Will be driving down to IA, on Friday and will be in the stand (all day) on Saturday. Last time my buddy and I were done by 2:30 on opening day, with two nice bucks. One was natural movement, and the other one was pushed into us by the neighbors. Great time!

 

[Altiman94]

I have not hunted shotgun season in 10 years. The one time I hunted with a group was fun. Good luck and be safe to all those hunting this weekend! I will be putting on the orange vest in 3 weeks for late muzzy.

 

[StickersNKickers]

Thinking about 2nd shotgun this year. I started out hunting with a shotgun and have done it every year but 2 since beginning. I was sometimes part of a 10-12 person group that hunted the farm I grew up on. I never had any bad experiences, except when I would think I got lost. However, I did hear some stories of sticky situations with the group. Usually me and my brothers waited until 2nd season to hunt when they weren't around. Then we'd do drives with 4-5 people, and that seemed more manageable. These days I do more sitting or still hunting by myself during gun season, with the occasional drive of 2-3 people. I do kinda miss the large group being around for all the stories and fun, but I also prefer to hunt less intrusively now. We have less ground these days as well, so we have adjusted our hunting style so as not to push the deer away as quickly.

 

[zvholk]

Good luck to everyone going out in the next few weeks. Be safe and take good harvest pictures.

 

[Bowtech84]

Slow day for us, coyotes everywhere and dnr everywhere! Never seen either of them so thick! On a serious note - a guy in our group got a ticket for not having a habitat stamp? We didn't even know it was possible to buy a hunting license and not get a habitat stamp? Why would the sell hunting license without it? Double check your license fellas.

 

[Daver]

Slow day for us, coyotes everywhere and dnr everywhere! Never seen either of them so thick! On a serious note - a guy in our group got a ticket for not having a habitat stamp? We didn't even know it was possible to buy a hunting license and not get a habitat stamp? Why would the sell hunting license without it? Double check your license fellas.

Sheesh, good tip on the habitat stamp. I could not honestly say if our licenses have a habitat stamp on them or not.

 

[Bowhunter500]

Typically those Walmart folk in the sporting goods dept have no clue what a habitat stamp is. I think it's silly they ticket at the lack of knowledge of those selling the licenses. Just my $.02

 

[msauer933]

Here is copy and paste from DNR online license sales.....was the guy one of the exceptions for special license, disabled, or land owner? Otherwise I don't see why anyone would not have the habitat fee paid. I don't even think there is a check box online for habitat fee when purchasing.

#030 OUTDOOR COMBO LICENSE (1 Year Hunting, Fishing and Habitat Fee) - Iowa residents 16 years and older, and nonresidents regardless of age, are required to have a valid Hunting License on their person, and have paid all applicable fees and possess all required stamps while hunting except for: landowners and their children hunting on their own land, hunters 15 years old or younger hunting with a licensed adult, and persons that qualify for special disability or income-related licenses. Iowa residents 16 years old or older are required to have a fishing license to fish or otherwise legally take, use, have possession of or transport species of fish from inland waters and boundary rivers of Iowa, as outlined by the regulations in the annual IA Fishing Seasons and Limits pamphlet. Additionally, the Habitat Fee is included, so one can hunt or trap anywhere in the state except for residents that have special licenses for the disabled or landowners and their children hunting on their own land.

 

[hotshott2289]

brother about bought it today.. pheasant hunting and a group of guys cut loose at a deer slug hit a tree 15 feet beside him at head height. the only excuse they could come up with was they didn't know anyone was there.. Make sure you know your back drops fellas, no deers worth what came close to happening today.

 

[Obsessed]

I would never pheasant hunt anywhere near timber during shotgun seasons. That's just not smart. I shake my head and think, "idiots", when I see people bird hunting fields around the timbers we're hunting.

 

[hotshott2289]

thanks bub.. except it was probably 5-6 miles from any timber. just a fenceline that some dips hit thought it'd be a good idea to shoot off the road into our farm from. good call though.

 

[seven twenty]

thanks bub.. except it was probably 5-6 miles from any timber. just a fenceline that some dips hit thought it'd be a good idea to shoot off the road into our farm from. good call though.

Turn them in. Shooting "off" the road isn't close to legal. Even if they were standing in the ditch it's not.

 

[Obsessed]

U should have stated that up front bub. That's not hunting. That's illegal activity. Don't group them with actual deer hunters.

 

[Wapsi Tree Rat]

...... That's not hunting. That's illegal activity. Don't group them with actual deer hunters.

Could not agree more. These are the clowns that make it so difficult for guys that don't own land to get permission to hunt. I own my hunting land now, but I've been there before, knocking on doors and getting them slammed in my face. Turn in any illegal activity. There are resources for this crap guys. It's part of where our hunting licence money goes. Let's use it! Kinda hacks me off a little thinking someone makes an honest mistake on a habitat stamp and gets nailed, while the jackwagon shooting from the road into a farm will shoot again tomorrow.

 

[Bowhunter500]

Not only the habitat stamp, but those guys that just go to Walmart and buy deer tags without purchasing a license with it. Thinking they have outsmart the system until the DNR rolls along. Talked with my local CO at the law center today-- advised he ran across a 6 man group, all with deer tags AND doe tags. Notta one with an Iowa hunting license and habitat fee... and that's where all of our doe tags go.. no wonder they sell out quick. These guys buy doe tags and think they can outsmart the system. Makes you wonder how many of these guys actually get busted.

Thanks to all of us who follow the rules! I appreciate all of us! Keep on doing the right thing!