Military... considering retiring in IA

[daniel93077]

I would have a hard time believing you can top what you have if you can guarantee a 160-200" deer to pursue yearly...I mean seriously! What more could you want!???? Not trying to be a smart guy.

Like I mentioned... the wife and I really like IA... and would prefer to live there .... but we don't want to move there if the overall whitetail hunting is far better in WA.. (there are certainly far more 200+ in IA...of that I have no doubt).. but I know those are rare anywhere which is why I was curious about the frequency of the 160-200 range.

I actually believe WA would be right up there with anywhere on the continent for the 140-160 range because the age class is respectable and I have never seen a year where I didn't have at least one of those in bow range and usually a half dozen or so.

 

[daniel93077]

I haven't read all the responses, sorry if repeat, maybe not....
You are not gonna have consistent 160-200" deer in Iowa on public, I can tell you that for a fact. UNLESS it's your full time job and put 20 trail cams on 30 different pieces of public land. There is 160-200" on public but far far far from consistently where a hunter could have a likely opportunity with consistency unless they could literally scout and hunt 10-30 different pieces of public really hard & precisely. It's a fine line what I'm explaining, some may disagree, but that's my opinion.
160-200" on PRIVATE land consistently, even then...... You better have a good area of the state with lower pressure (it varies from area to area in the state) and you better have many different farms to hunt. If you had 4-5 different farms in a good area of Iowa, absolutely, I think it could be done in Iowa. But, again, you better have plenty of places and be able to do inventory on all these farms because out of 4, 5, 6 farms, whatever, some won't have a single shooter on a given year, even in good areas. That's from my experience.
If you have 160-200" every year to hunt in WA and that's a lot on public with low pressure over all..... Geesh, I dunno, you really aren't gonna top that situation so there better be a lot more reasons to move somewhere else other than that aspect. That's about as top caliber hunting seasons and anyone can reasonably expect anywhere in the country. I think Iowa, Kansas and Canada are about the best for consistent giants BUT I sure wouldn't describe any a whole lot better than the words you used. my 2 cents.

Thank you... What you are describing is exactly the time and effort I would expect to put into this pursuit. I have saved for this day for years and between that, my pension, whatever work I decide to do for fun (which must be flexible), and my wife's career in healthcare I will have this kind of time to dedicate to our passion.

I have no doubt WA is great... I was just hoping IA could compare on that 160-200 range since we liked it so much in every other aspect.

 

[daniel93077]

You will find 160-200inch deer on public ground every year if you put in the time. Most big timbers will have 160-175s running around them every year. They are not easy to kill and you need time on your side. The shotgun hunters simply can't push them in the big timbers. Getting over 180 is much tougher though and will take a lot more searching on public or private.

I would probably just stay there and hunt big bucks and all the other game. Sounds like an ideal place and I would have never thought it there!!

Thank you. This sounds very similar to WA. To narrow the gap..the 180-200 range is another level and they are much harder to find but I can usually expect to find one every 2-3 years in WA..... with the 160-180 range being yearly.... again... just like anywhere they are hard to kill.. so getting them on the ground is a different story... but it's nice knowing they are there.

 

[daniel93077]

Yep, Never witnessed or hunted a 200inch deer since I've been hunting in iowa. though, to be fair, I don't have access to a lot of land. I'm sure there out there in my area, though. I had some in the 170 inch, 180 inch range . I'd say go for it and come out. Iowa will offer different style hunting in the terrain and amount of cover compared to Washington State. So, that makes things interesting and makes it all the more sweet If you do harvest a deer from this state. You'll have stories to tell from it and will meet some pretty amazing and hardworking people. The fact that you've served in the military may be enough to sway some landowners in giving you some permission to hunt. I'd have like a hat, shirt, or something that would give evidence or notification that you have served. Plus, it's a great conversation starter at that. Sligh1 had some great points about where to hunt in the state, as well, as others.

I really enjoyed the people/hunters I met in IA. And I have really appreciated the large amount of feedback and opinions based on a diverse variety of experiences that I have received on this thread. This is exactly the type of discussion I needed to help me decide on a place to plant my roots when I retire from the Air Force in a couple of years.

My wife gets nervous when we are high up in the mountains with a couple feet of snow on the old forest service roads (fairly rationale because just about every year people die going off these roads)... For this reason.. I know she would be happy if we hunted the same caliber of animal somewhere a little flatter and easier to physically access.

 

[Hardwood11]

Like I mentioned... the wife and I really like IA... and would prefer to live there .... but we don't want to move there if the overall whitetail hunting is far better in WA.. (there are certainly far more 200+ in IA...of that I have no doubt).. but I know those are rare anywhere which is why I was curious about the frequency of the 160-200 range.

I actually believe WA would be right up there with anywhere on the continent for the 140-160 range because the age class is respectable and I have never seen a year where I didn't have at least one of those in bow range and usually a half dozen or so.

Daniel--- if you buy a chunk of ground or get permission on a nice farm you will be very happy with Iowa as a resident!

Generous tags, lots of deer and good bucks!

 

[daniel93077]

Daniel--- if you buy a chunk of ground or get permission on a nice farm you will be very happy with Iowa as a resident!

Generous tags, lots of deer and good bucks!

That is all great to hear! Thanks.

 

[daniel93077]

That should've been my first comment. Thank you!

Those pictures are amazing... makes me want to move to WA.

Thank you for supporting us.

WA is certainly not a bad place to be (east side). The summers are beautiful, ticks aren't bad, lots of wildlife, not many snakes in the mountains... makes it a nice place to hike through the woods in a great time of year.... Lots of water if you are into fishing too.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

Thank you for supporting us.

WA is certainly not a bad place to be (east side). The summers are beautiful, ticks aren't bad, lots of wildlife, not many snakes in the mountains... makes it a nice place to hike through the woods in a great time of year.... Lots of water if you are into fishing too.

Ticks. The damn ticks. That is about the only bad thing I can say about Iowa since moving here. Well the Chiggers too.

I'm stating the obvious but 200" deer are an extremely rair breed. A very small percentage will even get there regardless of how old they get. Technically I have never seen one. The largest I've seen on stand was a 196" at 70 yards during bow in 2012. (He was found dead of unknown causes the following spring during a shed hunt so we were able to score him).

It seems there is an exponential difference in the number of deer in the 160-180" range compared to 180-200"+.

 

[BDAHMS]

Thank you for your service! It is Iowa- East to west- north to south- you will love it here if you decide. Once you are here- just remember because it can be hard to forget- it isnt heaven- its just Iowa

 

[4 Buck]

If you cautious, stay in WA. Iowa has some fine deer, just like any state does. But you have to put the time and effort in to locating them. There isn't a 150"+ around every tree like the tv shows represent.

 

[AIRASSAULT]

Like I mentioned... the wife and I really like IA... and would prefer to live there .... but we don't want to move there if the overall whitetail hunting is far better in WA.. (there are certainly far more 200+ in IA...of that I have no doubt).. but I know those are rare anywhere which is why I was curious about the frequency of the 160-200 range.

I actually believe WA would be right up there with anywhere on the continent for the 140-160 range because the age class is respectable and I have never seen a year where I didn't have at least one of those in bow range and usually a half dozen or so.

I would say you correct in that Iowa probably has more 200+ deer than in WA, however, the ratio of 200+ deer to land access is probably far greater in WA than in IA giving you a better chance to actually harvest one in WA. IA is broken up into a ton of small parcels and it is pretty hard to find any that aren't hunted pretty hard. Best case scenario is find an area that is well managed or a property that butts up to someone who allows zero hunting.

 

[CurtisWalker]

I need to move to Washington..........

I'm going with ya

 

[Lucky13]

As someone who jusr moved here in the fall of 2013 heres what i can tell you....yes Iowa has some good deer thats a fact but they are not everywhere..I have permission to hunt a lot of farms and I mean A LOT of farms...some on here can vouch for that...I run severa cameras for a god portion of the season and I have yet to get a 200" on camera..close but not 200...so its not easy to find one..but as a whole Iowa is awesome we love it here...not a huge fan of the "quality" of people especially in my
county..but i didnt move here for the people....
As far as public goes I dont hunt it but I know several public pieces that dont get a ton of pressure especially during bow season...land is accesable if you put in the time..
the great part about IA is not the fact that there are giant deer but its the sheer number of deer...there is alot of them and with that the age structure is better here which means more to me then inches number...
All in all IA is a good place to live with lots of like minded people here I feel you will find it a pleasure to be here

 

[daniel93077]

Ticks. The damn ticks. That is about the only bad thing I can say about Iowa since moving here. Well the Chiggers too.

I'm stating the obvious but 200" deer are an extremely rair breed. A very small percentage will even get there regardless of how old they get. Technically I have never seen one. The largest I've seen on stand was a 196" at 70 yards during bow in 2012. (He was found dead of unknown causes the following spring during a shed hunt so we were able to score him).

It seems there is an exponential difference in the number of deer in the 160-180" range compared to 180-200"+.

That is exactly what we experience in WA... that 180-200 is a whole other level of big. I have never seen a 200 from the stand (just in my trail cam pics).. but my wife did see that biggest buck.. he grossed 205 and netted in the 190's

 

[daniel93077]

Thank you for your service! It is Iowa- East to west- north to south- you will love it here if you decide. Once you are here- just remember because it can be hard to forget- it isnt heaven- its just Iowa

We definitely loved the short time we were able to spend there... ticks were about our only complaint.

 

[daniel93077]

I would say you correct in that Iowa probably has more 200+ deer than in WA, however, the ratio of 200+ deer to land access is probably far greater in WA than in IA giving you a better chance to actually harvest one in WA. IA is broken up into a ton of small parcels and it is pretty hard to find any that aren't hunted pretty hard. Best case scenario is find an area that is well managed or a property that butts up to someone who allows zero hunting.

Good point.. I will say that one thing that is nice about hunting the public land is that I rarely have to worry about a buck crossing a fence or going into areas that I can't hunt.

 

[daniel93077]

As someone who jusr moved here in the fall of 2013 heres what i can tell you....yes Iowa has some good deer thats a fact but they are not everywhere..I have permission to hunt a lot of farms and I mean A LOT of farms...some on here can vouch for that...I run severa cameras for a god portion of the season and I have yet to get a 200" on camera..close but not 200...so its not easy to find one..but as a whole Iowa is awesome we love it here...not a huge fan of the "quality" of people especially in my
county..but i didnt move here for the people....
As far as public goes I dont hunt it but I know several public pieces that dont get a ton of pressure especially during bow season...land is accesable if you put in the time..
the great part about IA is not the fact that there are giant deer but its the sheer number of deer...there is alot of them and with that the age structure is better here which means more to me then inches number...
All in all IA is a good place to live with lots of like minded people here I feel you will find it a pleasure to be here

It sounds like it's only a matter of time before you get a 200 on cam... especially if you can continue to gain access to new ground.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

As someone who jusr moved here in the fall of 2013 heres what i can tell you....yes Iowa has some good deer thats a fact but they are not everywhere..I have permission to hunt a lot of farms and I mean A LOT of farms...some on here can vouch for that...I run severa cameras for a god portion of the season and I have yet to get a 200" on camera..close but not 200...so its not easy to find one..but as a whole Iowa is awesome we love it here...not a huge fan of the "quality" of people especially in my
county..but i didnt move here for the people....
As far as public goes I dont hunt it but I know several public pieces that dont get a ton of pressure especially during bow season...land is accesable if you put in the time..
the great part about IA is not the fact that there are giant deer but its the sheer number of deer...there is alot of them and with that the age structure is better here which means more to me then inches number...
All in all IA is a good place to live with lots of like minded people here I feel you will find it a pleasure to be here

Not sure what "quality" means but ONE of the reasons we moved here was how genuinly nice the people are. It is incredibly different than most parts of the country. Sure there are a few bad apples no matter where you go but "Iowa nice" is a real thing in my opinion.

 

[Droptines]

I have spent my life (even as a kid) traveling around the country/world without a true fixed place to call home. My wife and I have always dreamed of living in Iowa. I am nearing retirement and we are certified Whitetail Nuts. Other states we are considering is Ohio, Kansas and Washington state.

I know Washington probably seems odd but we have lived there longer than any other state and it is a beautiful area... with great whitetail hunting!!

Here is my question. In WA state, with a lot of hard work... I can virtually guarantee that I will have at least a few 160-200 inch deer to pursue on any given year. I know Iowa is notorious for producing giants but is it reasonable to expect that a guy who is willing to put in the time (lots of time) knocking on doors and hunting public lands could hunt deer of at least this caliber every single year? (I know the knocking on doors is likely the most realistic situation since public lands are few in IA)

I can tell you the nice thing about WA is that I prefer the public lands... lots of nice bucks and the pressure isn't too bad.

Nope!! Not without having access to extremely good private land. Maybe the public land has gotten much better in the last 10 yrs. or so, but when I hunted public land in the north east portion of the state you would be lucky to ever see a true 160". That included driving public land during shotgun season. That was also during the best time period to kill a legitimate Booner. 10 yrs. later; it's harder to even find them on decent private land!

 

[Sligh1]

Not sure what "quality" means but ONE of the reasons we moved here was how genuinly nice the people are. It is incredibly different than most parts of the country. Sure there are a few bad apples no matter where you go but "Iowa nice" is a real thing in my opinion.

he's talking about me..... He ran into me down here so I think I really put a bad taste in his mouth for Iowa people.
It's like anywhere, some yahoo's and some great folks. (and the complete lunatics like I fall into that category).
Only way I'd move from Iowa is if my passion for hunting & outdoors was hindered by it going "down the tubes" like many places I've been to or lived before. I don't step foot, for hunting reasons, back in those places. Nice to visit but many areas I wouldn't spend my valuable & limited time hunting if you paid me. My family is more important & other things more important that hunting BUT it's such a huge part of our family's life that we'd absolutely move if we couldn't hunt where we lived because it sucked. We'd pack up the fam like the Beverly Hillbillies and go to LA if that's where the last good hunting spot was.