Is Iowa "worth it"

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Tennhunter3
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Sat Dec 02, 2017 9:43 pm

Tags are crazy high and Iowa has very little public land.

Over 98 percent of Iowa is private ground. For public land hunting it gives very little opportunity for Iowas citizens to enjoy wildlife or conservation.

For public there are many better states.


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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby cedarsavage » Sun Dec 03, 2017 12:09 am

bowhunter15 wrote:$700 is a lot to drop on a Whitetail tag. My Colorado mule deer was only $385 and I had a blast and memories for a lifetime. WI is $160 with the chance of a giant. MN accidentally produces some giants every year. A chance at a big whitetail, for me personally, isn't worth $700.

I have the same thoughts. Your mule deer video was pretty cool btw. I went to a big buck state this year, it was a blast and I’m glad I did it. It was everything I hoped it would be and I saw some really cool stuff. But I drove 32 hours round trip and spent $1000. Next time I do that will probably be an elk or mule deer hunt. I think I’ll keep my oos whitetail hunts a little closer and cheaper
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Dec 03, 2017 3:26 am

Jackson Marsh wrote:
ihookem wrote:It all depends on your net worth. If you make the wages I do it is not worth doing it one time. If you make the wages to the likes of Jackson Marsh, Dewey , and Stanley, by all means go every three yrs .



I agree that Stanley and Dewey are loaded. I heard that Stanley has dozens of head mounts, so he is definitely rich and maybe a little crazy. :lol:

Some people spend $50 to $150 a month on TV. Some people pay yearly property taxes on hunting land and cabins. Some people buy expensive boats, campers,motorcycles and vacations.

Some people run expensive trail cameras and burn gas and batteries checking them. Some people drive randomly around in circles with spotlights looking for deer.

Some truly disturbed individuals spend a small fortune on golf. I do almost none of the above.

Money...You can't take it with you, so you might as well enjoy some of it while you are alive.

I'm so broke I can't pay attention, what did you say? :lol:
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Stanley
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Dec 03, 2017 3:43 am

timberwolf311 wrote:
Stanley wrote:
timberwolf311 wrote:
Stanley wrote:I think Iowa is worth it to some a and not to others. I used to travel to neighboring states because they were much better than Iowa. Iowa started to get better when the DNR didn't allow does to be killed. The gun hunters used to get all exited when they drew a doe tag. Now there are lots of does and the buck populations are up because of that. Does are the buck producers no matter how you look at it.



That’s very interesting Stanley. What ratio do you believe is good for public land?

I really don't think anyone has a real handle on what ratios are the best. Some claim to know what ratios are the best, I don't claim to know. I do know this, the more does you have the more bucks are being born. I would rather hunt an area that can support 20 does than an area that can support 4 does. I mean, I don't like hunting areas that have small numbers of deer. :think:



Very interesting. I dislike higher doe populations on properties I hunt. I feel like the rut is much worse in those areas. Hunting blind like I do a lot of the time and hunting big woods I need deer to need to travel to up my odds.


I have found through the decades, hunting areas with little doe populations is much less productive than hunting areas with high doe populations. Bucks go to areas because of does and stay in those areas that smell like does. In areas with low doe populations those few does get bred and and the attraction is over. When you have high doe populations does come into estrous at a more staggered pace and over a longer period of time. Nothing draws in bucks better than a doe in estrous.

Bucks can smell that sweet doe smell for miles and it will draw them in. If there is no sweet doe smell you will get smaller bucks looking but the more mature bucks look with their nose. This is just from my observations not from any magazine articles or internet info.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Stanley
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Dec 03, 2017 3:49 am

ihookem wrote:It all depends on your net worth. If you make the wages I do it is not worth doing it one time. If you make the wages to the likes of Jackson Marsh, Dewey , and Stanley, by all means go every three yrs .

Great point, if you were born rich than money is no object. I like the way you think. You never ask a a spoiled rich kid how to inflate a basket ball. They just go get a new one. That is why you can't expect Trump to understand what the needs of the middle class working man are. He just doesn't know, has never been there, how could he.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Dewey » Sun Dec 03, 2017 4:10 am

Stanley wrote:
ihookem wrote:It all depends on your net worth. If you make the wages I do it is not worth doing it one time. If you make the wages to the likes of Jackson Marsh, Dewey , and Stanley, by all means go every three yrs .

Great point, if you were born rich than money is no object. I like the way you think. You never ask a a spoiled rich kid how to inflate a basket ball. They just go get a new one. That is why you can't expect Trump to understand what the needs of the middle class working man are. He just doesn't know, has never been there, how could he.

During the election Trump said he just might buy a farm in Iowa. If he does maybe we can all hunt there for free. :think:

:lol:
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby <DK> » Sun Dec 03, 2017 4:38 am

Dewey wrote:
Stanley wrote:
ihookem wrote:It all depends on your net worth. If you make the wages I do it is not worth doing it one time. If you make the wages to the likes of Jackson Marsh, Dewey , and Stanley, by all means go every three yrs .

Great point, if you were born rich than money is no object. I like the way you think. You never ask a a spoiled rich kid how to inflate a basket ball. They just go get a new one. That is why you can't expect Trump to understand what the needs of the middle class working man are. He just doesn't know, has never been there, how could he.

During the election Trump said he just might buy a farm in Iowa. If he does maybe we can all hunt there for free. :think:

:lol:


It'll be the greatest farm ever! It's gonna be yuuuge! :lol:
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Missionshooter » Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:20 am

If I had Stanley, Deweys, or JM's money..... I would just burn mine!

:lol: :lol: :lol:


Guys it all comes down to the other things we spend our money on like JM and Spysar said way back when. Personally, I buy my PP's every year to get a chance to hunt Iowa.

I dont have expensive Cable TV, Cell Phone, car payment , etc. I dont go on vacation other than to go hunting. I drive a flipping HYBRID with 150k miles that gets me 50/mpg. I then drive a $500 truck to hunt in.


Say what you want, BUT Iowa'z record books dont lie. AND they are one of the few states that limit Non-residents ability to hunt and price many people out with such expensive tags. Additionally, the gun season is well after the peak of the rut, allowing more bucks to live older. The only improvement they could make IMO would be to implement a point restriction rule.
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby wmihunter » Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:36 am

Get out of debt like a beast and then tag prices aren't as important. It's hard to paint each state with a broad brush cuz each state has pockets of somewhat unpressured public and with habitat and good deer populations. However, Iowa is probably top 5 when you take the price out of the equation. It's in my Radar to scout but the price is definitely a discouragement.
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby ihookem » Sun Dec 03, 2017 10:35 am

Well Timber, and others , yes a lot depends. Many pay $100 for a month of phone and they aint even important enough to even need a phone. Cable, new cars, big house, nice clothes, I have non of that. I still spend very little on hunting. My main hunting is between 4 and 6 miles from my house. I only take a few vacation days for gun deer. The reason is this, I have a retirement plan that needs to be met . It takes $13,000 per yr. for my wives and my ROTH and another $5,000 for my SEP. Last year I only made 49K. There is not that much left after tithe, self employment tax , 4K property tax, 4K federal , 1K state and I cover all insurance in the household at about 2K. and fund our three cars, and repairs/ maintenance. I have decided that the Lord with contentment is great gain like the bible verse sais. I do actually get a snicker out of many that buy deer hunting land for 100K, a cabin, 30K, and work so much more to pay for it that they miss much of the deer season anyway. And since I live in Wisconsin anyway, I will just be happy and someday hunt along the Mississippi . I come across a few people that have hunted public along the Mississippi and say they saw huge bucks. For the guys here that really can't swallow $700, jump the river to Wisconsin and have a good time .
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Dewey » Sun Dec 03, 2017 4:30 pm

timberwolf311 wrote:I don’t see how people have issues with the price of the tag. If you can afford the travel and the time, then money for the tag should be the least of ones worries. You have to be honest with yourself about money and where you are leaking it. 365 days a year and it takes you 3 years minimum, so you have 1095 days. If the tag and preferences points total out to $900 then that’s .82 cents a day. It’s hard to believe anyone with an internet connect via phone or a computer participanting on this forum couldn’t afford .82 cents a day.


That may sound a little rude and I don’t want it to. I really want guys and girls, esp younger broke ones lol, to not be held back by finances. So sure plenty of us couldn’t fathom the idea of dropping $900 on a tag but what if someone told you you could hunt Iowa every 3 years for .82 cents a day?

My tag last year plus 4 preference points was just under $750.

Was it worth it?......absolutely.....every single penny. Will I do it again?......you bet as soon as I draw again.

Small price to pay for some great hunting in a state that actually knows how to manage their deer herd and produce nice bucks in higher numbers. My first impression when stepping on my first piece of public land there was Iowa DNR really cares about the herd. Quality of the habitat was incredible on every single piece I scouted and the deer sign proved it.

For the guys that think it's a lot of money it's obviously not for you and hunting in your home state is probably better. For what it's worth I spent more on western hunts including tags, gas, lodging and never seen anywhere the quality of bucks I saw in Iowa. With a 4 hour drive from home I can be in the best deer habitat in the country. This makes multiple trips scouting and hunting very easy to do. Breaking it down that way I can easily get my moneys worth compared to guys that drive there from across the country and then only hunt one week with zero pre-scouting then drive all the way back home to make a big pot of tag soup.

The guys that are crazy are the one's that spend $750 on a tag then tack on $3000+ to hunt with an outfitter in Iowa. No thanks. :hand:
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby ihookem » Mon Dec 04, 2017 2:00 am

Ya know Dewey, I have heard they manage the herd better. I am tempted to just go walk some public there just to see the difference. Iowa doesn't have the winter kill that northern Wis. has so it is not a fair comparison but from La Crosse to Fon Du Lac it is a lot the same weather. If Iow is that much better , I just dont see why Wisconisn DNR doesn't follow. Does WIs. have too many hunters compared to Iowa??? It is better land according to corn harvests. They are over 200 bushels an acre and my farmer neighbor said they were at 170 bushels so the solid might have an advantage. What is it about Iowa.? that is so much better?
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Dec 04, 2017 3:13 am

ihookem wrote:Ya know Dewey, I have heard they manage the herd better. I am tempted to just go walk some public there just to see the difference. Iowa doesn't have the winter kill that northern Wis. has so it is not a fair comparison but from La Crosse to Fon Du Lac it is a lot the same weather. If Iow is that much better , I just dont see why Wisconisn DNR doesn't follow. Does WIs. have too many hunters compared to Iowa??? It is better land according to corn harvests. They are over 200 bushels an acre and my farmer neighbor said they were at 170 bushels so the solid might have an advantage. What is it about Iowa.? that is so much better?


Wisconsin has way way more deer hunters than Iowa. Wisconsin also has way way more public hunting ground than Iowa. A 1000 acre public hunting area in Iowa is huge. Wisconsin has over the counter NR tags. Iowa has a limited amount of NR tags. That in itself will make a huge difference. Iowa is better managed but it is way easier to manage 120,000 gun hunters than it is to manage 600,000 gun hunters. Bottom line is Wisconsin has way more hunters, way more public ground to hunt, and way more deer. :think:
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby ihookem » Mon Dec 04, 2017 6:43 am

Wisconsin has way more deer? I didn't know that but know very little about Iowa. I knew a young buck form church that grew up in the S.W. corner of Iowa. Dad was a farmer with 1,000 ac. , it had 300 ac. of woods and brush. He said he didn't bother hunting Wisconsin and the deer seemed small, but did mention he saw a bruiser the next week in S.E. WIs. He said, they dont shoot no little bucks , and he didn't recall ever needing more than a few days for the group to tag out. I believe him. Five guys on 1000 ac, of private land in Iowa. I didn't ask if I could hunt there and he didn't offer neither. So in some ways Wisconsin DNR has it's hands tied with 600,000 hunters all wanting to shoot a 10 point buck . I think we could do with shooting less does in northern WIs. for a few years though, .. . . . . . and maybe 1 doe a year instead of over the counter $12 tags? As a matter of fact, I met some first time visitors from a bit south of the Quad Cities this morning at church. Funny how deer hunting came up almost before I got their names. He didn't hunt and they were a bit baffled when I said I would like to live in Iowa. She said but Wisconsin is so beautiful. Thought to myself , she must like blaze orange.
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Re: Is Iowa "worth it"

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:43 am

Dewey wrote:
timberwolf311 wrote:I don’t see how people have issues with the price of the tag. If you can afford the travel and the time, then money for the tag should be the least of ones worries. You have to be honest with yourself about money and where you are leaking it. 365 days a year and it takes you 3 years minimum, so you have 1095 days. If the tag and preferences points total out to $900 then that’s .82 cents a day. It’s hard to believe anyone with an internet connect via phone or a computer participanting on this forum couldn’t afford .82 cents a day.


That may sound a little rude and I don’t want it to. I really want guys and girls, esp younger broke ones lol, to not be held back by finances. So sure plenty of us couldn’t fathom the idea of dropping $900 on a tag but what if someone told you you could hunt Iowa every 3 years for .82 cents a day?

My tag last year plus 4 preference points was just under $750.

Was it worth it?......absolutely.....every single penny. Will I do it again?......you bet as soon as I draw again.

Small price to pay for some great hunting in a state that actually knows how to manage their deer herd and produce nice bucks in higher numbers. My first impression when stepping on my first piece of public land there was Iowa DNR really cares about the herd. Quality of the habitat was incredible on every single piece I scouted and the deer sign proved it.

For the guys that think it's a lot of money it's obviously not for you and hunting in your home state is probably better. For what it's worth I spent more on western hunts including tags, gas, lodging and never seen anywhere the quality of bucks I saw in Iowa. With a 4 hour drive from home I can be in the best deer habitat in the country. This makes multiple trips scouting and hunting very easy to do. Breaking it down that way I can easily get my moneys worth compared to guys that drive there from across the country and then only hunt one week with zero pre-scouting then drive all the way back home to make a big pot of tag soup.

The guys that are crazy are the one's that spend $750 on a tag then tack on $3000+ to hunt with an outfitter in Iowa. No thanks. :hand:

Dewey, do you put in the same amount of time, effort and money into hunting Wisconsin every year as you did into hunting Iowa?

I think if people would put as much into hunting their home state as they do hunting other states they would be much more successful at home.
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