DEERSLAYER wrote: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.
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.
Not money but time and effort are equal no matter where I hunt. My effort out of state isn’t a yearly thing so I’m not a real good example for this. On average I hunt out of state every 4-5 years. Many guys here hunt multiple states every year.
I do pretty good in Wisconsin but comparing it to Iowa is kind of a joke. I should probably hunt western WI and my opinion may change but thinking likely not otherwise WI guys that live there wouldn’t be hopping the border.
Wish I could have hunted Iowa 10-15 years ago when it was really good. That is my biggest regret.