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Iowa Late Season Muzzleloader Hunt
Posted on 7/8/24 at 4:52 pm
Posted on 7/8/24 at 4:52 pm
I got drawn with my two sons in zone 9. Never have hunted in Iowa, going public land route. It should be an adventure if nothing else. Has anyone else tried hunting this time of year in Iowa?
7
Posted on 7/8/24 at 5:47 pm to MississippiTiger
I've made that one once. Got down below 0 and stayed in the single digits for highs for nearly the whole week. It was totally miserable. Morning hunts were a waste of time. If you can find where they feed in the evening you have a chance to see alot of deer. Also made a late season shotgun hunt, weather was actually worse for that one. It snowed for about 3 days, there were drift that were 6 feet deep. I almost got stuck up there, decided i didn't anymore of that and was able to follow a snowplow down the highway to get far enough south that it wasn't so bad. I don't remember what zone but this was in Taylor county. You will most certainly have an adventure but good luck, maybe the weather will be good to you.
This post was edited on 7/8/24 at 6:01 pm
Posted on 7/8/24 at 6:33 pm to MississippiTiger
I drew one one some private property. Should be really good. We'll see, it'll be a good time.
Posted on 7/8/24 at 6:42 pm to MississippiTiger
That far north is gon be cold
Posted on 7/8/24 at 7:09 pm to dragboatscott
quote:
Got down below 0 and stayed in the single digits for highs for nearly the whole week
I ain't that mad at deer. Did a late December bow hunt in north Missouri a few years ago. Stayed in a tent and it didn't get about 15 or so the entire time. Humbled me pretty quick.
OP if you havent already make sure you invest in high quality clothing. If I had the right gear I probably would have enjoyed it.
Posted on 7/8/24 at 7:59 pm to MississippiTiger
I’ve never hunted Iowa but I watch every deer hunting episode of the hunting public and I know they’ve put out a few videos over the years of late season muzzleloader hunting in Iowa with pretty good success. I would check those out because I remember an episode where Warb kills a buck in the snow and he goes into detail about the food source he was hunting over.
I did a real quick glance over that zone because I like that kind of stuff, and French creek wma NE of Waukon looks pretty solid to me. Might be worth looking into. There’s a high line that runs through it that I would probably sit and glass for a little bit.
Definitely going to be cold. I don’t know what size you are but I have a set of barely worn XL Sitka incinerator bibs and jacket I’m going to get rid of this year if you need some clothes, I’ll let them go cheap cheap.
I did a real quick glance over that zone because I like that kind of stuff, and French creek wma NE of Waukon looks pretty solid to me. Might be worth looking into. There’s a high line that runs through it that I would probably sit and glass for a little bit.
Definitely going to be cold. I don’t know what size you are but I have a set of barely worn XL Sitka incinerator bibs and jacket I’m going to get rid of this year if you need some clothes, I’ll let them go cheap cheap.
Posted on 7/8/24 at 9:36 pm to A_bear
How cheap we talkin baw??
Posted on 7/8/24 at 9:43 pm to MississippiTiger
I've never been. But a buddy of mine went several years in a row before he finally got tired of it.
It was cold. He sat in a heated stand wearing electric underwear and hand warmers in his boots. He said it was basically just boring. The biggest issue he had was that the horns were pretty much all broken off at that point in the season. Do you shoot a deer that would have been a 170 a month earlier but was only a 130 now because half his tines were snapped off?
This friend of mine used to go to Saskatchewan every year also. Same thing. Cold and boring. He eventually stopped going there too.
It seems like something that would be fun if your heart was set on killing a deer of a lifetime. But not something I would look forward to every year.
It was cold. He sat in a heated stand wearing electric underwear and hand warmers in his boots. He said it was basically just boring. The biggest issue he had was that the horns were pretty much all broken off at that point in the season. Do you shoot a deer that would have been a 170 a month earlier but was only a 130 now because half his tines were snapped off?
This friend of mine used to go to Saskatchewan every year also. Same thing. Cold and boring. He eventually stopped going there too.
It seems like something that would be fun if your heart was set on killing a deer of a lifetime. But not something I would look forward to every year.
Posted on 7/8/24 at 9:52 pm to MississippiTiger
Late season in the Midwest is tough. It gets bitter cold and the deer are not the easiest in the world to pattern. With that said, you can still have success, but it’s not going to be like you see on TV more than likely.
Posted on 7/8/24 at 9:57 pm to Bayouboogaloocrew
quote:
How cheap we talkin baw??
I’d say 500 for the set. Everybody buys Sitka 40% off these days. It’s an $800 set with the 40% discount. So that’s 300 off of that. If you didn’t have the discount it’d be over $1,300
Posted on 7/8/24 at 11:57 pm to A_bear
I think the cold will be something to contend with for sure. I’ve had some friends go during archery season to this area. They have done well. Hopefully we will get a shot at something nice. If not the trip will be fun regardless.
Posted on 7/9/24 at 6:00 am to MississippiTiger
I haven't hunted Northern Iowa before but my wife grew up on a farm on the Illinois side same general latitude.
It get amazingly cold, I can remember 20 years ago or so I told my FIL I was going to go hunt that morning. He is as tough a guy as you can imagine, farming in that area his entire life and he looked at me and told me it was too cold. Being young and dumb I went anyway as it wasn't that cold... about 6 degrees with a DRIVING west wind. He took me out and dropped me off and said I'll wait for you in the truck. I lasted about 90 minutes when that wind blows in the winter and it almost always does it is COLD.
Secondly the deer get absolutely hammered in IL and IA during the short gun season, the bucks will go into areas that aren't hunted sometimes very small and literally won't leave them for a few weeks until the guns stop. The farther you get from gun season, especially the first one during the rut the better your hunting can be. The colder it gets the more pattern able the deer are to food.
Good luck.
It get amazingly cold, I can remember 20 years ago or so I told my FIL I was going to go hunt that morning. He is as tough a guy as you can imagine, farming in that area his entire life and he looked at me and told me it was too cold. Being young and dumb I went anyway as it wasn't that cold... about 6 degrees with a DRIVING west wind. He took me out and dropped me off and said I'll wait for you in the truck. I lasted about 90 minutes when that wind blows in the winter and it almost always does it is COLD.
Secondly the deer get absolutely hammered in IL and IA during the short gun season, the bucks will go into areas that aren't hunted sometimes very small and literally won't leave them for a few weeks until the guns stop. The farther you get from gun season, especially the first one during the rut the better your hunting can be. The colder it gets the more pattern able the deer are to food.
Good luck.
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