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Skip, is there 1 or 2 main things in the works this year to change? I think a max of 2 buck tags is a good start, even if 1 of those is the landowner tag. I also think resident party hunting should end. Hunters should shoot only the tag they possess. I also think poaching and trespassing fines...

One of the arguments for not shooting a lot of does is the competition among bucks if you do that. With fewer does, it means more fighting with injured bucks and broken racks. I've seen a few bucks this year with one eye damaged. Trail cams show the eye unusable. I wonder how often bucks damage...

There are 3 things you can do when you have bad neighbors. Buy it, tolerate it, or get out of there.

Some of the off-season prep and hard work is working as planned. I also got to see an incredible sunset and back to the east that super moon was rising. Great season even though I haven't tagged a buck and probably won't.

So you believe more NR hunters or allowing crossbows in archery season would not decrease age structure in Iowa?

Exactly, I did not want to spend time explaining if he didn't already know that.

Yes I agree but if a law enforces something then it could stop some people. No doubt if Iowa went to a one buck law then some hunters would just buy their wife or son who doesn’t hunt a tag to use it. As far as cell cameras, it will never be banned on private property. All it would take is one...

That’s why legislation has to be passed. Then everyone will be forced to comply with laws designed to increase age structure. I do agree 100% that you cannot rely on hunters to police themselves and increase age structure. That is definitely not going to happen.

These were some of my favorite steps in past years. I still have a lot of them. The problem is that they don’t make replacement straps for them anymore. These have the special straps with a metal latch. I’m sure you could still make them work with rope or a ratchet strap though.

That’s a cull all day in my book. He’s never going to be high scoring. If you harvest him, maybe something with better genetics will take his spot on your farm.

I agree high grading is a big problem. If hunters take the best genetic bucks and leave the poor, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happens over time. My home farm in southern Iowa contains a lot of poor genetic bucks. You can really gauge hunter pressure in a neighborhood by...

Congrats

Congrats

Slow the last 2 days.

I agree it encourages fence sitters. Most other states require landowner permission to retrieve game on their property.

Some of my apples hold until they rot in the tree. Not sure why this is happening?

A lot of good comments above. Maybe this legislation season we can work on a few things like cell cam use, # of buck tags, and I’d love to see no supplemental feed or bait allowed at all during hunting season. The deer population issue is real. My home farm is loaded with deer but I go to my...

I think banning cell cams would really help age structure. They would need to do it in the future because a lot of hunters have $1000s invested in cell cams. Make it take effect like January 2028 or similar. Then hunters can digest it, and know it’s coming. They should still be allowed on...

The next technological advancement will be guns that automatically adjust for distance and wind, then fire themselves .:p

Trying bed in places where bucks won’t harass them as much? Next to a house would be a good spot. It doesn’t match your question, but I have seen several instances where mature bucks regularly bed near a highway or buildings. I think they do this because it a low pressure area and less predators.