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Going to one buck won’t help the buck to doe ratio. I did the math, adding back the second and third bucks will increase the current preseason deer population per square mile from 8.06 to 8.12. So you will increase the number of bucks by .06 bucks per square mile or 1 buck added to the...

This is exactly my point of why guys need to lower their expectations on what they will see on the landscape. To believe 5/10 bucks have the potential to reach 180” even if allowed to live to 6-8 (which that age is fantasy land for good genetic bucks unless you control thousands of contiguous...

Please tell me how I made general assumptions? How am I off base? I used the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks deer population numbers for population estimate, hunter numbers, and harvest numbers. Tract size, I used OnX to look over the State, anyone with the app can do that. I have...

Just be clear. When I said lower your expectations, I was referring to the number of top end bucks that you expect to see on the landscape with our low population, and recent EHD outbreak, not lower your standards and shoot smaller deer. You can hold out for a 200” if that is your goal. But...

I have never hunted Kansas or Indiana. Why would I? I guess I have always thought why travel to hunt whitetails or buy land in another State when I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to own and hunt in my home State of Iowa. The most highly coveted tag in the country and I have...

As I have said. I don’t like comparing Iowa to other States or other States to Iowa. I will just take Kansas and give you four reasons in my opinion why they have more upper age class bucks on their landscape. Number one reason, they have 650,000 to 700,000 deer. They have around 105,000...

Just to clarify, I am now referring to all CRP not just buffer strips. Because you said you enrolled 20% of your poor ground which I am going to assume you’re not referring to bottom ground that is normally adjacent to creeks or rivers. I agree 100% with what you are saying, but you have to...

Is this poll any drone or just thermal drones?

Yep. It is a far cry from 2016 general sign up when there was $100/acre sign up incentive, 90% cost share and rental payment was 120% of the cash rent.

Unfortunately, with the current reduced CRP rental rates you can’t blame guys for taking out ground in CRP programs. They need sign up incentives, cost share and rental payments more in line with actual rental rates like they had in 2016. There was a lot of acres enrolled then and many of...

Muskrat24 implied similar in his analysis of the Indiana numbers. Here is what I got from these numbers. Average number of bucks harvested per year from 1987-2001 was 45,999.8, Let’s round to 46,000. Average number of bucks harvested per year from 2002-2023 was 50,917, Let’s round to 51,000...

No. There were only 3400 people who killed second bucks Statewide, 201 people killed three.

Skip, Could you double check the Iowa deer hunter numbers stat. I thought our deer hunter numbers have been relatively stable with around 65,000 bow hunters and 95,000 gun hunters. So around 160,000 total hunters. Pretty sure that is the number Jase told me. But that conversation was a...

Of course, having the IBA and ISC pushing for decreased doe tag quotas is great, but remember they get hit by lobbyists on both sides of every issue all the time. So I feel it is even more important that YOU personally contact your State representative both House and Senate and let them know...

Love the side tangent, 3x more shed and button bucks killed than second and third bucks. I am all for considering possible changes “if” the population is increased and things still decline. I am confident with a significant population increase the quantity and quality of bucks will improve...

Correct. We have to quit shooting does. We have to get the DNR to decrease (change the regulations) the doe quotas in all counties that still have them. Leave the buck tags alone. They don’t affect the population trend. I’d rather someone shoot two bucks regardless of age and score right...

The two big risks are. High grading. Not being able to cull. I haven’t said keep limits the same. I have repeatedly said to significantly lower doe quotas in all counties that still have them. Then try to educate other hunters to stop shooting does to help get the population back up. Do...

Skip, I really enjoy your passion. I think we are both obsessed with managing the land and the deer that call our farms home. Believe me, I understand 100% where everyone is at and the struggle with trying to produce top end bucks. I can relate to fence sitters, neighbors shooting young...

I 100% agree that cell cameras and regular trail cameras do contribute to high grading with regard to knowing they are there and being put on the target list. But it still comes down to the guy managing to decide if that deer gets shot if or when the deer presents an opportunity. I also 100%...

I liked Skip’s group examples. Group 1 & 2. Access will continue to decline going forward and there is nothing you, me or anyone else can do to stop it. Even going to a walk in program may provide some opportunity for those without access but that will ultimately decrease the areas top end...