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Bowhunter Observation Record 2015

JNRBRONC

JNRBRONC

Well-Known Member
I sent in the completed form Monday as I knew I wouldn't be able to bowhunt this week and they need to be postmarked this week. Kinid of an off year for me, as work, travel and family commitments limited my time in the tree. I didn't take a block of vacation time to hunt the rut.

I spent 50 hours on stand in 2 counties, observed 45 antlered deer, 80 antlerless deer, 9 not sure deer, 8 tom turkeys, 2 coyotes, 1 raccoon and 1 house cat. I'm pretty sure that of the 45 antlered deer, many were "repeat" sightings, but I followed their counting instructions. Never drew my bow all season as I didn't see anything that I cared to drag out of the timber.

I found 2 dead raccoons on different days, curled up on the ground like they were asleep. Not sure what disease is going around.

Anybody else care to share their tally?
 
That is freaky close to mine but half to time! I've never done the survey or know what's on it; I do keep track though.
46 antlered, 83 anterless. (9 antlered that I believe to be over 3.5 yr old). Harvested 2 antlered and 1 doe with equal amounts of draws/shots. 1 county/farm with around 70 hrs in stand (all day sits really add up)
 
I am also in the 50+- range. 25 +-antlered, 40+- antlerless, zero yotes, 20 toms/jakes, 40 hen. One farm. Sent from my iPhone using IW
 
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around 11 hours (family obligations), 7 antlered all 2.5 year old or less, 15 antlerless. No shooters sighted, all public land
 
Does anyone know how they get chosen to do this survey? Can someone share a picture of what fields are on them? Maybe I will do my own unofficial one next fall.
 
101 hrs, 54 bucks, 109 antlerless, 3 unsure, 79 turkey, 1 coyote, 7 coons and one opossum. It was a very slow year overall, but I only had two sits with no deer sightings.
 
lovetohunt said:
Does anyone know how they get chosen to do this survey? Can someone share a picture of what fields are on them? Maybe I will do my own unofficial one next fall.
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I think they look for people who have purchased bow tags for multiple years, not sure what the critical number is. You can find more information about the survey by clicking here.
Edit: I hadn't read much at the link I included until after posting. Visit all the links at the DNR website I linked and your questions will be answered.
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Deer-Hunting/Population-Harvest-Trends/Bowhunter-Observation-Survey
 
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Have not done my survey yet, but did a better job of tracking my observations this year (cell phones are handy).

Other than deer I saw...
Birds - Blue herons, bald eagles, red tails, crows, bard owl, geese (snow and canadian), ducks, turkeys and pheasants
Bats
Red fox
Possum
Coyote (missed him!)
Rabbit
Raccoons
Mouse (living in the tube of my tri pod stand)
Feral cat
1.35 million squirrels

All in all a pretty fun season, just no big bucks. I did see something for the first time this year. Watched deer swim the Cedar river twice. Once a doe running from a determined fork horn and once a nice 3 year old buck swam it just cruising for does.
 
91 hrs in stand
Hunted 3 counties.
27 bucks.
47 does
3 any deer.
13 turkeys.
12 raccoons
3 possums
1 coyote.
This is half of the hours that I normally hunt in a year. After the kill on November 4 I only hunted one day. Other duties took president. For myself the deer numbers are still down due to the EHD that has been in the area the last three years. It wasn't as bad this year but it was still around from the reports that I got. I long for the good days again. Great thread by the way.
 
Was not gonna give a reply,,but just reading all these observations,,and just had to. I spent close to 70 hrs in the stand. Coarse only have 3 stands. About 26 days,,morns and eves. Saw 13 different does. About 4- 2 yr old bucks,,4 yearlings,one 3 yr old buck and one 4 yr old. Yea,,I am in Iowa,,though some may doubt it....
 
Before anyone piles on for me being a downer,,Let me say I am very satisfied seeing what I did. Actually more does than I have for many yrs. Deer pop is coming back some. I realize others have multiple farms, and many more acres. I also realize with only 3 stands,,getting that many hrs,,I burn them out with my scent,,but that is what I have. I am content with it.
 
loneranger said:
Was not gonna give a reply,,but just reading all these observations,,and just had to. I spent close to 70 hrs in the stand. Coarse only have 3 stands. About 26 days,,morns and eves. Saw 13 different does. About 4- 2 yr old bucks,,4 yearlings,one 3 yr old buck and one 4 yr old. Yea,,I am in Iowa,,though some may doubt it....
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My numbers really aren't that far off yours. Like the OP I was counting "repeat sightings". If I had to I'd say..... Of my total I saw 12-15 different antlered, 18-22 different doe. Numbers are down for my area but they've been this way for 4+ years now. Used to have 50-60 head that called ours and close neighbors home (this doesn't include wandering deer that never show early) not even close to that now. 2 sits for me yielded zero deer, November 3rd and 7th if memory serves. Sent from my iPhone using IW
 
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I hunted 4 different areas. All 4 seem to have stabilized some. One area had low #'s in past and it seemed like it bounced back some. on that place, 5-8 bucks and maybe 10-ish does was the norm this year, which is a lot better than the past. One farm/area is high, I'd say 10-12 bucks, maybe 30 does average per sit. This year was unique - I didn't have one sit where I got skunked for seeing deer or even bucks. Tons of turkeys, more pheasants, more quail. Let's hope things keep swinging in the right direction as a lot of places in Iowa where my buddies hunt need a couple more years of swinging in that right direction yet.
 
I received the survey this year also and kept track of my season. I hunt Chickasaw county in a fairly heavily pressured area.
71 hours
33 antlered
55 antlerless
11 unsure
10 raccoon (2 of which were on the ground dying of some disease possibly, during October)
1 coyote (I missed a chip shot on him unfortunately)
And an insane amount of turkeys. It is nothing to see 50 plus on one of my properties each time it's hunted.

It was a very disappointing season with most of my deer sightings being in October and a miserable November. I seen very minimal sign of any rut whatsoever. I didn't have any scrapes or rubs show up until the second week of November. I didn't witness any does being chased at all this year. I harvested a doe the 3rd week of October. I did have my chance at a trophy buck right away in the 2nd week of October but wasn't presented an ethical shot. He walked straight to me, under me and straight away out of my life.
 
Question is,,just like my observations,,why so many does and little sign of rut goin on? Unless all in the late night hrs,,when it was so mild..
 
Shotgun opener 23 does 2 bucks. Seen a lot of full grown does during bow season, had two days of good chasing and then bucks locked up with does. Just seemed to be going wrong direction each time but that's how it goes. Back to today, I didn't pull the trigger on any, nice to see a deer bigger than my German Shepard. Last year was ok this year I've seen a lot with twins. Hang in there I remember hunting in the 80s and if you seen a deer you shot it. Between excessive doe tags and predation tags on top of EHD we screwed up a good thing. It looks to be coming back, this next year should be really pretty good.
 
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