Early Muzzleloader and landowner licensing

[aimfirst]

Anybody have an idea(when looking at this years Iowa Deer regulations) why someone who choses early muzzleloader statewide license cannot hunt shotgun 1 or 2? The regulations seem to force the early muzzleloader to buy a bow to fill the other tags? I was hoping to hunt early muzzleloader and one of the shotgun seasons. Also, this year they seemed to change the shotgun licensing for landowners. Last year you could buy a Shotgun 1 license and hunt Shotgun 2 if you didn't fill the tag. Curious to what the reasoning may be. I would like to take several deer, but I was hoping to hunt several seasons, not all in one. Here are the early muzzleloader rules and regs:
EARLY
MUZZLELOADER
SEASON
1)One statewide Any Deer license for the Bow season, AND
2)Up to 3 Antlerless-only licenses for the Bow season, AND
3)One Antlerless-only license for the Early Muzzleloader Season. This license
will count as one of the 3 Antlerless-only licenses for the Bow season. The
Any Deer license must be purchased first, AND
4)Up to 3 Antlerless-only licenses for the Special Late Season.

 

[buckknife]

It means you can get no other firearms licenies,but you can get 3 antlerless tags.One of those can also be in the early muzzy season,or 3 for bow.Which ever you choose.
You can get 3 doe tags for the special late season also,i supose you can use a shotgun or muzzle loader or even a bow.

 

[teeroy]

that is SO STUPID! they ant us to kill more deer, but we can't go during all the seasons. you should be allowed to go bow, early muzzle, one of the shotguns, late muzzle, and bonus. if they have a season, we hould be allowed to hunt as many as we want to pay for

 

[trper]

They do want us to kill more deer. They give you the opportunity to kill just about as many does as you want. Are you saying you should be allowed to kill four or five bucks each season. I hope not! The reason we have trophy deer is because of quality buck management. I not sure but I don't think if you hunted first season shotgun last year and did not fill your tag you were allowed to hunt second season. They may have allowed you to kill a doe the second season but not a buck. I will check with my DNR friend to see if you are correct. If that were true what would be the purpose of having two seperate seasons. Good hunting.
Trp.

 

[aimfirst]

trper - I didn't mean to say that I want more bucks(in fact I would only take one buck a year), I just want to be able to go early muzzleloader and then take my antlerless tags(3) during shotgun or late muzzleloader. From the regulations if you choose to get your buck early muzzleloader, the regs say then to get your antlerless you are to use them for bow or early muzzleloader only and I was wondering why they would setup the regulations like that. So, the regs in essence(since I am not a bow hunter) have forced me to choose my statewide tag for shotgun 1 and I am just going to stay in the woods to use my antlerless for that season and late muzzleloader versus choosing early muzzloader season as my any sex tag and being done hunting in one week. You could use your shotgun 1 tag for shotgun 2 last year IF it was a landowner tag and you didn't fill the tag in season 1...but they don't say that specifically this year. There must be reasoning behind the way they setup the antlerless tags across the seasons, I just can't figure it out. If they want us to shoot more does, seems easier to make the regulations say you get to have one "buck" license for your season of choice, and then get one doe tag for each of the other seasons(bow/early muzz/shotgun 1 or 2/late muzz). A hunter could hunt more often throughout the season making it more likely to fill the doe tags that way in my small opinion.

 

[billymoiv]

I looked back at last years regulations on landowners hunting both shotgun seasons and this is what it states:

Free Landowner/Tenant Licenses - One free license for taking Any Deer on a landowners farm unit. The free license will be valid in one of the following seasons selected by the landowner or tenet: Youth, Disabled Hunter, Early Muzzleloader, or Shotgun Season 1-2 (license will be valid in both shotgun seasons).

Trpr, you're right, you can't hunt both shotgun seasons, but according to last years regulations, a landowner was allowed to. As for this years regulations, I didn't see any anything stating that a landowner can hunt both shotgun seasons. I'm surprised that they would remove this privilege from the landowner. Maybe I just missed it in this years booklet.

BiMo

 

[buckknife]

the reasoning behind the early muzzle loader season is that you will have the first chance of all the firearm seasons to get a buck.There is a a limit of 7,500 available tags for any sex in this season for residents only, i think?
I went early muzzle loader last year and took the other 3 deer with a bow,that was my choice and i new it.
I must say i was a little miffed not being able to hunt the shotgun or late muzzle loader,but thats the way i did it.
Have different plains this year.

 

[teeroy]

its just dumb. i have a group of family and friends that go 1st season shotgun, i could never miss out on that. but it makes no sense that i can't go early season muzzle. we should be allowed to hunt all the seasons available, and one of the shotguns. it is stupid to say if you hunt this season, then you can't that one, or that one. just dumb.

 

[scout]

I doubt this is the DNR's reasoning but. I like the thought that while hunting to fill my "buck" tag during early BP season the woods won't be filled with guys wacking down does or prior to the bow season opening. I'm sure alot of thought went into planning out the tag regulatings. Its wrong to assume they just jot something down on a whim. The safety factor alone supports gun hunting more does in winter than when the timber is in full folage.

 

[iowaelkhntr]

I beleive the reason for choosing a season is to spread the hunters out more so everyones hunt is more enjoyable. If you could hunt every season too many hunters would be out and everyones enjoyment would suffer. I used to hunt late muzzleloader when it first started just to have some peace and see the deer without everyone chasing them. Now its too crowded late season in my area so I'll stick with bowhunting- Thats my choice! Remember hunting is a Privelege not a right.

 

[trper]

Just curious teeroy but if you could go early muzzleloader and was restricted to killing antlerless only, would you still want to? Or lets say you get a buck license for early and are restricted to killing a doe during shotgun season 1. Is that what your kinda thinking?. Or do you feel you should be able to kill a buck during early muzzl, shotgun, and bow season, and then hunt the late season and bonus seasons to kill a doe. I guess I am kinda confused why you think we should be allowed to hunt all the seasons especially when the DNR gives us ample opportunity to hunt antlerless deer. Most of us who don't hunt the early muzzl do it for specific reasons as you mentioned earlier such as family outings during the shotgun season. Those who decide to hunt the early get a ample opportunity to possibly kill a deer of a lifetime with little or no hunting pressure and sacrifice not hunting during the shotgun season for that specific reason. Safety is also a factor as mentioned earlier in regards to the number of hunters afield. I am not trying to be critical but just trying to get a better understanding as to where your coming from and what type of restrictions if any that you think there should be if allowed to hunt all the seasons.

 

[150 Class]

We are spoiled. We have the best whitetail hunting in the world and want more. One buck with a bow and one with a gun is enough. As for the gun seasons, speaking of the statewide license, one if enough. You get one license, you choose which season and live with that choice. As for the one only antlerless tag for early muzzleloader, that is enough too. First season shotgun hunters have it the same. Look at all of the options that we have.

 

[bjkpharmd]

Trper- I understand what you are saying too. We won't solve it here but I will write a note to DNR to express my thoughts, I think everyone should do the same and the majority opinion could be instituted as long as it accomplished the goals set by the DNR. Give every resident a buck/either sex tag & let them buy all the anterless they want. They should could be good in all seasons but only for the weapon valid during that season. Every resident would have a shot during early or bow season & still be able to hunt with traditional family groups.

 

[rattle them in]

I still think if the DNR really wants to thin the deer herd. Keep the out-of-state licenses drawing the same that seems to be working well. For the residents you issue a doe only tag for every season that you want to hunt when you take that doe to a check station and prove you shot a doe than the officer can issue you an any sex tag. Do that for 2 years see where the deer herd is at for a population and go from there. I believe that if we live in this state and pay our taxes we should have very few restricitons put on us for deer hunting when there is a population this great. I don't think we should doubt the Iowa DNR. My dad has told me stories when he was a kid hunting on our 490 acres a whole day and not seeing a deer during shotgun season. So if the DNR has improved numbers that much I don't think we should doubt the rules and regs that they put upon us.

 

[docH]

I'm from Nebraska, so you can take this with a grain of salt if you want to. I feel that you should be very fortunate with what your DNR has done for you. As an outsider looking in, you have an outstanding whitetail herd. I think that whatever the DNR is doing is working. If everyone and their brother were allowed to hunt all seasons, your hunting experiences (trophy bucks and less hunter competition) would suffer. In my state, rifle season coincides with the peak of the rut. When rifle season opens, it seems like WW III out there. I think that spreading hunter numbers out is a great benefit to your hunting experience. I'll shut up now.

 

[aimfirst]

Just a follow up, I recieved my deer tags for the year last night. When the licenses printed out as a landowner, it says I can hunt shotgun 1 and 2. Also, for the antlerless only tags I secured for the special late season and for early/late muzzleloader, the person that put in the information for those antlerless licenses did not have to specify what county the licenses were for nor does my license say what county the license is good for...I am not sure how the DNR tracks the quotas per county without this. I have only hunted in Iowa 2 years, but did they ever require registering deer with the DNR? At one point when I lived in Wis, you had to register your deer at a station.

 

[BW]

Amen, we are spoiled!

Is this Heaven? No it's IOWA. As close as you'll get on earth.

 

[teeroy]

to the guy who asked me if i could go early muzzle and have to shoot a doe would i still go...YEAH. i know we can only get one anysex tag for all gun seasons, i'm not arguing that, sure i would like an anysex tag for muzzle, shotgun, and bow, but i understand why we can't. i just think that as taxpayers, and the people who are dodging these things on the roads every day, as residents of this state, we should be able to buy a tag for both bow seasons, both muzzle seasons, and one of the shotguns.
i also agree with the guy who brought up shooting a doe and then getting a buck tag, i just don't see where the money is going to come from to staff 99 county check in stations, especially on weekends. plus it would suck, having sombody from the group on a run to town after every push, to get their buck tags. i have thought this could be a good way to run the seasons, but i can't see how it would work. maybe you could get an additional (2nd) buck tag after you shoot 2 or 3 does, total, from all seasons. i don't know