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Gratis/ landowner tag.

Bucksnbears

Bucksnbears

Well-Known Member
What %s of you fellas in Iowa think the compliant rate is for getting and using that tag on land that is supposed to be used for?

Now, I live right on the border mn/ nd and know of a very large buck on the nd side.
In the past 3 weeks, I've had 4 different landowners confess (brag) about trying to kill this buck even though it's miles away from property they own.
The guy who owns the property where the big buck lives doest care about deer at all. He lives in a small woodlot out in the middle of NOWHERE.
Like about 10 acres of woods surrounded by MILES of open ag land.
All 4 guys drive by most days during ND gun season hoping to catch it out out of the cover and pot it from the road. (All brag about it).
What sucks about it even more is 3 of the four own great riverbottom properties and post it up. They won't allow any hunting.

In the past 3 weeks, I've called them out and verbally chewed thier asses.
" ain't no game wardens round here" is thier response.

In a nutshell, I've talked with 7 different landowners and 4 have confessed to not honoring thier gratis tag in the area they drew that (free ) tag And I " know" at least 2 others would do the same but they are more quite about it.
In ND, even resident have to apply for tags and they are getting hard to get.
Some wait YEARS!.


So, overall consensus, are/ do you fellas in Iowa see a big mis_ use of that system?
 
I’m not sure on that , but I wish Minnesota had that system in certain counties ! Gun hunters have to apply for a buck tag! That would be a dream !
 
I see it getting bent more than abused I think. Going with name on the deed would be great but also have its issues. If the ground is in a trust, who would be eligible? How about an LLC or Corp? There’s still a lot of ground in grandpas name. It would have to be a black & white solution with no grey areas.

Maybe make the tag good on only the parcel that’s claimed.

An example I see is that tenants also hunt ground that an owner has a tag for. Is that abuse or bending the rule? Or 2 or 3 family members each claim a parcel, then all of them hunt it all because it’s the “family” farm. You’ve also got the outfitters that lease ground for hunting but still get LOT tags and use them where needed.

It’s an issue that is almost impossible to police 100%. Eliminate the tag and LO’s can get dep tags if needed after an evaluation by a biologist.
 
^I looked into that at one point and if I remember right, LLC has to have it written in somewhere as to who qualifies for LO tags but maybe someone can chime in and correct me. I'd imagine it would be similar in a trust?
 
No idea on numbers, but I'd bet is abused a ton. I just came from one side of the families thanksgiving yesterday.

They farm a couple thousand acres, corn & beans, very little cover. There are some deer, but hardly any. They say they are overran though. Every fall I get to hear them brag about poaching deer etc. Not like out hunting, but if out driving around or farming etc shooting deer while working or chasing them on atv/sxs. Just shoot and leave them lay. Last evening playing board games 4 does came into the yard to dig for acorns in the snow (not at their farm). First comment was my uncle saying he could sneak out to his truck and grab his rifle. I hate it and hate listening about it. No regard at all for wildlife/conservation. Kill every living plant and animal unless its a corn or bean plant. Supporting conservation, following the hunting regs, promoting conservation and improving habitat etc is a total joke to them, they laugh at those things. I'm sure their mindset is repeated hundreds if not thousands of times across the state.
 
The incident that chaps me most about LOT's is "providing" them to lease holders: benefitting financially from them, whether the tag is sold or provided with the lease price. No guess as to how often this happens.

If used on other properties, just hoped they get checked but with many DNR's starved for funding (lack boots on the ground), odds are the offender will skate.
 
I talk with alot of hunters from ND.
Mostly landowners.
There seems to be a push from regular guys to eliminate LOTs.
Appears there are some zones where there were ZERO tags in the general lottery as the landowners got them all (hearsay)

Push back from the landowners (or course) saying if that happens, they will never allow hunting on their properties. Most nowdays won't anyway.
I know several BIG landowners (1000s of acres) that get their LOT and will not let anyone hunt yet be the first to complain to Game n Fish when hard winter sets in and 300 deer pile into their hay yard.
Always seem,s to get worse once a " giant" buck is spotted. Yes, ND has some nice bucks ;)
%age wise, (small sample), I'd say violations are above 75%.
 
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