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Help a new bowhunter out!

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draker110

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This is my first year of bowhunting, and am looking for a good deer. I have an excellent small chunk of timber to hunt in central Iowa. It's about 68 acres, and there are a lot of good deer in the area. I know this from past shotgun hunts, and just haven't seen any this year. Even during the rut, I just haven't seen the quality bucks that I know are there. Any thoughts or ideas on what I could do. Have tried all aspects of calling and doe scents but to no avail have seen only small bucks. Time is running out on the best time of the season and I need help, any input is appreciated. Thanks.
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Trust me your not the only one that is having this problem. I haven't seen anything big out of my bow stand this year and last year I saw probably 6 bucks that would be 140 and up and this year I have yet to see one that is in the 130's. Not sure what is going on but I am sure running out of time faster that I like. Something needs to happen and happen soon.
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I am also new to the site, and this was probably the wrong place to make this post, any thoughts on where to put this post to get better results??
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Hang in there...the big guys might be tired down with does right now.... if you are seeing does, stay put, the larger deer will start cruising again!
 
I have had the same view this year on my hunting grounds....bucks just did not make themselves visible like they had in the past....even the trail cams were slow this fall. My does sightings were down tremendously as well this fall???????
 
well Ive hunted hard this year, did miss a 15 yd. shot 140 class, who put that tree there anyway. 2nd was last thursday, didnt even get my bow off the ground and to my stand for a afternoon hunt, a nice 14 pt came out 35 yards to my left.
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called to him to come back but he was hot on a does trail. I watched him spook her up on the other side of the bean field. Other then that ive seen a few but had several days when i didnt see any! all in all it still fun to be outdoors. seems like the season goes to quick
 
Just because a spot was good in years past hasnt always ended up being a good spot in future years. To many guys rely on this and it just doesnt work. If you want to get a big one every year you need to know exactly where one is that year, not in years past. I dont even get real excited if I find a shed in an area, chances are that deer will be long gone come next year. I would try to hunt a spot you have seen a big one recentley using, if thats possible for you. The rut hasnt changed this year, big ones are still moving, chances are there just isnt one in your spot.
 
Hang in there. The hardest thing for a new bowhunter to learn and a veteran bowhunter to remember is that probably 95% of the time (for most of us) you aren't going to see those bruisers. Let alone get to shoot them. Just hunt terrain features that will put you in the right spot and hope that it will be your day. Better yet just think you could be stuck at work or school!
 
It's unanimous! The big bows are in lock down. I saw several 150 + bucks early Nov., then they vanished. The only thing that keeps me going is that I'm seeing tons of does and 1.5 yr old bucks chasing them. I'm really hoping that when I get back out later this week and weekend that big daddy will be "looking for love in all the right places!"

Keep at it, he'll show up soon. Those big boys will not let the unbreed does go overlooked. You still have a little time.
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You could of overhunted the place, 68 acres isn't much to hunt all the time since OCT 1. It only takes a big one so many times of seeing you enter/exit or smell yah to know to stay away from there.
 
Hang in their. I hunted in a stand were its a thick tree line then into a opening. And just what, the big bucks NEVER came out of the thick timber. I did see one come out the first week of Nov. But when rifle season came around he was gone. Im sure no one shot him because i checked every truck that went by off our land and he wasnt in them!
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But their are their. If you see a hot doe get your bow ready because their is a good chance their is a buck behind her. And just pray its a big one!
 
Sometimes it takes a little bit of luck and a lot of work. If you are seeing does you will see bucks. I have noticed the same thing in one of my stands is that all I see are scrub bucks. I know that there are very large deer there I've seen 2 that would go over 175 but I just cant get them to come. I did get lucky but unlucky last sunday. I took my brother to a stand that I had hunted out of a couple of times and I saw an absolute monster. I know its tough to rough score but I would estimate around 190. Anyways I had a climbing stand and was going to go up this hill roughly 100yds from my stand. I found a couple of scrapes and a huge deer trail and all of the tracks looked to be does. That's when 2 monsters came in and that stupid tree got in the way and I missed a huge 14 pointer. My suggestion is find where the does are right now. Those big boys will eventually run out of does and come looking for your sent. I know thats what these two big ones were doing.
 
It only takes one deer and about 45 seconds to go from a poor season to a great season. I keep repeating this while hunting late in the season.
 
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