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TERRIBLE YEAR.....NOT REALLY!!!!

T

thehuntingcouple

Guest
I just ended a long year of hunting yesterday that had very little success. I saw many bucks bow hunting, shotgun hunting, and muzzleloading...but nothing in the caliber that I wanted to shoot. As a group we could have shot several bucks in the 125 to 135 class. A couple of my buddies had similar results this year, and at times it was very frustrating. As a group (there are 6 of us) you would be hard pressed to fine anyone who hunted harder than we do in any season, but for whatever reason we found no bucks in the 150 or above class.

Through all of this something really good has come out of an otherwise dismal year, it reinforced my love for this wonderful sport. It has showed myself that it is really not about the kill as much as just the sheer thrill of the chase for these magnificent animals. I would like to thank everyone who posted on this site this year with pictures and stories, during a year like this it was a very good motivator. And we all know how hard it can be to drag your butt out of a warm bed when things aren't going so well!!!

Today I start scouting and making some changes for next year....including getting my photoscout back out to see what bucks made it through the season. Good luck to everyone in the upcoming spring turkey season and thanks again for all of the grerat pictures.

T.D.
 
Only 294 days to November 1st. Starting practicing already and scouting in the near future. I can't wait as my 11 year ols son received a bow for Christmas.
 
Turkey river, sounds like you are going to have a lot of fun during bow season 2003
good luck, and teach the kid good ethics
 
I had a similar year. I shot a doe early muzzleloader season, then 2 more does with a bow in early October. I thought this is great, I have over 40 days to hunt bucks exclusively. I sat every chance I got but I never even seen a buck that I wanted to arrow this fall. (no I was not hunting the same tree all fall) Most years I see at least 1 big one that makes it easy to jump out of bed in the morning, but not this year. Hopefully the slug hunters missed a few of those 2-3 year olds I let go by and 2003 will be the year of the wall hanger for me. (It's been 20 years since I had one mounted).

IaCraig
 
Good for you guys, let the smaller bucks go ,you should all be rewarded in the future.
We need more people like you, congratulations
you are a true Hunter.
To the guy who shot the 3 does, my hat goes off to you, you will be respected more by others than you will ever know.
Anymore you will get more respect as a hunter for selective harvest than anything else, and don't let anyone tell you different.

Good Luck
 
I don't know how any of us can really have a bad deer season in Iowa now days as long as we finish it safely.

I shot 3 does this year and blew (2) 10 yard opportunities at 150+ bucks during the bow season. I seen more mature bucks and an almost unlimited supply of 2 1/2 year olds as well as scabs this season and more does and younguns than I can remember. It was my best season in 30 years of hunting Iowa.

I think that a good hunting experience is out there for all of us regardless what our personal goals are. The individual hunting experience is what it is about. If we get to harvest something along the way that satisfies ourselves then we have done well.

Best wishes to everyone in the new year and seasons ahead.
 
All,

The deer season has another week to go. This may turn out to be long so be forewarned. I was going to start a thread similar to what is being said here.

I just had my 62 birthday and am almost through hunting the greatest season of my life. I did not harvest an animal that was good enough to hang on my wall. I DID see the MOST and the BEST animals of my life. I hunted a part of every day since October 1, 2002 except for 10 days. Of those ten days I spent two in Des Moines working on a records project, was sick one day, and it rained me out one day.

I am very selective in what I want to harvest. I have not shot a deer with my bow. I chose to let the bow down from full draw three times in one day at deer at 15 yards. One was in my opinion a 2 1/2 year old 125 inch typical that will be enormous if he lives a couple years. Then it was time to head to the truck. I walked a couple hundred yards to the top of the hill and saw the most awsome thing in my hunting life. There were deer everywhere. Too many to count. In my opinion there were 10 150 class bucks blowing steam all over the place. Two got into a fight and the rest were muscled up bulls looking for a fight too. Unbelievably awsome and I had NO video camera. Obviously I returned to the area. In a dark to dark session I am convinced I saw 27 different bucks that day. I believe I saw 3 4x4 3 1/2 year old bucks or older. Two were 150 class 4x4s. I saw 3 Boone and Crocketts that day. One that I should have killed from the ground.

In the end I have harvested 4 does for the year. A great year.

I did have a BAD experience with some local shooters who bitch all the time that there are too many deer and that there are NO big deer anymore.

I was invited to view the deer they had harvested. They got REALLY REALLY upset when I asked them why they would shoot 1 1/2 year old bucks after they had been specifically asked by the landowner not to. The landowner had asked them to shoot does or the BIG bucks that were known to have been there. One was a one racked buck that we believe had been a 15 point yearling. As a result of taking more than twice as many shooters than they were supposed to, they are unwelcome to use the land anymore.

I have been careful not to use the word "hunters" here because these guys are shooters and not hunters. I invited them to my house to see some BIG racks and to discuss whether they want to kill little bucks all their lives and have not been taken up as yet. I doubt that they will sit down and discuss the issue rationally. I sincerely hope I am wrong about that.

A long reply but it was a GREAT year of HUNTING. Some of my peers might be inclined to call me incompetent and I DO worry some that they might be right. I find that HUNTING is more important to me than HARVESTING>
 
Hunt Iowa, 62 and still going, good for you ,ya I wish you would of had a video camera that would have been some footage. I have bowhunted since 1964 and taken a month off every year and have taken some nice deer over the years, from all over the state ,in that 38 years I think I have only seen 2 deer that would make B&C, Wow you must have a real good area....
 
I had a very frustating year this year to but still enjoyed my time outside.I had one big buck within 60 yd's one time all year,he was the only shooter I seen but with a bow he might as well have been 200 yard's.Finally took a doe last weekend on a antlerless hunt last Saturday morning,it was nice to put some meat in the freezer!
Starting to think about turkey's!!
Here we go again!
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