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Rough go in SW IA.

1) You have 1000 acres to hunt
2) You shot a mature buck this year
3) You saw plenty of deer

Going back to the point of this whole thread...doesn't sound like it's much of a problem at all. I'd stick it out on that farm. In due time the age structure will go back to normal.
 
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If you didn't find any evidence of EHD this year, I'd question if that's actually true for your area. Realistically how many mature bucks are on 1000 acres? 5? That may be stretching it. You saw two, that means you're missing 3, maybe you just weren't in the right spots this year. Maybe the neighbors got lucky early this year or last year and took a few out. I'd say don't worry about it. Maybe there is a reason, maybe there's not. Either way, the young ones will get older. Hopefully it gets better for ya.
 
My $0.02 worth: Lack of mature deer may well be leftover from the numbers of mature deer that were taken by EHD 2 & 3 years ago. That and the doe slaughter that went on for too many years. Normal recruitment just hasn't replaced the numbers of older deer yet. Hopefully it will happen.
 
Might just be me though but this year I've received more texts and emails with big mature bucks being taken than ever before. And at the same time, I've heard more people complain about a lack of mature bucks. I don't know what to tell ya. I have no quantitative data to prove this so maybe it's just me.
 
I got roughed up in SW Iowa during archery season. Bucks, but only one mature. I strugged to see deer at times. Very disappointed in my sightings. Page/Montgomery County.
 
If you didn't find any evidence of EHD this year, I'd question if that's actually true for your area. Realistically how many mature bucks are on 1000 acres? 5? That may be stretching it. You saw two, that means you're missing 3, maybe you just weren't in the right spots this year. Maybe the neighbors got lucky early this year or last year and took a few out. I'd say don't worry about it. Maybe there is a reason, maybe there's not. Either way, the young ones will get older. Hopefully it gets better for ya.

Just a FWIW...Bill Winke has a 1000 acres in what has historically been a super, super area and nowadays he struggles to identify even 2 or 3 mature shooters in a given year. He made a comment not long ago that 6 or 7 years ago they had 15-18 shooters on the same place. Let's call it 15...from there to 2 or 3 on the same farm is I think fairly representative of what many people have experienced all across southern Iowa.

I don't have any trouble believing that right now, there may only be 2 or 3 legitimate mature bucks on what would otherwise be an outstanding 1000 acres where there normally be a dozen or more.

Hopefully all of these areas can repopulate the older bucks and does in the next couple of years. I do think EHD has played a significant role in many areas, along with the antlerless rifle season, in drawing down the number of mature animal, older deer.
 
What kind of bucks did you see last year? Many return 5his year? Poaching???

Several 4 years olds. (10). Four 5+ year olds. This year I saw two 5+ year olds. One 4 year old. Zero 3 year olds and 50 or more 1 and 2 years old. The main issue that caught my attention was the lack of old does. I saw one that i would say was older then 2. One could question poaching but never heard of any poachers shooting does.
 
I ended up chasing snow geese with some locals boys the past 2 years. The stories they would tell about deer hunting were enough to make me glad I didn't hunt down there. The piles of deer shot, the poaching, and blatant use of rifles by certain groups to thin out the herd. Also we walked some draws we had permission on to shed hunt and there was definitely signs of EHD and a lack of mature deer. Sounds like some of the "good Ole boys" from down there drank the Kool Aid about shoot all the does and by the time they figured out what was happening it was way too late. Couple that with EHD and you have a recipe for disaster.
 
Do your neighbors have food plots now and they didn't in the past? Maybe they have reestablished residency closer to a better food source.

Our maybe you habe a new neighbor who doesn't allow hunting.
 
This isn't a thread about lack of deer. I saw plenty of deer. The area I hunt don't suffer from the senseless killing of does. Just lack of mature deer. Even on cameras.

Without reading any of the posts past this one; i would suggest sticking with it and not letting go of a great property. Especially if your not the owner, and if theres others that might be able to obtain permission if your not hunting it. If you saw plenty of deer, those younger bucks will grow, and although may not be what your looking for next year... theres surely to be several that are in that area that will be. IF not now, there will be some that will move in on those inferior bucks. I find that the bucks that i see after seasons end are often times the bucks that i see that following summer and target in the fall. The unseasonably warm weather has alot to do with the lack in movement IMO/E. EHD or not, I wouldnt opt out of 1000ac in an area where QDM is practiced. I would be palying a different tune if you were in an area surrounded by ground invaded by an orange army that kills everything that runs lol

Judging by your description, i would stay optimistic and maybe think "outside the box" on that 1000ac. While maybe trying a few new or already hunted properties and keeping pressure to a minimum until rut, or perfect conditions. and scout intensly from arial photos, and on foot in the spring. As deer hunters, many of us get caught up in what we know, and what we see while in stand or scouting. Many hesitant on trying something new or different. When shed season comes around, dig deeper and stay open minded and surely youll come up with a few "new" ideas to try. :way:

Most of the ground that i hunt is 60-80 acres each, with several being only 15-30 ac of timber. One exception of one property being +300ac total and 80ac of timber. Small tracts compared to most. Even on the smaller properties, i started hunting "outside the box" with either a new tactic (decoy and/or ground level tripod sits) and polar opposites as far as locations that i typicaly hunted the properties on... and my sightings and encounters went through the roof! Passing on 35 bucks this year, and ending with an arrow in a less than "trophy" buck antler wise, but a mature buck none the less, and a scrapper to boot:D Sometimes that's all it takes. 1000 ac is a good chunk to work with, and Knowing how successful of a deer hunter you are, I know you will get it done this fall yet again! Never know if a 3.5yro is gonna blow up into a stud of a 4.5yro that you can either take, or let grow until 5.5. You'll be set for a potential heck of a buck for '17, and surely get a brusier chasin tail in '16 with the area having QDM:)

Just a few ideas to mill over. Although im an amateur compared to many guys on here and no expert in any fashion lol. Ideas can open anyone's mind of any level or experience to develop and even better idea :D

sorry for the lengthy post :/ gettin bored at work and im ready to poke a hole in a buck rain or shine this weekend lol
 
Thanks guys. Sounds like you all agree I need to suck it out and take the good with the bad. A lot can happen in a years time.

Its a great piece of prime hunting ground, it's just going to take a little more work to find "THE ONE". Here's a pic of some of the deer it has produced in the pass few years!

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Umm yea u should not hunt it anymore and let me know where it is!! Haha kidding! I have around 500 acres of prime ground to hunt and the biggest deer I've seen in the last 3 years was maybe 140! It sucks not seeing mature deer but you know they are out there somewhere just have to stick with it I guess!
 
Just a FWIW...Bill Winke has a 1000 acres in what has historically been a super, super area and nowadays he struggles to identify even 2 or 3 mature shooters in a given year. He made a comment not long ago that 6 or 7 years ago they had 15-18 shooters on the same place. Let's call it 15...from there to 2 or 3 on the same farm is I think fairly representative of what many people have experienced all across southern Iowa.

I don't have any trouble believing that right now, there may only be 2 or 3 legitimate mature bucks on what would otherwise be an outstanding 1000 acres where there normally be a dozen or more.

Hopefully all of these areas can repopulate the older bucks and does in the next couple of years. I do think EHD has played a significant role in many areas, along with the antlerless rifle season, in drawing down the number of mature animal, older deer.

Very good point. I'm also in kind of a happy medium area here in Tama county. I've NEVER seen the quantity of mature bucks be more than MAYBE 1 per couple hundred acres. We just don't have the amount of deer around here like the southern couple tiers of counties do (did). So those kinds of quantities of big bucks is completely foreign to me. I'm sure the numbers will bounce back so long as the EHD stays away and the hunters do their part in not overharvesting.
 
Didn't have many mature buck sightings this year. In fact the only mature deer I seen from the stand is the one I stuck. A lot of up and comers tho. With the amount of corn still in around the area a I hunt it should save quite a few from the gun hunters. I think next year is going to be great!
 
I've seen 2 mature bucks this year. The one I shot in the shoulder and never recovered. The other was chasing a doe right after dark out of range. Lots of young deer. Lots of potential for next year. If the gun hunters didn't kill em all.

During first gun I seen more. Mature bucks. Than during bow season.
 
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