XOutdoors...let me drop some objective wisdom for you to consider. I have truly objective perspective. I am an Iowa resident, but not a native. I moved here after living in both the Midwest and the South. I have seen Iowa deer hunting from both a resident and nonresident perspective. Iowa is without question the holy grail for hunters who want a chance at a once in a lifetime buck. You are correct that it takes a considerable amount of time and money to bowhunt Iowa as a NR...but you know what? That's good. I'm not sure if you have ever hunted elk, but lets use that as an example. there are lots of places to go and get an OTC tag...Colorado for example has more elk than any state, second most B&C entries, and OTC rifle tags in 93 units. By your logic, everyone should go to CO if they want to kill a big elk because that's what the "numbers" say. Why then do elk hunters spend years and years applying in Utah, Arizona, and Montana? Those states have fewer elk, issue far fewer tags, and the tags are much more expensive when they are drawn. Because the chance of killing a giant bull is far greater. How can that be you say when Colorado has the second highest number of record book entries? Well if you have 50,000 elk hunters in CO, and 100 B&C bulls get killed, your individual chances are 1 in 500. In Utah lets say there are 5000 elk hunters and only 40 B&C bulls are killed. Your individual chances are 1 in 125. Which state would you rather hunt? Colorado may have many more book entries, but your individual odds in Utah are 4 times as high. Iowa is that state when it comes to whitetails. Limiting tags and making it difficult for NR's is the biggest reason there are such high odds to kill a mega giant. Yea Wisconsin shows #1....so what. Hunting pressure is WI is crazy compared to IA. That translates to every 125" killed goes in the book because guys consider it a trophy because of all the competition from other hunters. I know many many people in IA that have literally piles of 125-140" racks that have never been entered into a book anywhere. Its usually only the really big ones that make it into a book here. But the point is, the number of book entries isn't relevant. You should look at the stats for record book deer per hunter. IA and Kansas sit alone on top of that list .no other state is remotely close. KS is 1/92. IA is 1/116...last time I checked WI was somewhere around 1/400. I have hunted OH, IN, MO, IL, MI, TN, & NC for whitetails. Is there a booner behind every tree? absolutely not...hence why only 1 in 116 hunters kills a book buck. If we are comparing states with great opportunity to kill a deer, IA is not anywhere near the top of the list...but if big bucks are what you are after...nothing compares. that is the sole reason I made the sacrifices to move here.
Your also comparing unlimited draw like WI. to a limited draw. With little public land in Iowa compared to the amount of it in WI. The whole state is virtually QDM. With the amount of public in WI. and a bulk of those hunters taking the first legal buck they see factors greatly into your percentages. There are other states like Ohio that don't gouge the hunter and are sleeper states for huge bucks.
If you think we are a sleeper state, you should come visit our public lands during November. Zero huge bucks and 2 out-of-state hunters behind every tree. Private land... well, that's different. And it's precisely what you see on TV and in the magazines. Ohio is the epitome of why Iowa is so "difficult" for nonresidents. Hopefully we'll follow suit and become the next points/draw state soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well it was at one time not long ago. LOL I don't know the next sleeper state on the horizon. Wish I did. Would like to get there in the early days.
You have a point. But a trophy can be anything but if youre talking big a 3-4 1/2 8-10pt is big enough especially arrowing one with your bow. But as a Nonresident going in Iowa. It's only a once in a lifetime going there. If I happen to tag a decent buck or nothing in the end. It's gonna be a long time before I think about coming back.
The next sleeper state ill probably be the one that happens to have a deer population remaining after CWD wipes out the deer population everywhere else.
I think Ohio would be scary good if it became a limited draw state. Ohio's biggest problem is its proximity to the east coast. It's within easy driving distance from the highly populated Eastern states. I don't think that will happen anytime soon though.
Guys aren't paying big money and waiting for several years to kill a 3 1/2 year old 8 point. Lots of guys go to Iowa and on other expensive hunts many, many times. Its certainly not a once in a lifetime draw. If someone is serious about killing a B&C class whitetail, there are a few options that provide the best odds in the fair chase world. But, they generally come with a price, just like everything else. The hunter that is happy to kill a 120" 8 point is not the hunter that is driving the demand for tags in true trophy areas. Nothing wrong with either goal.
Living and hunting in northern Wisconsin I don't get the chance to see a lot of big deer. Honestly I think the largest deer I have seen with a bow in my hands was maybe 115 inches (And that's a maybe) and that is 20 years hunting. I am practicing self control and passing deer. I just hope by the time I am hunting in Iowa, I don't take the first 125 inch 8 pointer that walks past me.
Lol. Well, that happens to a LOT of guys. Something a lot closer to 140 or better would be a pretty realistic goal I would think. A 140 will look like a 180 when it walks towards you through the woods!
I'm throwing my hat in the ring to start accumulating points in Iowa this year. If Iowa was over the counter, it would be exactly the same as IL. Big deer will be killed, but getting access to big deer property will be nearly impossible except for those fortunate enough to own their own land. Even with a pocket that's flush with $$$ and being fairly well connected with other hunters, in IL it's incredibly difficult to find quality leases. I never would have imagined how hard it was here to get access to hunt when I was living back east. The lottery system keeps most all of that non resident pressure out of Iowa and ensures that there are almost always good leases available for reasonable prices. I'm hoping to get my chance at bat in Iowa in 2020 and I'm starting now to get the points.
