Iowa live hunt

[duckhunt]

Going to try and do a Iowa early muzzle loader live hunt. Im going to North East Iowa for 7 days for early muzzle loader season. I thought I would start today since Im gearing up. I sighted in the knight 50 caliber today and organizing the back pack. Im leaving friday night for the hunt. I will post updates.

 

[maxx]

High of 59 on Friday!

I am thinking I may come down with something. I can bow hunt the morning and afternoon.

I need to get a double stand put up so I can have one of my boys with me.

 

[Kevin W]

goodluck, here in nw iowa deer movement has been slow.

 

[duckhunt]

Well today im doing my meal planning. My wife will be at the trailer with me but not on the hunt so I can have home made meals. Im thinking Smoked stuffed pork chops one night and chilli. Home made breakfast sandwichs and bisquits and gravy for breakfast a few days. Any other ideas that sound good for a hunting trip?

 

[maxx]

Pre-make some breakfast burritos. They are fast and easy in the morning.

My wife always makes me Scotch a Roo's for snacks when I am going somewhere.

Smoked pork butt the week before and then you can bring the shredded pork. I like quick and easy stuff when I am out hunting.

 

[duckhunt]

Gear is ready, truck is loaded, and one more day of work. Heading to the driftless region tomorrow afternoon. Saturday morning the game begins.

 

[Kevin W]

Goodluck!!!

 

[Gellar]

Good luck! What's the plan? Sitting on food? Rattling? Still hunting? The wind we have been having has been brutal.

 

[duckhunt]

I will be hunting on public land. Theres a nice little funnel on a ridge top where I can see hay ground on one side and crp on the other. Thats my starting point that has been good to me the last couple years. Ive also found some nice looking spots on a map that I want to check out.

 

[duckhunt]

Will be leaving the tractor factory soon and heading north east. I need to make a stop at starks sport shop for the adult refreshments and a stop at cabelas for an additional antlerless tag. Tomorrow morning the hunt begins.

 

[duckhunt]

Yesterday day 1 was opening day. Started off pretty uneventfull. I made it to a spot where I like to sit under a pine tree. After sitting for a while I thought I would lay down just to stretch my body out. Low and behold movement catches my eye. As I slowly sit up I see blaze orange. Thats not handy. The hunter doesnt see me as Im waiving my arms to get his attention. He procedes to move right up wind so his scent is blowing my direction. Again not handy.
I get up and move to another location closer to the truck. After a few minutes I see movement again. Its pretty thick so I cant get a good. I see a tail flicker and hear the leaves rustling. Then it was over and the deer walks off without giving me a shot. I couldn't even see if it was a buck or doe.
I spent the afternoon helping my wife clean up the trailer.
Onto day 2. Ive been sitting next to a trail on the side of a hill now for a couple of hours with no action. Hopefully I have some interesting posts for everyone later. I will update this afternoon.

 

[Kevin W]

Goodluck, hang in there. I am on the opposite side of the state but hearing lots of guys seeing good movement 10am to 2pm right now.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Took a doe yesterday morning. two small bucks came into my decoy last night. Wind has changed from to the south. Will hunt different stands. Sunday: 11 deer before 8 am... 9 doe and 2 small bucks no shooters.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[duckhunt]

I shot a doe and didnt give her time. When I started tracking I bumped her. Stupid mistake . I know better. I backed out and will give her some time.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

I shot a doe and didnt give her time. When I started tracking I bumped her. Stupid mistake . I know better. I backed out and will give her some time.

The young lady that was with me and shot the doe.... took the top of the heart right off. Tracking job was 30 yards.... death in seconds.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[Muskeez]

Hope you found the doe, Duck.

We had a very short Iowa muzzleloader season. My wife had a tag, I did not. 20 minutes in the blind Saturday AM and 2 does and a buck pop out, I could see him better than she could, then I figured we'd better have a quick discussion on what she wanted to shoot this year , asked if it had to be bigger than last years? She said just a decent one or a big doe. I said well, he's pretty decent. (especially for a gal that has only shot one buck before) After a few tense moments of him staring and getting nervous he turned and walked straight away, she raised the Omega, he stopped at 66 yards, and made the fatal mistake of turning broadside to look back at a doe. Spend several more tense moments finding him in the scope....Bang, flop
Now I get to take my dad out a few times this week and hope he can repeat.

 

[maxx]

It was slower than expected. I how hunted Friday morning and night. Didn't see anything Friday morning. I had three come on late Friday and I managed to arrow a small doe.

Saturday morning was a cluster you know what. I own a lot on a private lake so we can hunt it. I hung a 2 man stand in a new spot so I could have my boys hunt with me. Someone locked the gate so we couldn't hunt it. I had one other place set up for two but we were run in late by then.

Manage to get the gate open on Saturday night. I have the combo for the lock now. It was slow we didn't see anything until last light. We had two raccoons come in. They looked up at us and decided to bolt. They took two deer that we couldn't see with them.

I went out solo this morning. The boys each had football games and two days I a row kill them. At 7:30 I had two big does come in and on I shot the second. First time with a hot asu XTP. I am impressed she didn't make it 40 yards.

 

[Kevin W]

+1 on hope you found the doe, duck!!! And nice buck for the missus there Muskeez!!!

 

[duckhunt]

Bad news on the doe. Looked for a few hours last night and again this morning. No luck. In the great words of Randy Newberg consider that tag punched. The good news is I still have a state wide any sex tag. I will give more on the doe story when I have more time.

 

[duckhunt]

Ok time to recap yesterday afternoon. I walk into a place ive never hunted before. I find a nice vantage point where I can see a drainage below me. Side note this is nothing like drainages out west. After a short while a doe just materializes. So im sitting in an awkward position but manage to get the gun up and fire. This is where things go wrong.

Trying to watch through the smoke she angles right in front of me and stops broadside at 70 yards and stands there. As shes standing there I try to reload. Now anybody that has used a muzzle loader knows reloading quickly doesnt happen. By the way im still sitting on the ground . She doesn't like the commotion and runs. I finish reloading and think I should go look where she was standing to make sure theres blood. Yes theres a nice puddle of blood. This is where I should have stopped for a while but I didn't.

I procede to follow the blood and after about 60 yards on a little bench above me I hear her get up and see a white tail. I instantly kick myself in the ass. After cussing myself I decide to back out.

A few hours later I return with my dad and a buddy to pick up the trail. Now I really feel sick since the last spot of blood was where I jumped her. A few hours of searching and nothing. Back on the search this morning and nothing. It sucks but happens to everybody at some point.

Im writing this on my phone as I sit on a hillside watching for deer. Time to go and will update later. Good luck to all.