Ridge Runner
New member
Check.. You move next Fin. Go get em.
Midwest whitetails - Restart
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Heading back out with a new layer of dry clothes and a belly full of food.
This morning was a bust. 4F and 15mph winds. No deer seen.
Are we having fun yet?
View attachment 7114
Snowing like hell now. Hope this SBE works with a little snow in the action, as it looks like I will have a hard time keeping the snow at bay.
View attachment 7115
More later.
This morning was a bust. 4F and 15mph winds. No deer seen.
Are we having fun yet?
View attachment 7114
Snowing like hell now. Hope this SBE works with a little snow in the action, as it looks like I will have a hard time keeping the snow at bay.
View attachment 7115
More later.
Attachments
JoseCuervo
New member
BigFin,
YOu having any trouble not getting lost in them woods?
We always rely on ridges, drainages, and similar, but those flat hardwoods always look the same in the background.
YOu having any trouble not getting lost in them woods?
We always rely on ridges, drainages, and similar, but those flat hardwoods always look the same in the background.
AZ402
Well-known member
You are a trooper Randy, keep it up!!
Day Four has come and gone.
How friggin' disappointing. I spent all afternoon standing in the driving snow and single-digit temps. And, all I saw was one damn doe.
This afternoon, I spent the entire time hold up on a bench overlooking the path where I saw Mr. Big last night. The wind was from the ESE, so I had to move completely across to opening and up on the hill to get the wind in my favor.
Not sure where he went, but he wasn't coming to the corn this afternoon. Maybe he went there this evening after I left.
I have put too much effort into this hunt to walk away from it with one day to go, so I will tough it out and give it my best shot tomorrow.
I will admit though, being away from home, family, and everything else for the last twenty days; eating crappy food; staying in cheap hotels; and knowing I have to drive home across the blizzard-stricken roads of the Great Plains states does make one want to just say, "Screw it" and head home with my tail between my legs. I am mentally worn down. I asked for a challenge, and I got it.
But, when I am out chasing deer and my mind is not burdend with all the obligations I have left (and now waiting) at home, I am still having a blast.
For the last two days, I have only seen one other hunter on this 3,000 acre wildlife management area. I think most other hunters were good enough to already have shot a deer, were smart enough to apply for an archery tag, or used better judgement and decided to not go out in this weather. Regardless, Iowa is a cool place to hunt deer, as you never know when the next deer you see will be that big one.
The snow was letting up when I left this evening, but there were still no tracks in the new stuff. I am hoping they will move heavily after the snow stops tomorrow. Supposed to be a high of 20F tomorrow, so maybe they will come to eat, having spent many calories staying warm the last few days.
If any of you guys have some spare luck you are willing to share with a guy who will need a lot of it, I am accepting of your graces. Thanks in advance!
Feeling the effects of a tough day, as I packed up my junk and headed to the truck.
View attachment 7119
If this sign said, "No morons beyond this point" I would have been in violation of the law.
View attachment 7120
Sorry for the void of pics, but my hands have been too cold for camera operation.
How friggin' disappointing. I spent all afternoon standing in the driving snow and single-digit temps. And, all I saw was one damn doe.
This afternoon, I spent the entire time hold up on a bench overlooking the path where I saw Mr. Big last night. The wind was from the ESE, so I had to move completely across to opening and up on the hill to get the wind in my favor.
Not sure where he went, but he wasn't coming to the corn this afternoon. Maybe he went there this evening after I left.
I have put too much effort into this hunt to walk away from it with one day to go, so I will tough it out and give it my best shot tomorrow.
I will admit though, being away from home, family, and everything else for the last twenty days; eating crappy food; staying in cheap hotels; and knowing I have to drive home across the blizzard-stricken roads of the Great Plains states does make one want to just say, "Screw it" and head home with my tail between my legs. I am mentally worn down. I asked for a challenge, and I got it.
But, when I am out chasing deer and my mind is not burdend with all the obligations I have left (and now waiting) at home, I am still having a blast.
For the last two days, I have only seen one other hunter on this 3,000 acre wildlife management area. I think most other hunters were good enough to already have shot a deer, were smart enough to apply for an archery tag, or used better judgement and decided to not go out in this weather. Regardless, Iowa is a cool place to hunt deer, as you never know when the next deer you see will be that big one.
The snow was letting up when I left this evening, but there were still no tracks in the new stuff. I am hoping they will move heavily after the snow stops tomorrow. Supposed to be a high of 20F tomorrow, so maybe they will come to eat, having spent many calories staying warm the last few days.
If any of you guys have some spare luck you are willing to share with a guy who will need a lot of it, I am accepting of your graces. Thanks in advance!
Feeling the effects of a tough day, as I packed up my junk and headed to the truck.
View attachment 7119
If this sign said, "No morons beyond this point" I would have been in violation of the law.
View attachment 7120
Sorry for the void of pics, but my hands have been too cold for camera operation.
Attachments
Dinkshooter
Well-known member
Go get em Fin.
Your post have made me miss Iowa a bit.
It is a pretty place.
Your post have made me miss Iowa a bit.
It is a pretty place.
Keep at it Randy. I threw all the luck I had coming to me this season at you for your New Mexico antelope hunt. Any that you didn't use is still yours. 
I can only imagine your frustration and exhaustion right now. The way I'd try and look at it is; Three weeks from now when this is all only a memory, you don't want to look back and ask yourself what could have happened if you'd have stuck it out one more day . . . .
Plus, what would I do tomorrow without your update to read. We've got to hear how the story ends.
I can only imagine your frustration and exhaustion right now. The way I'd try and look at it is; Three weeks from now when this is all only a memory, you don't want to look back and ask yourself what could have happened if you'd have stuck it out one more day . . . .
Plus, what would I do tomorrow without your update to read. We've got to hear how the story ends.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Hope to see a buck pic and a cold weather gear review Fin.
IdahoBugler
Well-known member
Good luck Fin. You seem to like those last day kills.
MNHunter
Well-known member
Good luck Randy. I took the IA challenge in 2006. IA - 1, Me - 0
Ridge Runner
New member
Hang in ther Fin you'll get em tomorrow and be on your way. Good luck and be safe.
Well guys, I thank you all for your interest and encouragement, but I am sitting here looking at a fully intact Iowa deer tag.
Today started out cold, like many others. At least the wind wasn't blowing real hard. I had just tracked a group of five does through a friggin jungle. One of the tracks was a whopper, so I was hoping a buck was running with them. When they busted me and took off, I didn't see any antlers. Not sure who was making that big track.
So, that was a couple hour hike with little to show, other than getting pretty lathered up.
View attachment 7126
As I was driving from my morning spot to the reliable afternoon location, a really nice buck was bedded up on an oak ridge about 300 yards off the road. I assumed it had to be a rock, as no deer would be in the open, in the sun, during shotgun season, on public land. WRONG!
Obviously, 300 yards is not a makable shotgun distance, but with four inches of fresh snow, it was real easy to swing down wind, cut his track, and follow him for a couple hours. I would have followed him all day, except for one problem. He knew he was being followed and he knows where to go when he is being followed. One of the surrounding properties looks like "whitetail heaven" and he made a B-line for that spot. He is probably laughing at the dumbass who thought he could catch up with him. He was a very, very, nice 5X5 that I would have shot in any area I have ever hunted whitetails.
As stupid as this sounds, once the sun came out, the deer were running around like crazy. Or, I should say the does and fawns. Not sure what the hell was going on. But, I was enjoying the warmth. The portable blind was very handy when I found good crossing areas. One hassle is that Iowa requires that you put a 12"X12" orange marker on all sides of your blind. Is shooting guys in blinds a problem here in the Midwest?
View attachment 7127
This afternoon/evening I was set-up in the area where I had the close encounter two nights ago. At first, the sun was in my face, but it quickly went behind the ridge and the deer appeared. Unfortunately, they didn't appear where I could hunt them.
There is unharvested corn in the field directly behind me. That is private ground and has some great feed. Most, but not all, of the bedding cover is on the WMA. For some strange reason when the deer bedded this morning, they bedded over on the private. As such, the possibility of intercepting them as they travelled from bedding to feeding was a lost cause, as they were bedded less than a hundred yards from the feed.
When they came out to the field, I could watch them from my spot. There was one decent buck with them, but not the big guy from a couple nights previous.
View attachment 7128
Don't get me wrong, I wanted to shoot a buck here in Iowa in a real bad way. But, I looked at this trip as a celebration of hunters before us who had the foresight and vision to use their money to purchase places like this. Thanks to them, a guy from Montana was able to travel 1,200 miles and for the last three days of my five day hunt, had may thousands of acres to roam, all for himself, and only for the cost of a non-resident license. If that is not cause to celebrate and feel good about the experience of this last week, then I don't know what is.
Thanks to all of the guys who had some part in this great idea of public management areas. Without it, there would be far fewer hunters in this country.
View attachment 7129
This Midwest whitetail hunt was one I will always remember. I challenged myself to do something that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.
But, for me, hunting is about the journey, not the destination. I know in our crazed modern society where we pay to get us from A to B with the least headache and struggle, such thoughts probably seem strange. This was a grand journey.
It was very relaxing to walk these hills, sit on stands, and chase deer, knowing that I was doing this for the joy and challenge, not for some outcome that I felt pressured to achieve. I need more of these kind of experiences to remind me of the real value of hunting. The only thing that could have improved it would have been a great family member or friend to share it with.
Thanks again for following along and providing much needed support and encouragement.
Happy hunting!
Today started out cold, like many others. At least the wind wasn't blowing real hard. I had just tracked a group of five does through a friggin jungle. One of the tracks was a whopper, so I was hoping a buck was running with them. When they busted me and took off, I didn't see any antlers. Not sure who was making that big track.
So, that was a couple hour hike with little to show, other than getting pretty lathered up.
View attachment 7126
As I was driving from my morning spot to the reliable afternoon location, a really nice buck was bedded up on an oak ridge about 300 yards off the road. I assumed it had to be a rock, as no deer would be in the open, in the sun, during shotgun season, on public land. WRONG!
Obviously, 300 yards is not a makable shotgun distance, but with four inches of fresh snow, it was real easy to swing down wind, cut his track, and follow him for a couple hours. I would have followed him all day, except for one problem. He knew he was being followed and he knows where to go when he is being followed. One of the surrounding properties looks like "whitetail heaven" and he made a B-line for that spot. He is probably laughing at the dumbass who thought he could catch up with him. He was a very, very, nice 5X5 that I would have shot in any area I have ever hunted whitetails.
As stupid as this sounds, once the sun came out, the deer were running around like crazy. Or, I should say the does and fawns. Not sure what the hell was going on. But, I was enjoying the warmth. The portable blind was very handy when I found good crossing areas. One hassle is that Iowa requires that you put a 12"X12" orange marker on all sides of your blind. Is shooting guys in blinds a problem here in the Midwest?
View attachment 7127
This afternoon/evening I was set-up in the area where I had the close encounter two nights ago. At first, the sun was in my face, but it quickly went behind the ridge and the deer appeared. Unfortunately, they didn't appear where I could hunt them.
There is unharvested corn in the field directly behind me. That is private ground and has some great feed. Most, but not all, of the bedding cover is on the WMA. For some strange reason when the deer bedded this morning, they bedded over on the private. As such, the possibility of intercepting them as they travelled from bedding to feeding was a lost cause, as they were bedded less than a hundred yards from the feed.
When they came out to the field, I could watch them from my spot. There was one decent buck with them, but not the big guy from a couple nights previous.
View attachment 7128
Don't get me wrong, I wanted to shoot a buck here in Iowa in a real bad way. But, I looked at this trip as a celebration of hunters before us who had the foresight and vision to use their money to purchase places like this. Thanks to them, a guy from Montana was able to travel 1,200 miles and for the last three days of my five day hunt, had may thousands of acres to roam, all for himself, and only for the cost of a non-resident license. If that is not cause to celebrate and feel good about the experience of this last week, then I don't know what is.
Thanks to all of the guys who had some part in this great idea of public management areas. Without it, there would be far fewer hunters in this country.
View attachment 7129
This Midwest whitetail hunt was one I will always remember. I challenged myself to do something that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.
But, for me, hunting is about the journey, not the destination. I know in our crazed modern society where we pay to get us from A to B with the least headache and struggle, such thoughts probably seem strange. This was a grand journey.
It was very relaxing to walk these hills, sit on stands, and chase deer, knowing that I was doing this for the joy and challenge, not for some outcome that I felt pressured to achieve. I need more of these kind of experiences to remind me of the real value of hunting. The only thing that could have improved it would have been a great family member or friend to share it with.
Thanks again for following along and providing much needed support and encouragement.
Happy hunting!
Attachments
Ridge Runner
New member
Great write up to an epic adventure BF. followed it the whole way and your writing put me right there without even being there. Travel safe and thanks for taking the time to keep us all posted.
Amen,Glad to know there are people out there that don't always cave to the pressure of filling a tag and hunt for the right reasons.Big Fin, you my man are the real deal and thanks for all you do to promote this sport we call hunting and preserving our public lands so that a person like me can drive 1200 miles to Montana to try and fulfill a lifelong dream of hunting deer,elk or bear on public lands in the rugged west.Thanks for the play by play and safe travels back to Montana.
ashersdad
Well-known member
What a great attitude! You certainly have it figured out. Not every "successful" hunt ends with a notched tag. Thanks for letting us come along and be part of the experience. I looked forward to your posts every day. Be safe in your travels.
DRAFTSTUD
Well-known member
Great Trip and a great telling of the tale. Congradulations on you journey of Discovery! It sucked to read from work, I would have liked to have shared a tree stump.....when the sun was out!!! THANKS, John
