What state/province ?
My 2025 Iowa season
- Thread starter duckhunt
- Start date
Gellar
Well-known member
Everyone I talk to mentions the heat and then follows with its getting late, I hope we don’t go straight to snow.
duckhunt
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Morning view of my opening day Iowa early muzzleloader. 
duckhunt
Well-known member
Walking in about an hour before shooting light was bright with the moonlight. No headlamp needed i had about a half mile walk up a fence line in a picked been field with a couple acres of set aside at the end. Just getting to the corner i wanted to sit i spook a few bedded deer in the weeds. I get settled in with about forty minutes before shooting light.
As the sun started to come up i see a buck about 500 yards out walking away on a mission, didn't take long for him to dissappear into the next field over. The breeze picked up right from my back side so I picked up and moved so the wind was more in my favor. After a couple hours I see three does ( I also have a doe tag) also about 4 to 500 yards back towards the truck.
Back at the house had a frozen pizza and a midday nap. Getting ready to gear up for the afternoon sit.
As the sun started to come up i see a buck about 500 yards out walking away on a mission, didn't take long for him to dissappear into the next field over. The breeze picked up right from my back side so I picked up and moved so the wind was more in my favor. After a couple hours I see three does ( I also have a doe tag) also about 4 to 500 yards back towards the truck.
Back at the house had a frozen pizza and a midday nap. Getting ready to gear up for the afternoon sit.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Patiently waiting
duckhunt
Well-known member
Maybe eating some deer sticks will bring some luck.
duckhunt
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Dad just shot
BrentD
Well-known member
And ???
duckhunt
Well-known member
Basket 8 point. Worst drag out I've ever had. More to the story tomorrow.
Gellar
Well-known member
duckhunt
Well-known member
Rewind to last night. Long story short, had a buck coming in from behind me I tried to slightly turn and he busted me. Dad was in a stand about 100 yards from me across a slough. When I spooked the buck he worked his way towards dad and dad shoots.Ten minute track job through some head high set aside grass and we find him.
The farmer that bought this piece a few years ago bulldozed some trees along the edge of the field. With corn still in the field wich used to have a lane that we used but now is connected to another field, we have two options. Option one is the long way around through very thick grass and weeds. Option two is find a shortcut through the bulldozed trees. Either way is going to suck. Being private land we always get the deer out whole minus guts so we don't leave anything behind. We choose Option two. After that miserable deal I made a new rule that we don't hunt that piece unless the crops are picked.
The farmer that bought this piece a few years ago bulldozed some trees along the edge of the field. With corn still in the field wich used to have a lane that we used but now is connected to another field, we have two options. Option one is the long way around through very thick grass and weeds. Option two is find a shortcut through the bulldozed trees. Either way is going to suck. Being private land we always get the deer out whole minus guts so we don't leave anything behind. We choose Option two. After that miserable deal I made a new rule that we don't hunt that piece unless the crops are picked.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Beautiful sunrise this morning.
Bright moonlight again on the walk in i spooked a few deer already out feeding. Wind started blowing more than I like so just a short sit. Pulled in the driveway at home and noticed a few deer feeding behind my grove. Slowly sneaking through my grove i bump 2 deer that were bedded wich ran out and took the feeding deer with them. Debating on where to sit this afternoon because the wind is blowing hard.
Bright moonlight again on the walk in i spooked a few deer already out feeding. Wind started blowing more than I like so just a short sit. Pulled in the driveway at home and noticed a few deer feeding behind my grove. Slowly sneaking through my grove i bump 2 deer that were bedded wich ran out and took the feeding deer with them. Debating on where to sit this afternoon because the wind is blowing hard.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Sunset on tonight's hunt. About 20 minutes after I took this photo just to the east a doe and two fawns slowly came out of the set aside into the picked beans. As you can see in the photo it's pretty cloudy wich is not handy with only 15 minutes of shooting time left. As it's almost dark I'm having trouble seeing which one is the bigger doe so I decided to let them be. Helping my neighbor who owns this farm finish picking his corn over the next couple of days after work. Probably done hunting until friday.
duckhunt
Well-known member
View for my evening sit.
Made it to the cabin mid day today after battling the stomach flu since wendsday evening. Feeling better but not 100% yet I climb the hill for an evening sit.
Made it to the cabin mid day today after battling the stomach flu since wendsday evening. Feeling better but not 100% yet I climb the hill for an evening sit.
duckhunt
Well-known member
I sat the ridge behind the cabin Friday evening, Saturday morning and evening, and Sunday morning. Temperature dropped Saturday night and I didn't bring near enough warm clothes so I could only tough it out for about two hours this morning. Made the drive home to give it one last go in the neighbors picked bean field.
Gellar
Well-known member
I thought the deer would be moving better last night than they were. The north wind this morning had a bite to it.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Last sit of the season.
duckhunt
Well-known member
I wrapped up my early muzzleloader season with a complete miss. About 15 minutes left in shooting light a couple does work out into the picked beans. As they work out a bit I try to judge distance ( range finder quit working in wyoming) and pull the trigger. I clearly see the bullet hit low in the dirt. Just to double check i look for blood but find nothing. Thats it for big game this year and onto pheasants and fall walleyes.
