Gellar
Well-known member
You got it buddy, learn something every day to put the puzzle together!
My 2026 Iowa season
- Thread starter duckhunt
- Start date
duckhunt
Well-known member
Rain, rain, and rain.
Dang!!! Hopefully you can get a break in the weather. Any grouse to be had?
duckhunt
Well-known member
First camp had alot of grouse but only had pistols to shoot. My son tried but missed 9 times, yeah you heard me right. 9 times.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Made it home last night and got a hot shower and slept in my comfortable bed. Already talking with the boys about next year's trip.
Going to start cleaning stuff up soon, then will post some of the hunt.
Going to start cleaning stuff up soon, then will post some of the hunt.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Let's take a step back a week and go through my elk season.
First things first, a group photo
First things first, a group photo
duckhunt
Well-known member
Camp number 1
First morning wake up to rain. The boys are all about it and head out to a glassing spot he scouted out before. Since it's raining I stay in camp and drink coffee, and I'm OK with that. Alot of the area is fogged in so they
come back after a couple of hours. Just as they got back I was ready to go out so off we go all 3 of us. We head down in a drainage and do some calling for a bit.
After awhile it's time for lunch and change it up. Now Connor has scouted some but there are people everywhere so we kind of find another drainage that we don't see other hunters. Go in a bit and find sign right away. We sit while Connor does some cow calling until dark.
First morning wake up to rain. The boys are all about it and head out to a glassing spot he scouted out before. Since it's raining I stay in camp and drink coffee, and I'm OK with that. Alot of the area is fogged in so they
come back after a couple of hours. Just as they got back I was ready to go out so off we go all 3 of us. We head down in a drainage and do some calling for a bit.
After awhile it's time for lunch and change it up. Now Connor has scouted some but there are people everywhere so we kind of find another drainage that we don't see other hunters. Go in a bit and find sign right away. We sit while Connor does some cow calling until dark.
duckhunt
Well-known member
We did notice that the other hunters were not going into the drainage they would just drive around up high and glass.
duckhunt
Well-known member
The following morning we get back to where we found the sign and head in to sit and try and cow call a bit. We see tracks and scrapes and after sitting a bit we get a strong smell in the wind. I guess that's my first smell of elk I'm thinking but we did not see any.
Now on wendsday I need to have Devon back to the airport so with the amount of hunters and distance from the airport we decided to pull camp and move.
Now on wendsday I need to have Devon back to the airport so with the amount of hunters and distance from the airport we decided to pull camp and move.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Camp number 2
Off for an afternoon hunt the boys want to climb a mountain to see if there's any elk around the other side. I hang back a bit and glass from a lower level and tell them to go get after it.
Off they go over the top of this thing.
Over the course of a couple days we learned alot. More elk sign in the thick timber, we never see them in the open feeding, and most sign is above 9000 ft.
Off for an afternoon hunt the boys want to climb a mountain to see if there's any elk around the other side. I hang back a bit and glass from a lower level and tell them to go get after it.
Off they go over the top of this thing.
Over the course of a couple days we learned alot. More elk sign in the thick timber, we never see them in the open feeding, and most sign is above 9000 ft.
duckhunt
Well-known member
The following morning we get Devon back to the airport and say our goodbyes. Back for the afternoon hunt I take Connor up the valley so he can hunt down the drainage back towards camp. I walk down from camp to some more thick pines and find trails and scrapes. I decide to just sit and wait it out silently. I see 3 mule deer does and Connor stumbles up on a cow moose. We meet back at camp after dark.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Thursday morning was solid rain again so we decide to jump in the truck and try to access a different area for a bit of a scouting trip. Big gate and signs blocking that road so we call it quits on that plan. There's a CPW office not far so we drive over there for some local Intel. Yes that road is legally gated. So just chatting with the gal we are informed both camps we've had are good elk areas and with what we've talked about she claims we are doing the right thing and to stick with it, maybe tweak our tactics a bit.
Also been chatting with @Gellar about what I'm seeing and he is giving me some advice on what he thinks I should do. I do have to admit there's so much more I need to learn about this elk hunting stuff. Off we go trying to use the info we collected from others.
My first experience with dead fall. Not to terrible since it was in a burn area but still work nonetheless.
Saw 3 more mule deer does for the evening.
Also been chatting with @Gellar about what I'm seeing and he is giving me some advice on what he thinks I should do. I do have to admit there's so much more I need to learn about this elk hunting stuff. Off we go trying to use the info we collected from others.
My first experience with dead fall. Not to terrible since it was in a burn area but still work nonetheless.
Saw 3 more mule deer does for the evening.
duckhunt
Well-known member
So Friday is our last hunt day. Connor heads back to where we hunted the night before. He spends the day there. I still hunt and do a bit of sitting quiet maybe mixed in a few cow calls here and there just above camp. Walked up a ridge for some cool pictures.
After dark it's time to call it quits, we pack everything up except for tent and sleeping gear. Up about 4 am to head home.
Absolutely had a blast, already planning next year's trip. I learned more on this hunt than the previous two, slowly putting the puzzle together.
After dark it's time to call it quits, we pack everything up except for tent and sleeping gear. Up about 4 am to head home.
Absolutely had a blast, already planning next year's trip. I learned more on this hunt than the previous two, slowly putting the puzzle together.
