Warm Weather, Big Bucks: Hunting Iowa’s Early Seasons
Warm Weather, Big Bucks: Hunting Iowa’s Early Seasons
Rest easy, faithful deer hunters. For the next four months, you will have an opportunity to take to the field and chase whitetails because deer season is here! Well, sort of. September 19th marks the opening of youth seasons and a special season for hunters who might have an approved disability. Whether you fall into one of those categories, plan on assisting with a hunt for someone who does, or are just anticipating October 1, there is plenty to look forward to. Let’s dig in!
September 19 – October 4: Youth and Disabled Hunter
Some of my most special time ever spent in the field did not come in the middle of November while I was wielding a bow but rather in the bug-laden heat of September when I was not even the weapon bearer. My son is what we would call a fair-weather hunter. Nothing about being in the bitter cold was enticing to him as a young boy, and if it had not been for the early youth season, it is very likely that is where most of his hunting time would have been spent: being relegated to one of the gun seasons or the late muzzleloading season.
I believe, had it not been for having the opportunity to take part in the cool afternoons of late September hunting with a gun in hand, he would have abandoned hunting altogether at a young age. However, being able to get him out in pleasant weather amidst a pre-scouted and fairly unbothered deer herd had him asking to go again year after year. I’m saddened to write that this will be the first year that he and I will not get to participate in the youth season because he aged out. He is not yet an archer, so he will have to wait until December to hunt. Resident Youth (Under 16): Do not require a base hunting license or habitat fee but must still obtain a specific Youth Deer Hunting License/Tag.
Disabled Hunters can take advantage of the same time frame to hunt the wily whitetail. According to the APPLICATION FOR ELIGIBILITY TO ACQUIRE AN IOWA SEVERELY DISABLED DEER HUNTING LICENSE, which can be found on the Iowa DNR website, under Iowa Code Section 321L.1(8), a “person with a disability” means a person that has a limited or impaired ability to walk. In order to apply, a person must have a physician or physician’s assistant complete the “Physician’s Certification” form OR obtain a copy of your state Department of Transportation-issued Disabilities Parking Permit.
For more information, please see the form “APPLICATION FOR ELIGIBILITY TO ACQUIRE AN IOWA SEVERELY DISABLED DEER HUNTING LICENSE,” which can be found at www.iowadnr.gov.
Early Season Strategy
Whew! Now that the specifics are nailed down, let’s talk strategy. It is warm, and the crops are still in, which can make for some difficulty navigating field edges. The best bet for getting your September buck or extremely early October buck will come in the latest parts of the day. Morning can work, but you take such a great risk of bumping deer who are feeding in crop fields that it is quite a risk.
Scout!
In my opinion, scouting the week ahead of time to hunt is the greatest strategy one could employ during this time of year. During this time of year, we can begin to see what we call the fall shift. While some of the deer you may be accustomed to seeing often might wander off to other farms, others might wander in. In the meantime, some may stay that have been there all along. It’s a tricky time in the whitetail woods. Be aware. Therefore, finding a quiet corner of a bean field or an opening in the timber fairly close to some bedding will be key. Once you have identified these spaces, picking your entry route will be huge. Let me share from experience: there is nothing worse than taking a little fellow traipsing off through weeds and brush that come to your waist and come over his head, only to sit in the heat and not see a deer. Doing a little work ahead of time and finding where the deer are wanting to be during that particular week are huge!
The latter part of September and the earliest part of October for those who might not be able to hunt the aforementioned seasons could be the best time to get on particular bucks that have a tendency to disappear. In fact, this year during early October I am planning on spending the lion’s share of my hunting time on a farm in Kansas where I have three years of history on a buck who likes to disappear around October 15. It’s a real thing!
Prepare Kids for Realistic Expectations
Also, especially with youth, I believe it is good to set expectations beforehand but be willing to be flexible during the heat of the moment. With my son, he was always excited to see a deer and has generally never been picky when it comes to antler size. Does he want to shoot a big buck? Yes. However, he has lost his breath more than once on young bucks and does alike. It is okay to remember that the joy of hunting is in the eye of the beholder. For our farms, we have decided to try to allow young bucks to see more life. My son and I talk about that before every hunt. However, if a good deer comes out and I can tell that he is excited, then the game changes and he gets the green light. Again, bucks come and go, but you only get one crack at raising your kids. I believe the memories that we make and the passions that he develops are most important, so I stay willing to be flexible.
Because I do quite a bit of scouting, I can generally have an idea of the type of deer that we might see during the very earliest of seasons. One of the things that I have chosen to do is not put us in situations where we might have to compromise our management if possible. Rather, we try to hunt where we’ve seen mature bucks. Generally, with my son, I have targeted older bully bucks that I would rather not put a tag on, but he would be thrilled! That recipe has worked wonders. Because we have been in some tumultuous times population-wise these past few years, we have chosen not to target does, but that should not be off the table for all hunters. Doe management is often a child’s favorite thing to do.
Go Shoot Your Bow or Firearm
Lastly, in the words of The Working Class Bowhunter Podcast: “Go shoot your bow!” If you are the guy or gal that has yet to dust off your equipment, I am willing to say that it is past time. We owe it to the game that we are in pursuit of to be efficient with our gear. This pre-season and early season is a perfect time to hone in the contents of our packs, get safety gear sorted, and make sure we are in it for the long haul!
More than anything else: have fun! For diehard deer hunters, deer season can be long and sometimes tumultuous. Don’t let it get you down when you start seeing Trophy Bucks of Iowa showing three booners a day on their feed while you can’t even get into bow range of that pesky squirrel that keeps barking at you. Deer hunting can be fickle, but hang in there. You’re in Iowa: the greatest deer hunting state in the world! Congratulations, you’re here; you made it. After a long off-season, we can once again say, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Enjoy!
