What Now?

What Now?

By Noel Gandy

The old saying, ”Time flies when you’re having fun,” is certainly true when it goes to the Iowa whitetail season. Hunters who were once budding with anticipation for the October 1st opener are now left asking themselves, “Where did the time go?” For the passionate deer hunter there can be an empty feeling left inside once the clock strikes midnight on the last day of the season. This feeling can be heightened for a hunter who still holds an unfilled tag in his pocket. This empty feeling can only be filled by one thing: October 1, 2024!

While nothing can replace the thrill of the hunt there are some things that an anxious deer hunter can do in order to pass the time and improve their chances for a successful next season.

Keep Your Head in the Trees
As soon as deer season has concluded is a great time to take down, repair, and move treestands. Some will need to take down their stands due to landowner agreements. Most will need to be repaired from a season of use and abuse while others will need to be relocated to a more desirable location. This not only quenches the desire to be in the woods but it can be very beneficial moving forward and thinking of next season.

Treestand safety and maintenance can often be overlooked. Do not ever assume that a tree stand that you leave unattended for nine months will be in ideal condition upon your return. Taking the time to do some light maintenance (tightening bolts, adjusting straps, repositioning seats) during this time of year will assure a hunter that there will be much less to do once the next hunting season arrives.

Crops lingered in the fields of many Iowa farms this past season due to moisture and early snow. This made navigating some of these fields and adjoining tree lines as hunting areas very difficult. Crops should be well out of the picture by now so easier access to move those treestands should be available. Don’t wait until new growth begins to try to access farms. Do it now while all is dead and frozen.

The early part of the offseason is a fantastic time to trim shooting lanes and clear off areas for food plots. If you have the privilege to be able to manage your land then take to it now. The leaves are off the trees and make for much lighter work. Doing this now rather than in the few months leading into the archery opener gives more than enough time for the deer to calm down and get back to life as usual. This, too, lends itself to much lighter trim work when season arrives. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a shooter step into an untrimmed shooting lane!

Always remember to use a safety harness and a lifeline while doing this treestand work. Most accidents happen during ascent and decent when dealing with treestand falls. As a survivor of one of these falls I cannot emphasize safety enough!

Take a Look Around
Hunters love to scout during the late summer. This time of year lends itself to bachelor groups of bucks hitting the ag fields of our state sporting this year’s edition of their headgear. While that is a fun and exciting way to scout for bucks, it’s not the only way.

The late winter months are as, if not more, effective for locating where deer spend most of their time. Often, there is fresh snow on the ground and trails into feed and bedding areas are unmistakable. While you cannot guarantee that the deer for the next season will travel exactly the same as they did this season, you can get a nice idea of what the deer of your area like to do under particular seasonal circumstances.

Late winter and early spring also are great times to look for some of that aforementioned headgear. Shed hunting has become wildly popular and is a great way to stretch your legs and get your family involved in the whitetail hunting experience. Take these times to infiltrate areas that you might have deemed “off limits” during the actual deer season. See which of the bucks on particular farms made it through the rigors of a hunting season and tough winter by collecting the antlers that they leave behind.

Once the antlers fall off of the deer they immediately begin the regrowing process. This is a nice time to freshen up mineral sites that you discontinued well in advance of the previous deer season. Place trail cameras on these sights and leave them be. The spring and summer months are critical to a deer’s health and you can accelerate their recovery from a brutal winter by offering added nutrition to their diet. Don’t just be a hunter but be a conservationist.

Hit the Happy Hunting Trail AND Gain New Ground
While the whitetail deer is America’s most popular big game animal, there is a plethora of other hunting opportunities to take advantage of in the great state of Iowa.

A personal favorite is the Eastern Wild Turkey. Turkey hunting in the spring can be exhilarating and can be just the pick-me-up that a hunter needs during the long whitetail offseason. Iowa offers a generous season and a generous population of wild turkeys to hunt. This can also be a phenomenal time to get children involved in the outdoors as turkey hunting can lend itself to a variety of hunting styles.

While out turkey hunting keep your eyes open for Morel Mushrooms. These wild mushrooms are a springtime staple in many Iowa homes and can be a delicious compliment to a wild turkey dinner or a fresh catch of fish.

If your trigger finger is really itching AND you want to be a champion of the whitetail deer then take to coyote hunting during the early spring. These fawn killers have ruined many a deer hunters time afield. They are most detrimental to the deer herd during the fawning period which begins in May. While the crops are out and these scavengers are on the prowl for their next meal is a great time to stretch your reach and help save the deer.

Goose hunting is also a great way to pass the time afield. Iowa offers a conservation season for light colored geese that stretches well into April. The conservation effort is placed into effect to lessen the population and preserve crop ground that can be heavily damaged due to the millions of extra birds that come buzzing through. Take to the field and have a fun filled goose shoot during the whitetail off season.

I have found that there are still good people in the world. There are folks out there who take the scratch my back and I’ll scratch your back as well mentality. While out making attempts to do predator control and conservation control go ahead and seek to gain hunting permission on new farms. Many farmers who might not be so eager to give deer hunting permission are often happy to grant predator hunting permission. This is a good time to show that you are trustworthy and a good steward of their hunting land. Treat the ground with respect and this might open the door for the farmer to trust you enough to hunt his property in the fall.

Never Stop Learning
Spring and summer are some of the best times of the year to catch up on new technologies, methods, and strategies for growing and hunting whitetails. Many companies will release their new lines of products during these months. This is a great time to upgrade your old equipment.

The banquet and show circuit takes off during the offseason. These events are created by hunters and for hunters. Do not hesitate to get involved with the QDMA, Whitetails Unlimited, or local groups and organizations designed to promote whitetail hunting. Banquets are great for meeting up with old friends and making new. These times are created for fellowship and networking.

Shows are largely the same. Take advantage of shows like the Iowa Deer Classic which will take place on March 1-3 (www.iowadeerclassic.com). It is events like these where you can catch up on all the new gear, meet outdoor celebrities, hear instructional and informational seminars, and much more. Rumor has it that Dan Johnson is going to be gripping and grinning at the IDC. Take time to roll through these shows, like the classic, and see the success of other hunters from our state in their infamous trophy room.

A favorite past time of this author is viewing and making outdoor television. It’s during the summer months, June and July that the new seasons of popular outdoor television shows are released. Often, Iowa is highly featured and well represented by the many hunting shows that are on television now. Many of these shows are based out of our great state!

Honey DO!
Finally, allow this to serve as a reminder to not neglect your family and work. It is during the offseason that you can work hard at home, work, and in society in general to ease the burden of you having possibly been largely absent during the fall and winter months. Go hard during this time so it’s easier for them to be without you during deer season. Remember that life is short and the people in your life are more important than most anything else.

While this list of things to occupy your time during the offseason is not exhaustive it can be useful to maintaining some sanity while waiting for the upcoming deer season. If we are honest with ourselves then we would likely admit that passionate whitetail hunters know no off season.

However, I’m reminded of a passage in the Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes. It says in chapter 3:1-3, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.”

While I’m sure Solomon was not referring to whitetail deer hunting with this passage it can certainly apply. Life does not stop just because hunting season is over. Take time to do what you can while you can. Wherever you are, be all there!