Good news bad news season.

Good news: five deer down out of seven tags.  Best year ever for my group.  Four does and a button.

Bad news:  we're probably going to lose the ground we got them on.  We've been steadily losing ground for several years.  Our contacts were old farmers who are now retiring and giving up their farm leases.  Our experience in that area (Indianola) is the new renter always snags the hunting rights.  We may be down to two parcels.

Somewhat interesting news:  We ran four rifles this year, three 450 Bushmasters and a 45/70.  Of the deer we put down, three were shotgun kills (one 12 ga and two 20 ga) and the two rifle kills were 450 BM out of a Ruger Scout rifle.  Both of the rifle kills could have been handled by a shotgun.  A 450 BM into a deer's boiler room absolutely destroys the heart.  I've never seen a heart that badly mangled.

All returned safe.  Didn't hear as much shooting this year as in past.  The afternoon was absolutely dead, too warm I imagine.   Will be interesting to see the harvest numbers.

In Wayne County: Saturday saw a lot of movement and there was a lot of shooting going on (which is why all the movement I'm sure).  Sunday was dead as shit.  1 Buck taken

*not a party hunter.  This was from a tree stand with a .450 BM at ~100 yards.  Would have been a tough shot with a slug gun.

Got word from my in-laws yesterday that the neighbor's group all tagged out by yesterday afternoon-ten deer between them, plus mine(we do help each other as needed) and we did well in bow season too. No word on whether they got any bucks or used rifles. I know one of them really likes his muzzleloader.

A shotgun would have easily worked on mine as well, but I didn't want to use a shotgun.

I hunt in Wayne county. Between Humeston and Corydon.

Shot a big doe.

11 pointer taken 1st shotgun season.

Attached File

Not bad!

I struck out for first season shotgun in NE Iowa.  Hunted from stand with a 450 bushmaster AR-15.  Plenty of does to shoot, just not a good buck, so I passed.
I did get a decent buck early Nov with my bow.

Did you see the albino doe?  I saw it and texted the game warden (he lives next to our property down there, that's why I have his contact info), he said there were a couple of them running around that section

I would love to see pics of that one! The only albino I have seen is the one that lived in the St.Ansgar area in the late 80s/early 90s. She was found dead of old age and mounted, I think she's still on display somewhere in town. Just googled the area, quite a drive but might be worth a photo trip sometime.

About 28 years ago I saw a piebald doe down in that area.  Actually, it was exactly halfway between Weldon and Woodburn, as the crow flies.

One someone posted pics of on a iowa deer hunting fb page pretty cool looking buck