| Please look at this Western IA property |
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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Thanx to everyone for the help on this thread. I've deleted all the photos and descriptions just in case I shoot a monster and someone uses Google to find my spot.
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
Brotsky
Date:01-Sep-16
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Ike, what's around the property? I.E. other wood lots, sloughs, waterways, anything like that? If that patch of ground was in SD I'd say yes, there will be deer.
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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Brotsky, if I pan out further than my 2nd picture, it looks like more of the same. The entire area doesn't have that many trees except for along that river to the east.
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By:
Brotsky
Date:01-Sep-16
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You posted while I was posting. I think you'll have deer, just not very many. I think bucks will cruise it during the rut especially looking for does. It's a classic type area that I hunt here in SD. Most of the deer I would suspect would be held along the river to the east but you'll get some that come through there, maybe a bunch if they aren't pressured.
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
Brotsky
Date:01-Sep-16
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They look like game trails to me as well. Spots like this tend to be feast or famine, and that can change on any given day. You'll have a bunch of skunks sitting in spots like this but it only needs to work out once. That's been my experience in similar situations. It really just boils down to cover in your waterway and pressure. These spots can also be dynamite early season spots while the deer are in nearby crops and step out along the edges in the evenings. That could be the source of your game trails.
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By:
Glunt@work
Date:01-Sep-16
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Whats it planted in? I hunted a place in IA that was similar. I felt sort of silly at first because it was so open. There were deer and almost every one I saw ended up traveling by the stand since it was the only decent cover. The issue I had was deer bedding and trying to leave after a morning hunt without blowing them out.
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
loesshillsarcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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The terraces will probably hold just as many deer. Glass them during the midday for bedded bucks if you can. My favorite hunts are stalking deer in the terraces
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:01-Sep-16
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By:
Glunt@work
Date:01-Sep-16
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With the terraces, I would guess trees are in a depression which adds to its protection factor.
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By:
jjs
Date:01-Sep-16
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Iowa was my home state and when I look at this I get tears in my eyes from what it was and is now. Had hunting ground that went down to black earth that had some great habitat that was left with a similar strip, it may hold deer in early season with crops up but they will either smell you or hear you coming in but may be productive during the gun season if you are the only one to hunt it, just my opinion, I can smell some pheasants holding in it, just really play the wind.
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By:
LUNG$HOT
Date:01-Sep-16
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Definitely worth taking a trip and throwing up a few game cams to be sure either way. Good luck and keep us posted.
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By:
Scrappy
Date:01-Sep-16
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I would definitely want to walk it before I made a decision. Cause the farmer doesn't hunt does not mean its not got a treestand in every tree. As well as the farmer took the dozer through that draw the same time he dozed the house. Farmers want every inch they can get.
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By:
deerman406
Date:01-Sep-16
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Wow I am in the minority. I would think there are plenty of deer. Ecsp. since there is not a ton of cover. If there is CRP and that tree line is still in tact I would say it will be very good. I hunt some ground in western Kansas that has less cover then that and it holds plenty of deer and some big ones. The first two weeks of Nov. throw out a buck decoy and a beddded doe decoy out in one of the fields and set up in one of the pinch points in the tree line and get ready for some action. You can draw deer in from a long ways with the right set-up. Shawn
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By:
r-man
Date:01-Sep-16
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You may catch some late deer headed through in the AM , Its not going to be easy sneaking in there though
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By:
Thornton
Date:01-Sep-16
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Looks like there might be a deer there once a month. Maybe it's a better bird property?
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By:
Genesis
Date:01-Sep-16
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Nothing wrong with the property other than it's very brittle to pressure.
The amount of deer will be inversely proportional to that pressure.
Your priority should be
1. Research the annual pressure in the draw itself
Alot....I would mark the property off my list.....A little to none moves it from mediocre to possibly reallly good
2.Sets up good for N/S winds but bet you will have lots of influence from thermal and topography giving you some funky resultant winds from the prevailing one.Know what your dealing with in that regard.
3.Entrance/exit routes are super critical and all day sits (possibly changing stands as you get experience with temp/wind relationship)should be your MO with so little timber
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:02-Sep-16
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By:
Franzen
Date:02-Sep-16
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I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bruiser or two using that piece, especially in summer. Based on what I have seen, use becomes pretty sporadic when the crops go down and we typically think the hunting is getting "good". I would say it is a difficult hunt, but IF you have the patience and self control, it could be a productive hunt.
The question is, will it be a fun hunt? Personally, I wouldn't burn Iowa points to hunt that if I were so inclined to build points there.
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By:
willliamtell
Date:02-Sep-16
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Boots on the ground to find crap etc would tell volumes. Agree 100% it's how much disturbance the area gets. Given the amount of plowing (what was the crop btw?) I'd say it falls into the disturbed category. How often does the farmer visit the area, when was it harvested, what's left on the ground? There's a pond on the topo I'm not seeing on the arial (bummer). Does getting the tag burn a good opportunity somewhere else?
Offbeat options: a great place to put a drone up at dawn/dusk with a gopro and slow grid cruise the property at about 200 feet.
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By:
Scrappy
Date:02-Sep-16
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Another thing is how would you plan to hunt it. Since I have moved to iowa I have learned that these small properties with limited cover can't handle much pressure.
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:02-Sep-16
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By:
t-roy
Date:02-Sep-16
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Like Ned stated, they utilize those terraces quite a bit and those are also ideal potential setups for stalking. Also, it looks like a prime place for a buck to push an estrus doe into to get her away from subordinate bucks while he is tending her. My guess is you probably won't see a ton of action, but if you have other spots that you can hunt, you could hunt this spot when the conditions are right, as you so stated.
How many points does it usually take to draw that zone?
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By:
Buck-man
Date:02-Sep-16
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that little strip of woods is all you need they will all use that. done deal.
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By:
W
Date:03-Sep-16
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I'd think there'd be deer, but also think it has been hunted some in the past. The landowners just didn't give permission for it to be hunted.
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By:
Emmitt
Date:09-Sep-16
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I was also given permission to hunt a small farm approximately 170 acres in Paris Illinois... The owner said there were very few deer if any on his property... Lets just say it was a honey-hole... This is one of many quality deer I have harvested at the farm... According to the owner the farm has never been hunted... Take a chance, farm might not be holding deer but you never know what is walking through a specific property...
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By:
Bear Track
Date:09-Sep-16
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Sooo, you're going to pass on it? Put your boots on and go for a walk sir. Those are for sure game trails.
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By:
wild1
Date:09-Sep-16
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Trail cameras are your friend....!! Lot's of unknowns, with the occasional "maybe", "possibly" and "there's a chance" thrown in.
I'd make a quick visit, throw up multiple cameras, and then come back well before the deadline for the draw, to check out the photos.
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By:
doug77
Date:11-Sep-16
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Hunt it. I have a spot in iowa like that. it can be awesome during the rut but there hard to get into when the crops are gone I just go in very early I've killed a couple great deer in my place over the years
doug77
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By:
doug77
Date:11-Sep-16
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Hunt it. I have a spot in iowa like that. it can be awesome during the rut but there hard to get into when the crops are gone I just go in very early I've killed a couple great deer in my place over the years
doug77
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By:
elkmo
Date:11-Sep-16
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It's not what this piece offers vs what the ground around it does not offer. Looking at the topos, its in a bowl creating a secluded island with some of the thickest cover around. You probably won't see lots of deer but the bucks in these areas will cover some ground going from woodlot to woodlot, esp at night. Hunt it in the am's vs pm's, the steep hillsides will expose you coming in without leaves on the trees and crops out. As said prior, then getting out becomes a problem, or sit all day during the rut.
If you have other options in more traditional type cover I doubt I would take a gamble on this with a $600 NR tag and points at stake.
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By:
IdyllwildArcher
Date:11-Sep-16
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By:
patdel
Date:11-Sep-16
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Ike, I think its worth checking out. Especially if you can hunt public as well part of the time. I wouldn't walk in there in the dark. I'd drive within a few hundred yards of my stand. Your vehicle will move the deer off naturally. There are trucks combines and tractors every where in the fall. Machinery doesn't bother them a bit.
I hunt a couple similar spots. They hold deer. In one of them I can see my pickup sitting there a couple hundred yards away. Deer walk by it all the time and Dont pay any attention.
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By:
Eagle_eye_Andy
Date:12-Sep-16
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I see spots like this all the time at work here in eastern NE and almost always see deer deer beds trails and scrapes. Especially in the wide wet area upstream from the dam. Likely have mostly cottonwoods and willows with reeds canary and a scattering of cattails. Trees may be tough for a stand. I'd hunt this in a north or northwest wind. I would come in from the old farm place on the south using the farm road and walk to the third terrace down. Then walk the channel side of the terrace west ( it will give you cover) all the way around to the south arm of the Y and sneak over the terrace and slip in there and find the best tree on the south side. Your photo with the game trails shows the clump of trees in the far left of the screen shot that's where I would start to look for a good tree and sign. The line of trees on the other side of the dam downstream is likely hugging the creek channel with fairly steep banks. Likely just a corn soybean rotation with beans in the lighter field (harvested when photo was taken) and corn on the other side to east. Like I said before it's been my experience walking these areas that the most buck sign I see is in the wet areas upstream there. Deer will use the terraces and waterways to travel and like to bed on the toe of the terrace slopes. I think spots like these are gold mines if hunted right. This is all Eastern Nebraska experience mind you!!
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By:
XMan
Date:12-Sep-16
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Ike,
One thing you might want to consider is asking the farmer who has the farming rights if he would leave up or let you buy some of his crops that abut the strips of woods. Its very common in the midwest and wont cost you much. It would keep the deer around and late season it would pull in a ton of deer. $500 would buy you a great foodplot. I see two spots on each E/W end that would be ideal for managing the wind and good access.
The key thing on that property is hunting the edges and not venturing into the bedding areas. I would highly encourage you to approach the farmer about this, most will take the money and not have to deal with cutting.
XMan
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By:
Brotsky
Date:12-Sep-16
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Ike, on the topic of leaving some crops standing, Iowa corn averages about 200 bushel per acre give or take. At $3.50 per bushel you can do the math on how much you can afford to leave standing.
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By:
Eagle_eye_Andy
Date:12-Sep-16
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Brotsky +1. Also you will hear... " That's my best ground it's the best yield on the place! For alot of guys around here it's not $ it's the bushels!!
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By:
cityhunter
Date:12-Sep-16
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i wouldnt burn many points very limited with tree stand placement . Trees are most likely cotton woods suck for bowhunters standing corn isnt good until late season if u knock it down its considered baiting ! Free isnt always the best option
