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November 1-7
Day 5
Steve wanted me to go back to the farm I spent the first 3 days hunting. However, he wanted me to hunt a different location that was near a neighboring soybean field. It took a while to get there and it was pretty steep but I was happy to hunt a new spot. The hunting has been slow and with only 2 days left I was starting to regret passing up that big 8 point earlier.
This morning started off slow as well. I saw only one doe and was surrounded by the noisiest turkey's I'd ever encountered. At 7:30 AM, while scanning, I saw a deer approaching. And to my amazement, it was the big 8 I regretted passing up on day 2. I was not passing him up again - but would I get a shot?
The stand I was in was safe, and comfortable, but it popped and squeaked with the slightest weight shift. It was dead quiet so this was going to be difficult but I had to try. As the buck closed within 20 yards I stood up and the stand went 'pop' but the buck did not react to bad to the sound. I reached for my bow and got ready for the shot. At the same time I told myself that I would only shoot if I could also get the shot on video. I positioned my camera and filmed the buck's approach. As he turned toward a fork he would walk in front of me and that would be gravy. He didn't do that. He turned and headed to the cedars behind my stand. This sucked - both for the shot which would force me to shoot while I was twisting around the stand, and it was also going to be impossible to see what I was filming. Let me tell you - shooting alone would have been tough - shooting and filming? Damn near impossible.
I still had to turn 180 degrees in that noisy stand and draw my bow. I positioned my camera and hoped for the best. With the camera rolling I did spun to face the buck and had to lean a little to get a clear shot. The stand went 'Pop-creak-Pop' but it actually stopped the buck who was trying to figure out what the hell was making those sounds. He was perfectly positioned for a shot. I pulled back the new 2020 Mathews (Can't disclose) bow - and drew while the buck was staring at me. To my complete amazement, he never bolted. My arrow sailed through his chest. Perfect shot! 5 seconds later I heard him crash.
My Iowa hunt was over. It was a great hunt and I ended up taking a great buck. The icing on the cake was that not only did I catch the kill on film - it was perfectly framed in the center. How that happened I have no idea. The video is phenomenal!
He was bigger than we thought. In fact, he's the biggest 8-point I ever shot. He's not a 170" buck that Iowa is famous for - but he was a perfect buck for me. We are guessing his age at 6.5 - and likely 250 pounds dressed. A total stud. The only problem was that we had to pull him up one helacious embankment!
This was my first time hunting Iowa and the guides were frustrated since the deer were not moving. Even my buck showed zero rutting behavior. It was not just us experiencing this - other outfitters, landowners, and hunters in SE Iowa were experiencing it. Still, a great hunt ending with a great buck. Steve and his guys worked their butts off for everyone in camp. Steve has 25 farms to hunt, and they are exceptional. Next week will be insane, I was just a little early. If you draw a zone 5 tag be sure to give Steve Hanson a call!
We are hunting with Straight Arrow Outfitters owned by Steve Hanson. You need to draw a Zone 5 tag to hunt with Steve so start building those points! Southeast Iowa is considered by many as the top trophy deer destination in the country.
Our hunt takes place in Southeast Iowa. The habitat is a mix of food plots, river bottoms, and large agricultural fields. Prime Iowa Whitetail habitat. No baiting, we are focused on crops and rutting areas.
