10/4/2005

Bowhunting Kickoff
by Joe Wilkinson

October. A lot of Iowa deer hunters just circle the whole month. From tree top vantage points, the show now unfolding seems unmatched in other outdoor pursuits.

Iowa's bow season stretches through October's peak of fall colors, to November's drab grays and browns, to December and January's ice and snow. Deer swing from summer patterns to the full-tilt mayhem of the breeding season, then into the cold-and often predictable--solitude of winter. The biggest challenge facing Iowa's nearly 50,000 bowhunters is how to balance all the trips we want to make, with time missed on the job, around home and elsewhere, as we stumble around in the dark and strap ourselves to a tree trunk for hours at a time.

Hundreds of articles each year tell us how to harvest trophy bucks or to use cover to our advantage. But what do veteran Iowa deer hunters think? When is the best time to bow hunt? Where? And why? I asked a few of them.

Willy Suchy, Chariton. As the DNR's deer biologist, Suchy spends most of the year tracking deer trends, numbers. So when and where does the guy who studies deer for a living go during bow season?...

"I like to get out in late October, early November," says Suchy. "The weather is more consistent then. There might be more deer moving through mid November, but the chance for bad weather is higher. Hunting in 10 degrees...I'm not so sure that's fun."

There is still plenty of fall color in mid-October to enjoy. Beyond that, Suchy says signs of whitetail activity abound and tell him what is going on. "You can see the trails, the rubs in the woods. I read that sign and then base my hunting plan on deer activity. I want to know where the crops are and then set up in a funnel where that day's wind is not a problem," says Suchy.

Chris Mobley, Iowa City. His outdoor interests match up well with his job as archery manager at Fin & Feather Outdoor Store. But when the calendar turns over to November, he wants to be in his stand...

"The rut is right around the corner. Deer are more aggressive; bucks are fighting each other or chasing does," says Mobley. "The leaves have fallen. You can see a lot farther. To know you rattled or grunted in a deer, turning him right into range for a shot gives you a huge feeling of satisfaction."

Mobley sets up close to bedding or feeding areas, but moves, depending on the crops, wind or deer activity. Still, Mobely sees advantages in hunting early and late. "That first week or two, deer aren't influenced as much by humans," he concedes. "The end of the season can be great, too. It's cold. There's snow. Deer are easier to pattern. Set up near food plots and you often can narrow (deer travel) down to 50-100 yards."

Elaine Brown, Council Bluffs. Volunteer archery/bowhunter instructor at 'Becoming an Outdoor Woman' workshops. 'I married into it,' she laughs. After bowhunting 15 years, she prefers the early days...

"I love to get out early in the season; mornings best of all. If the temperature doesn't get to 70 degrees, that's a little below my comfort zone," laughs Brown. "I do a lot of hunting in October. You see a lot of change then. The leaves are falling. Everything isn't so brown. We set up a little closer to water sources during those warmer days."

Still, she's not against November hunting. "That's when I want to get out during the day and stay longer," suggests Brown.

Randy Taylor, Council Bluffs. President of the Iowa Bowhunters Association. Just back from a week hunting mule deer in South Dakota, he prefers the peak of the rut for Iowa whitetails.

"If I could pick out just five days, it would be November 11-15," declares Taylor. "Over the years, we have killed a lot of nice deer in that time frame. Also, it isn't that cold yet."

Taylor's stand locations don't change much over the season. "It'll depend some on crop rotation, too, but we make sure we pattern the does. The key is to hunt where the does are. The bucks will be there, too."

Jim Jensen, Tripoli. For several years, served as a DNR depredation biologist working with landowners to reduce wildlife crop damage. Now a management biologist in northeast Iowa, his focus returns to whitetails in November...

"I don't get started until the last week of October. Then I hunt as much as I can through the third week of November," notes Jansen. "If you hunt deer, you almost have to be in the woods then. The peak of the rut is coming. The bucks are moving. Does are, too. There's a lot of pushing around and interchange."

Jensen takes in three factors before setting his deer stand. "Wind direction, some sort of food source and, when I can find it, a natural funnel," says Jensen. "I want to set up on the downwind side; anticipating the direction deer will travel to and from feeding areas."

But the best time is always the day, or two or five that you plan to get away and surround yourself with the sights, sounds...and prospects of another Iowa bow season.

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