Time is Running Out!

The days are dwindling for hunters in Iowa to tag a deer or harvest pheasant and waterfowl. Late muzzle loader and pheasant season lasts until Monday, January 10th, but the special antlerless gun season will continue for select counties in southern Iowa until January 30th. So far Iowa hunters have tagged nearly 110,000 deer this 2010-11 season, which is down over 6% from last years numbers. Here's a link to the Iowa DNR article http://www.iowadnr.gov/news/10dec/harvest.html  Aggressive tactics can really work when you're out of time and in a pinch, but they will certainly disrupt deer activity and may only work once. Right now, wildlife are settling into patternable feed-to-survive behavior, and they have generally piled into low hunting pressure areas. Competition for food will eventually spread the herd out a bit, but generally the biggest dominant bucks are either nocturnal or in their sanctuary. Hunting just outside this on travel routes to food sources can be a big key to success if you cannot get permission to hunt their lair. It takes good scouting, persistence and dedication and with the relatively 'warm' temps and little snow cover, it will be tougher than most late-season situations. But there's no greater reward than taking a mature deer under these challenging circumstances.