Beautiful, Cold Weather for Shotgun 1

We've got the coldest air so far this season blanketing the state this week. Check out our 7-day forecast here, and you'll notice central Iowa will be in the 20s and 30s for the rest of the first shotgun season. This is nearly perfect weather for hunting Whitetails on what is considered to be one of the two most important hunting seasons for harvesting deer and managing Iowa's Whitetail herd.



Big deer love cold weather!

 According to the DNR "The Iowa DNR expects that nearly 90,000 hunters will be heading to the woods and fields during Saturday’s opening day for first shotgun season. Iowa’s shotgun deer seasons are the most popular among hunters and account for more than half of all deer harvested." Read more by clicking the Iowa DNR link to the right under "Chris' Weather and Outdoor Favorites."

From my field notes, below average temperatures often coincide with peaks of game movement. Surviving cold temperatures means spending time in food sources like corn fields or other grain fields. Hunting pressure and changing habitats often force deer into sanctuaries which then drives them to "commute" a bit more to the fields. This can create a favorable opportunity for an ambush, especially as deer become more patternable.



Rutting Activity is Increasing



I am really excited to report an increase in rutting behavior. The other day, I watched as a large 10pt buck chased after a medium sized doe. His nose was down and the chase was on. Scrapes are being refreshed and rubs are also showing up like the one pictured below. These are subtle signs that central Iowa is approaching the secondary peak of the rut. This stage is generally just a shadow of the exciting activity we usually see in the middle of November, but when combined with our cold weather, it really increases the odds of tagging a trophy with the gun.

In my next blog, I'll try and pin down the best days to hunt the secondary rut and I'll also have an extended weather outlook for the first week of Shotgun 2. Safety first and happy hunting!