Excellent End to Shotgun 2

We have had a real wild ride so far this fall and this week was no exception. Central Iowa started in the deep freezer last weekend with single digit lows to open up the second shotgun season. Wed. Dec. 14th Des Moines came close to record rainfall and record highs with 0.56" ( just .05" shy of tying the record) and a high of 56 (not quite the 60 they had in 1975). The only creatures who know just how crazy this weather has been better than outdoorsmen, are the game we pursue!

This is our season! Hunting season! My natural element.

Now the cold side of this storm system will swing on through and it will present Iowa with words hunters should welcome from forecasters; Canadian, Cold, High Pressure. Thursday the winds will be strong as this high roars into Iowa, but after it settles in we're looking at reasonably light winds and great temperatures. It will be the type of cold that is tolerable to the hunter, and great for game movement!

This time of year, the rut is winding down. Deer are switching to survival mode full time and the bucks can finally slow down for the buffet since they wont be distracted as much. Under light hunting pressure, deer will be hitting the food sources hard in the evenings, trying to pack on the pounds before the true chill of an Iowa winter settles in. If you're party hunting and doing drives, deer bedding areas aught to produce well for morning pushes. Plotting an ambush to take advantage of natural feeding activity sounds like a solid plan for the afternoon and evenings. I'll be focusing on areas with sanctuary from the orange army right next to row crop fields and other food sources.

Thursday will be a 3 of 5 star day of hunting with the best movement in the evening. Friday should be a 4 or 5 of 5 star day. High pressure will create a nice cold start, a few clouds will try and fill in giving the sky a look like it might storm and both feeding and travelling activity should be high. Another plus is the shotgun pressure will be relatively light. Saturday and Sunday both look like nearly perfect days to hunt with lows in the 20s, and highs in the 40s. Keep track of that 7 day right here on myabc5.com.
On another note, licenses for the 2012 hunting season and the special January Antlerless season go on sale Dec. 15th and more information can be found on my links to the right under Iowa DNR.

Good luck this weekend! We'll talk more about Late Season Muzzleloader after I fill my shotgun tags!