Last Chance Forecast

Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally a great weekend for hunting in Iowa, and the weather will cooperate! It is also the perfect time to pause and give thanks for all the gifts we have been given.

I am most thankful for my family and the opportunity to hunt such a great place like Iowa. I am also very thankful for the time hunting has given me to grow closer to our loved ones.

Spending time afield with my girlfriend Heather has been the highlight for me this season. And after two years with a stick and string in hand, I was delighted to be there as she flung a few arrows at some big Iowa Whitetail. I'm also grateful to have gone hunting with good friends and a couple of great new bow hunters.

Between this season's wild weather and the fast pace of life -shooting a nice buck hasn't been in the cards for me and a lot of Iowa sportsmen. In a few short days, Iowans will trade in the bow for some blaze orange and hunters will take after the herd with shotguns. The traditional gun season often significantly alters deer patterns which means the time is now to go afield, bow in hand, and seek out success afield. That shot at an archery buck will soon be out of range.

The good news is, we have an active forecast and weather conditions will give archers an edge on the eve of shotgun season. Fluctuations in the barometer combined with mild temps and then a big storm moving in next week will make hunting conditions fair to good most of the time. I think the best days for hunting will be Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

So don't give up just yet! This storm moving in will at least give us a fighting chance for our last chance buck. True there is a late split for Iowa archers beginning December 23rd, but at that point in the season deer are spooky, the weather's challenging at best. Often a bow hunter's percentage for success and willful hunting spirit drops right alongside that thermometer.