Midwest hunt guys, your thoughts??

[Unicoidawg]

After 5yrs me and my best friend got our zone 6 Iowa tags. We drew with 4points, last time it took 3. We have a friend that lives up there and we will be hunting with him on properties he has lined up for us. We go somewhere in the Midwest (usually Missouri) every year and we try to target our dates somewhere 4 or 5 days either side of Nov 7. This year the plan was/is going to be Nov 5-12ish. We have had both good and bad luck with these dates over the years. It's been 15 and snowing one year and dang near 80 and sweating the next. Unfortunately, there looks to be a conflict on the horizon with the Nov 5-12 week. We are now looking at possibly switching dates to Nov 12-19ish. Not set in stone, but a high chance of changing...... My question to you guys that travel and hunt every year is this. What are your thoughts on those two sets of dates? Then if you could only choose one week to bow hunt the Midwest, what would you choose? We really like Nov 7ish timeline, and it is obviously our first choice, but....... We will be going either way just gotta figure out exactly when. What do you guys think? When do you like to be in a tree up there?

 

[flatwoods]

Based on my experience the last few years,you might be better off.
I have seen more movement the end of October and first couple days of November. Then lockdown coupled with extreme heat.
Then movement after the 13th.

 

[flatsmaster]

It’s Iowa so it doesn’t matter … best of luck
We are sitting on 5 points
We’ll be on mine in Illinois 2 thru 12 with 4th thru 9th my favorite’s

 

[Jim Boyd]

Great dilemma to have!

Either dates are fine, I would judge.

Historically, I have gone 2-3 November through about 12-13 November.

This year I am going 28 October to about 10 November.

The weather is a crap shoot, no way to know or predict that.

I’m sitting on 5-6 Iowa points and plan to hunt 2025.


Best of luck!

 

[Jim Thompson]

If I was forced to choose between those dates I would probably choose the 5-12. However I would have zero issues with the 2nd choice.

 

[mizzippi jb]

My Favorite time to go to Iowa is around Oct 28 or 29. They are cruising hard at that time. I have had much better success before Nov 7 where I hunt up there. Zone 9. I can guarantee you 5he big bucks will be on their feet searching when the morning temps are 32 or below between the 28th and the 8th of Nov.

 

[flatsmaster]

I’m with JB on if I could add more days for my particular farms it would be last part of Oct … some guys I no that live there have arrowed there biggest bucks late Oct tending scrapes

 

[Deer Farmer]

I have gone out for the youth hunt in Missouri last three years end of October. I also have gone out for the Gun Hunt middle of November. My experience is that our Cameras or showing our best Bucks the 7th & 8 of November.

 

[Unicoidawg]

Thanks for the responses guys. Those 2 weeks are the only options, October is out (don't have off work) I would prefer the 5-12 option, but plans have changed and it is most likely not gonna be a option. Just wanted to see what ya'lls thoughts were.

 

[Duff]

Hunted Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and Kansas but never Iowa. Usually 5th-12th timeframe, or thereabouts. Can’t ever remember thinking, “I wish I would have been earlier”. Usually was thinking, “I wish I could stay another week”. Y’all should be fine either way. Good luck!

 

[leesmith]

I am hunting Ga only for the first time in several years and am actually looking forward to it. However next year back to Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri

 

[Big7]

I'd love to go and have a place in Montana and Wyoming from guys on here where I can go any time the seasons are open. Good on them for the standing invitations.

And.... I'm not above hiring an outfitter and dropping the coin to hunt Elk or Moose out west or in Alaska, possibly Grizz if legal and I have somewhere to donate the Bear meat.

Not really interested in Pronghorn or Mule Deer unless it was DYI- I ain't paying a guide for that. Plenty of big Whitetail available here and elsewhere instead of that.

Anyhoooo... The sticking point(s) that seem to come up over the years are points and tags. It's labor intensive and aggravating to the point I don't pursuit it mush past a week or two.

Be nice if you could just buy a temporary, albeit expensive, out of state license and tags like most states do for hunting and all, at least that I know about, do for saltwater or freshwater fishing.

It's not the money. It's the aggravation.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Where I grew up in the midwest, Halloween was the day to hunt around during archery season.

 

[HavocLover]

One thing is for sure… Idk about anyone else but NO MATTER WHAT, I ALWAYS get the feeling I’m either a few days late, or a few days earlier. There’s only been 1-2 days during my Midwest stints where I feel like it’s rocking and rolling, but for the overall trip, I always feel like I’ve missed the mark early or late.

I normally always go Halloween-first week of Nov. The thing about that, that early, it’s SOLELY dependent on weather. Few times I’ve been in that time frame the LOWS were in the 70s and frankly I would’ve been better off at my GA timber co lease. The hunting stunk.

This year I’m going to switch it up and probably go the 3rd week in Nov. I know that might miss the mark for a ton of rut activity, but my theory behind it is no matter what the weather should be in better favor for good deer movement.

 

[johnpoulan83]

After 5yrs me and my best friend got our zone 6 Iowa tags. We drew with 4points, last time it took 3. We have a friend that lives up there and we will be hunting with him on properties he has lined up for us. We go somewhere in the Midwest (usually Missouri) every year and we try to target our dates somewhere 4 or 5 days either side of Nov 7. This year the plan was/is going to be Nov 5-12ish. We have had both good and bad luck with these dates over the years. It's been 15 and snowing one year and dang near 80 and sweating the next. Unfortunately, there looks to be a conflict on the horizon with the Nov 5-12 week. We are now looking at possibly switching dates to Nov 12-19ish. Not set in stone, but a high chance of changing...... My question to you guys that travel and hunt every year is this. What are your thoughts on those two sets of dates? Then if you could only choose one week to bow hunt the Midwest, what would you choose? We really like Nov 7ish timeline, and it is obviously our first choice, but....... We will be going either way just gotta figure out exactly when. What do you guys think? When do you like to be in a tree up there?

I asked my outfitter I go with every year out in Kansas this question when I was up there during muzzleloader this year and he said if he had to pick a day to be in the woods it would be November 14th, so around that time I’m sure is great

 

[Unicoidawg]

Thanks for the responses guys. Those 2 weeks are the only options, October is out (don't have off work) I would prefer the 5-12 option, but plans have changed and it is most likely not gonna be a option. Just wanted to see what ya'lls thoughts were.

Well we have bit the bullet and going to go with the original dates of Nov 6-12. Gonna leave the 4th or 5th and drive up. Now just gotta hope for decent weather this year.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Well we have bit the bullet and going to go with the original dates of Nov 6-12. Gonna leave the 4th or 5th and drive up. Now just gotta hope for decent weather this year.

As you know if the deer and the weather cooperate it can be sumn serious. If the deer cooperate but the weather doesnt it can still be great, just a little uncomfy. If the deer nor the weather cooperate it can be tough.

No matter what happens make the best of it and have a blast!

 

[Kris87]

As a diehard bowhunter, gimme the 10 days prior or the 10 days after the PEAK of the rut. I like them when they're just cruising and looking, not when they're locked down or full on chasing. I don't have nearly the luck calling them when its full blown rut.

 

[Gaswamp]

U chose well..congrats

 

[KKrueger]

This post aged very well. Congrats from me too.