How To Hunt Them All
By Kent Boucher
This is an Article Kent wrote for The Iowa Sportsman Magazine. Subscribe to the magazine to see more of Kent’s work in print.
I am a chronically late person. Church services, family gatherings, meeting up with hunting buddies, even this article is coming down to the wire on the due date. Besides the self loathing for my poor time management, I worry that others who may notice my frequent tardiness will assess that it is simply because I rolled out of bed at the last minute, or spent 23 hours of my day watching tv and the other hour avoiding responsibility while still in my pajamas. In reality the exact opposite is true. Wait, am I making an excuse for my irresponsible actions and attempting to sway the audience to take my side on this, and therefore transform them into some kind of sympathetic enablers? Yes, but only sort of. See, I actually am an early riser, I can’t tell you the last time my eyes were still closed at 7am, my weekend alarms almost always begin with a 0 and a 5 for the first two digits, and I rarely am in bed before 11pm. This is because I am always working on something. In fact nearly every hour of my non-sleeping existence is planned in this manner “yeah I’ve got time, let’s go ahead and work on that now too.” And because I can’t stop a task when I need to, or I decide to knock out a small project before heading out the door, I frequently end up on the wrong side of the clock. So what on earth does this have to do with hunting? Well, just as I approach my daily plans with goals that are far too lofty for what can actually be accomplished, I do the same as I stare down the very brief window of the fall hunting seasons- so many species to hunt, so little time to hunt them. But just like all of the things on a never ending to-do list, if a thoughtful plan is assembled the odds of completing the list are much higher.
September: Start Off On The Right Wing
Hunting in Iowa is generally summarized in two species: deer and pheasants. While these target species are the primary source of pride for our Iowa hunting traditions, they are far from the only game worth pursuing. While deer and pheasant hunters anxiously await the arrival of October, they can make use of September by finding a patch of public land sunflowers (consult the IA DNR website to learn where dove plots have been planted on public land in IA) to set up shop with some dove decoys and birdshot for some lightning fast action shooting the dusty colored winged jalapeño poppers. Once the dried out fields of sunflowers have parched the throats of the wingshooters, they can turn their attention to hunting shallow marshes in the flyways of migrating teal. Both birds will provide plenty of action, and early tastes of eating off the land.
Early October: Take It Easy
Although most seasoned Iowa bow hunters will pretend to not take notice of the opening day of deer season, behind their facade of patience is the hyperactive enthusiasm akin to that of a 13 year old who just snorted 3 Pixy Stix while his crush was looking on. This level of excitement is of course relatable, but also dangerous when it comes to not destroying better opportunities that will come later in the season. Anxious hunters should consider enjoying the opportunities provided by local public hunting areas, or conserve their efforts to only hunt the green food sources on the edges of their private property access and hope for an off guard buck, or better hunting in the days ahead. If the temptation is too heavy to withstand, overly eager hunters should seek out their friends who own a gun dog and invite themselves along for a weekend of hunting ducks, coots, geese and any other in-season waterfowl.
Late October: I Guess You Could Say Things Are Getting Pretty Serious
Late October is when Iowa hits her prime. The oppressive humidity from the summer’s “corn sweat” transpiration is long gone, sunrise is crisp, sunset cool, and the bucks spend more time on their feet. Savvy bow hunters will cinch in tighter to their stands located near busy travel routes as bucks start scoping out the dating scene. Wind direction and high movement days typically associated with significant temperature drops should be prioritized when making hunting plans at this point in the season. If a fall turkey tag hasn’t been purchased yet, time in the tree stand could get even more productive if hunters take on this unique means of multitasking.
November: Decisions, Decisions...
One of the toughest choices to make during the hunting season comes in November. Pheasants and quail are now legal quarry, but the deer rut is in full swing as the majority of does are now receptive to bucks. Unless given some opportunities to release pent up anticipation during grouse and gray partridge season, the offseason bird dog is about to boil over with cabin fever as pheasant and quail seasons finally arrive. Striking a reasonable balance for this time of year can be tough to accomplish, but hunters should consider this approach. The opening weekend of pheasant season will see a huge number of pheasant hunters marching around the landscape. Deer will already be on their feet more often, and the additional intrusion from this huge influx of pheasant hunters will have bucks moving even more. Bow hunters would be wise to rest their bird dogs this weekend and plant their mobile tree stands on popular travel corridors to capitalize on this additional buck movement. After peak rut has taken place and many of the bucks are locked down with does, now is the time to break out the bird dogs. Upland hunters who still have a buck tag in their pocket should focus their attack on grassy edges far from doe bedding areas from which bucks that are tending does could be driven to the other side of the property line.
December: The Arms Race
Upland birds, waterfowl, and deer firearm seasons now dominate the landscape meaning that firearms are the exclusive tool for tag and bag filling. Hunter participation will be very high during this time of the hunting season because of the action and tradition that naturally accompanies firearm seasons in Iowa. In all of the excitement in duck blinds, pushing lanes and following pointers through frozen CRP strips, one common thread must remain- gun safety is the top priority.
January-February: The Cherry On Top
There is something rewarding and sickly enjoyable about enduring the abuse of a freezing deer stand during a late muzzleloader deer season. Admittedly this is not every hunter’s preferred encounter with Old Man Winter. For those folks there are two options that allow for more body heat generation, and a new brand of protein for the table- squirrel and rabbit hunting. Since the forest canopy has fallen, the high altitude highways of gray and fox squirrels are exposed for easier exploitation by anyone in range with a .410 in hand. As the snow deepens and bird dogs transition back into couch dogs, it’s time to slap on the snowshoes and send the dogs out to sniff around every hedgerow and brush pile in your hunting grounds. Cottontail rabbits can seem to be unreachable as they lie hidden, but the greedy breath of a bird dog not yet ready to surrender his hunting season on the back of a sheltering rabbit will initiate the chase. A clear shot will provide a hot rabbit stew to take away the sting of winter’s bite and the perfect curtain call for a maximized hunting season.
Hunting all of the main game species this fall won’t be easy, if not impossible. But with a little planning, some multitasking, and a flexible schedule, there may be just enough time to come close.