My 2022 Iowa season.

Early muzzy season.

Opening morning dad and Devon went to a farm a couple miles from the house. Devon had no action and dad saw a doe with a couple fawns that we have seen a few times bow hunting. We have decided to let her walk atleast until she kicks the fawns off.
 
On a farm just down the road Connor sat in a stand on the south west corner of a mowed crp field. I decided to sit on the north west corner of that field in my turkey lounger viewing a trail entering the field that Connor cannot see. Approximately an hour in I hear Connor shoot and here comes his spiker falling 40 yards in front of me. I decide to help him get his deer home and hung up in the garage.

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Connor is moving to Colorado next month so he was excited to have a kill on his last Iowa early muzzy hunt.
 
There are a few other guys that hunt that piece and they planned a goose hunt in that field for the afternoon so I decided to go to the other property with dad and Devon. Me and dad hunted the west side while Devon hunted the east side across a slough. About an hour in I hear Devon shoot and get a call from him about 15 minutes later. I tell him if he doesn't need help I wanted to finish my evening sit. He tells me that she took a leap into the old basement and wants help. Seriously you can't make this stuff up. Getting out of my stand I spook the doe with fawns. Dad didn't see anything that evening.

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The following morning is when dad decides to sleep in. I decided to sit in the stand that Connor sat the first morning. That stand always seems to be decent in the morning. A half hour after shooting light I can hear something moving around behind me. They usually will come out on my right behind another tree and be in the open at about 15 yards. And true to the script out steps a spiker. The thought crosses my mind to shoot but it's only the second day so for a meat deer I'm only going to shoot a doe or a buck that's a bit bigger. He had me pinned in about ten seconds anyway.

About a half hour or so later I see movement in the opposite corner of the field. Looking through my binos I think I see two spikers and a doe at about 250 yards. They work their way across the north side of the field out of sight where I was sitting opening morning. A short time later they work out towards the middle of the field. Through the binos I see the doe and one spiker at 90 yards. Ok I'm going to put this doe down.

I bring up the muzzy and through my scope I pick out what I thought was a doe and wait for a broadside shot. Finally the deer turns and I let the smoke fly. At the shot the deer kicks and runs west onto the neighbors property. I run home and grab Devon to help drag her out. When we walked up on the deer neither one of us noticed the spikes but when I lifted its hind leg to gut it I see a big surprise. Yeah it's not a doe so we look at the head and I ll be Damm there's spikes.

My tag is either sex so I'm legal and we proceed to get the deer back home.
 
That was Sunday morning and since I had Monday off work the wife and I decide to go spend the night at our place in Wisconsin. That night I get a txt from mom that dad fell in the woods again. This is getting to be common for him. He's fine walking anywhere else but in the woods or tall grass and weeds such as in hunting areas he has trouble. The next morning I talk with mom on the phone and they are heading to the hospital so me and the wife head home right away. Dad had surgery Monday afternoon to put a plate and pins in his ankle.

I have an archery doe tag for Butler county and a statewide either sex tag. Hopefully I can shoot something to help dad get venison in his freezer for the year.
 
After sitting for a while I'm down to about an hour left of shooting light. I see some movement about 100 yards through some brush. I see a deer slowly working its way towards me so I look through the binos and confirm a doe. I have a doe tag and either sex tag so she can keep coming if she wants to. She's quartering hard to me when she gets in range so I draw when she is behind a tree. If she stays that track I will have a shot at about 15 yards. Well that wasn't her plan. As soon as she cleared the tree she turned directly straight on and stops. I'm at full draw and waiting when she decides to look up at me and now we are having a stare down. After what seems like forever she spins around and trots off.

Shortly after that I hear a stick break behind me and as I turn to look there's another doe at about 60 yards. She turns away and heads over through a slough directly towards another stand that we have. That's ok I'm still having fun. Probably only five minutes later another doe works her way from my right to my left at about 80 yards out. Off and away she went away from me. Turned out to be a fun hunt but didn't see any bucks following does. Going to give it another try this afternoon.
 
duckhunt said:
After sitting for a while I'm down to about an hour left of shooting light. I see some movement about 100 yards through some brush. I see a deer slowly working its way towards me so I look through the binos and confirm a doe. I have a doe tag and either sex tag so she can keep coming if she wants to. She's quartering hard to me when she gets in range so I draw when she is behind a tree. If she stays that track I will have a shot at about 15 yards. Well that wasn't her plan. As soon as she cleared the tree she turned directly straight on and stops. I'm at full draw and waiting when she decides to look up at me and now we are having a stare down. After what seems like forever she spins around and trots off.

Shortly after that I hear a stick break behind me and as I turn to look there's another doe at about 60 yards. She turns away and heads over through a slough directly towards another stand that we have. That's ok I'm still having fun. Probably only five minutes later another doe works her way from my right to my left at about 80 yards out. Off and away she went away from me. Turned out to be a fun hunt but didn't see any bucks following does. Going to give it another try this afternoon.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good spot to be when a buck is chasing them does!
 
I made it to the big river over the weekend. Friday evening I did a little bank fishing at Blackhawk Park with one short walleye landed. Saturday morning I took the boat to the same area with no results. Freezing drizzle and wind forced me off the river pretty quick.
 
Made it to the deer stand Sunday evening for a sit. Spooked 2 deer on my in. After about a half hour I got a deer heading in at about 70 yards. For some reason it spooked but I don't think it was because of me. There is alot of coyotes in the area. Last half hour of light a buck moved from my right to left at about 50 yards. He was definitely on a mission so there was no getting a shot at him.

Went out in the wind last night. Didn't see a dang thing. Snow flurries today so I think I'll grab some doe scent after work and get back at it. I always seem to see alot of activity when it snows in November. Hopefully I will have a good evening hunt.
 
Tuesday evening was pretty slow. I wanted to sit a stand on the east side of this property but driving over there I see 2 deer feeding in the field I need to walk through to get to the timber. Plan B is to hunt the west side where I usually go. After an uneventful sit I decide to get out of the stand with about 20 minutes of light left so I can check out a field edge on my way back to the truck. At the edge I see 2 deer feeding at about 100 yards working my way. After just a couple minutes they decide to take a sharp left into the set aside field out of sight. That sums up tuesday evenings hunt.
 
Thursday evening I went back to the west side due to wind direction. I have 2 stands stands in a certian location i like to sit. The stand I chose should have been perfect for the direction the deer usually work. That didn`t work as planned. Had 2 small does work from my right 100 yards in front of me then circle back and worked around behind me. If they go like I think they will they should angle in front of me with a quarter away shot. They had different ideas and went back through the CRP. Then a bigger doe worked out and walked broadside right in front of the other stand I usually sit. Thats just my luck.

I`m pretty sure the smaller 2 are going to the field where I know they feed sometimes. Again I get out of the stand early and go check it out. It`s cold and blowing snow so I take my release off and quiver my arrow. I put on my winter gloves and start making my way. To exit the slough and enter the field there`s a little rise so I figure I have time to get ready. When I get to the rise there`s one small doe about 50 yards out. I drop down and get my release and arrow ready but the dang deer works farther out into the field out of range. She meets up with the other small doe so I wait until its real dark before entering the field to get back to the truck. I will not be able to get back out until sunday so the deer get a break from the pressure for a couple days.
 
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I believe tonight was my last sit in the stand. I'm starting to see the transition to post rut activities. I did have one doe at 80 yards tonight. Left the stand early to check the field and there were about a dozen deer feeding at about 60 yards out.

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Just down the road in 3 different fields I seen big groups feeding. I have house chores to catch up on and then a little work to do at my trailer over the next 5 days. Saturday and Sunday I'm hoping to do some pheasant hunting. Next week going to try to deer hunt that field edge.
 
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