loogout1

Just wondering if it really does just rain monster bucks in these areas. Now, I know these guys have access to the best spots in their respective areas, but every show I watch from any of these states is just like rediculous with the amount and size of deer they shoot and pass up. Where I live, if you see anything over 130", its few and far between and you're completely pumped.

Scott/IL

Most common Illinois hunters are not lucky enough to hunt the quality managed lands that are shown on T.V.

I hunt what is considered to be "prime" deer land. I have never harvested a P&Y deer and this is my 9th season with a bow. As a matter of fact no one has ever been lucky enough to geta P&Y buck with a bow on our farm. We see them but they are that big for a reason.

Shotgun hunting is a different story, they run for their lives and it becomes easyif you are lucky enough to be sitting where they run through. Also alot of it has to do with the management andhunters passing up smaller bucks.

So no it doesn't pour monsters all the time, but it sprinkles alot.

BuckRogers

Its a myth, every word of it....Im from Iowa BTW. The Albia buck....a hoax. jk. But what Illinois buck hunter said is pretty much the same here in Iowa too.

loogout1

I didn't think I was letting the cat out of the bag by asking about the monster quotient, thats why I asked. Never having hunted deer anywhere but where I live and seeing the walking coat racks that they constantly shoot and pass up drives me nuts. How is the hunting land situation? Here its all private land and you have to have permission to hunt anywhere. This means a lot of door knocking and a lot of groveling, very dis-heartening. When You get a spot around here, you do whatever you have to, to keep it. Is it the same in these other states?

JoeRE

IA has very little public land compared to other states. Most of IA also does not have many deer, just cropfields. Because of all the hype in the last 10 years, a lot of the better land is getting leased up, making it hardergain access tosomeone elses land based on a relationship formed and not the almighty $.It breaks my heart how deer hunting has changed in parts of IA in the last 10 years.Be thankful for what you have.

There are huge bucks around, but mostly in lower pressure or exclusive managementand hunting rights areas. Not where most laid back-fun to hunt with guys hunt.

Jeff K in IL

Your watching a bit too much television.

The pieces of land that you see people kill monsters off of, are highly regulated and are very strict in their managment policies. Not everyone in this state that owns or leases land likes to do it that way. I have a honey hole of a spot that consists of 15 acres about 400yds from my house. I have killed one P&Y deer from it, and another that may come very close. I also have a fenceline that I hunt that I have killed another P&Y off of. There are a lot of hunters in my area, and there are deer, but not the monsters that so many people give off. Sure there are deer that would qualify for B&C, I have seen one of them, but they are not running around everywhere. The deer have to be able to acheive such growth with age and proper nutrition as well as genetics that allow them to do so. Put in the time managing, and you will reap the benefits down the road.

I have two friends that own farms, one owns close to 400acres over towards Indiana, another owns land down by Peoria, each of the farms have their fair share of good bucks, some bigger than 150". But they both concentrate on giving the deer the opportunity to grow to that. My buddie started their management system about 7 years back, this year and last year, they started to see the affects. Bigger bucks, and more of them.

What you see on TV or in a magazine is a little far fetched, what they don't tell you, is the work of finding the deer that big. I work my butt off in the off season to make sure I have a sound spot and gameplan. I have a trail cam, but I do most of my scouting from the tree, or on the ground. I work for my P&Y deer, because they don't come to me.

loogout1

I guess when big business and $$$ get involved than anything is possible. When your sponsors hand you all the material you need in exchange for advertising and all you have to do is manage your deer herd, use all year to prepare,and shoot the biggest ones on film, then you can make it look likethe woods areteaming withmonster bucks. I would be interested to see what would happen back here if allthe right things were done. We dont have the soy beans or the corn or anything like that, but if the right forage was planted and a strict mgmt plan followed who knows.

Chasebaker

I just started hunting with my Uncle LAst year..after I seen the bucks they shot last year..I got him into Quality Deer Management...but the others are still in it if it has a rack they are going to shoot it

I've seen about 5 or 6 P&Y bucks.
If the guys pass on the 120-130 range bucks we should have some nice ones!

loogout1

Thats the problem I have here. I let all the bucks go if they're not bigger than what I have on the wall already. But the guy hunting the properties next to mine are probably not doing the same.For all the deer I have passed over the past 3+ years I would have thought I would start to see more mature bucks, but I have not.

MeanV2

It's not quite like the picture they paint. I know for me it is not as good as it used to be because I have lost a lot of area to hunt because of Outfitters leasing ground. There is 12 outfitters in my county alone now. I did talk to a friend this week that came down from MI. to hunt Adams county and he said they saw very few Deer. Blue Tongue I guess

I let a 120 class deer walk tonight only to have him go another 150 yards and get shot with a Crossbow. Murphy's Law

Dan