# Iowa Public Land Archery Hunting



## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

I will be hunting in Iowa for the 2012 archery season and probably a DIY public land hunt. Has anyone had any experience or know what might be best between Red Rock, Rathbun Lake, or Stephens Forest public land? Any info. would be great!


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## Brian811 (May 7, 2007)

I just moved out here in June and hunted Stephens. Filled my buck tag on the third day I hunted. Wasn't a giant but A great deer for public land anywhere.


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## shrades (Jul 5, 2010)

Not to familiar with that area, but we have some good deer hunting up here between Iowa city and Cedar Rapids around the Coralville Res.


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## tzoulek (Feb 3, 2008)

All three of those areas you mention have great potential. From what I have seen the red rock area gets more pressure due to the proximity to Des Moines. There are some Monsters in the Stephens if you put in the effort. Have never deer hunted around rathbun but from what I have seen from arial photos there should be some good stuff there as well.


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## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks everyone. It would make sense that there would be a little more pressure around Red Rock...........Anyone with knowledge on the Sedan Bottoms area?


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## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

ttt


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## P&y only (Feb 26, 2009)

If you're coming here to hunt public ground, I'd get away from the bigger cities.


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## Liv4Rut (Mar 24, 2006)

Stephens forest and Lake Rathbun are your best bet out of those 3. Sedan bottoms isn't bad. Seen a few 150-160s in there. I haven't hunted it in 5 years but come October 31st the pheasant hunters are out every year making kind of chaotic because it is a lot of small draws etc and big grass. I would stick to the big timbers.


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## Olgord (Jul 28, 2005)

I believe the majority, if not all, the ground surrounding Lake Rathbun is Army Corps/Federal property, which is open to hunting. The trouble is, that there are a limited number of dry access points. The property that is public hunting abuts privately owned ground. Getting permission to cross into public hunting might be an issue. You could either, 1) put in a bunch of miles on foot or 2) haul/rent a boat and gain access via the lake. The latter would be my choice. 

Red rock has significant pressure as others have mentioned, due to it's proximity to Des Moines, But good deer are taken there routinely. 

Stephens State Forest is a great area. If you want to put in the time and miles that most are not, you will be pleasantly surprised at what kind of deer are in there.

All three look like they are in Zone 5 so you certainly have options.

If your interested in hunting Rathbun, shoot me a pm with your phone number. I'd be happy to talk to ya about it. I have hunted parts of the North side pretty extensively and have a friend there that knows it like the back of his hand. 

OlGord


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## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

All this info. is great. The more the better!


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## Target Tony (Mar 3, 2003)

Don't count out the Loess Hills area in western Iowa. Preparation Canyon state hunting ground out there is legendary and thick and steep. Its in Monona and Harrison counties.

Does a non resident tag allow you to bow hunt the whole state or keep you in specific zone?

I know of a couple of small pubic areas that do not get hit a lot in Madison and Union county. Pm me and i can give you some details.

Tapatalk Android


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## bwlacy (Mar 28, 2009)

Non resident archery tags are zone specific. So you have to hunt in the zone you draw for and not statewide.


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## Target Tony (Mar 3, 2003)

bwlacy said:


> Non resident archery tags are zone specific. So you have to hunt in the zone you draw for and not statewide.


thats blows.. if your spending that much cash, you should damn well be allowed to hunt where you want during bow season.


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## newview (Sep 28, 2010)

Target Tony said:


> thats blows.. if your spending that much cash, you should damn well be allowed to hunt where you want during bow season.


So you believe there is no reason to put quotas on counties? I'm glad we have somebody responsible trying to manage the deer herd! Maybe Iowa should get rid of zones for turkey hunting also!


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## Xseven (Aug 2, 2005)

Target Tony said:


> thats blows.. if your spending that much cash, you should damn well be allowed to hunt where you want during bow season.


I couldn't agree more! The cost is rediculous to start.



newview said:


> So you believe there is no reason to put quotas on counties? I'm glad we have somebody responsible trying to manage the deer herd! Maybe Iowa should get rid of zones for turkey hunting also!


Let's say there is an upsurge in the number of resident hunters in all the zones. Where is the management now? Do you limit residents?


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## SureShot150 (May 5, 2009)

It's a good rule, and it will give the non-resident a much more quality hunt when they arrive. It's not hard to see from looking at hunting videos, where a lot of the big name celebrities are, and if we allowed NR's to hunt anywhere, then many areas would become overrun. We have a good system, which is why so many people want to come here. The cost? Well, you get what you pay for. If you don't like it, go to Illinois. Supply and Demand; the lower amount of tags, the higher the cost.


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## scrapejuice (Dec 1, 2003)

mintonmj said:


> All this info. is great. The more the better!


I too am IA bound in 2012, public land DIY hunt. ZONE 5 I am looking at the Stephens Forest as well. I plan on staying in Moravia, and am going by myself. Probably hunting around Unionville.

ARe you going by yourself???


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## SureShot150 (May 5, 2009)

You guys who are hunting in Zone 5 are in a great area. I've grown up and hunted all the areas mentioned above before. The Lake Red Rock area is huge, as Marion County has the most public ground in the state. As others have mentioned though, it will get a bit more pressure though. As far as asking to hunt private property, Marion county will be easier as it's not as well 'managed' or 'bought up' for hunting, and many farmers are still allowing people to hunt without paying. The farther south you go in the state, the less common this is (except NE Iowa). 

Stephens state is a great area, spreading across many southern Iowa counties. As far as hunting goes, get yourself way off the roads and in as secluded area as possible. I pulled a 184incher out of Stephens state a few years back, and this year my buddy shot a 190s during shotgun season. It's a big, hilly area, and because of this, make sure you are in the best shape of your life when you show up. Also, buy a lone wolf or muddy treestand, something that is easy to carry in and hunt. 

If you guys have any other questions, then send me a PM. 

-Chris


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## bwlacy (Mar 28, 2009)

Target Tony said:


> thats blows.. if your spending that much cash, you should damn well be allowed to hunt where you want during bow season.


Yes and no. I know what it's going to cost and the zone rules before I apply. Yet I keep doing it. It would be nice to be able to hunt all over the state. But like others have stated, some zones would get over run with non residents and the quality would go down. 

I do enjoy hunting out there and have done so twice. Not sure if I'll continue to buy points in the future, but I had a great time and knew the costs going into it.


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## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

Keep it going guys. It's all great info............I do agree with the point system for nonresidents in Iowa, even I wish I was a resident. I know the tag prices are high, but the point system keeps the hunting pressure in check which is a great system for keeping the hunting what it is.


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## Zim (Jun 28, 2010)

I hunted a lot of the places mentioned here back in the 90's and learned some lessons. Now I have 4 points and am looking at returning in 2012. Will be scouting some new spots in February or March. Might check out zone 6 also.


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## Daniel Boone (May 31, 2002)

What amazes me is my buddys now have three places to hunt just by getting to know and asking for permission to bowhunt only there.

One guy told him he hopes they shoot every deer in sight.

He actually plans to retire there and purchase a farm just for hunting.
DB


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## Liv4Rut (Mar 24, 2006)

Zone 2 is actually a really overlooked area. I know guys drawing there back to back years with bow and at least every other if not back to back. North of hwy 30 along the des moines river there is plenty of big bucks to be had.


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## seiowabow (Dec 19, 2010)

Xseven said:


> I couldn't agree more! The cost is rediculous to start.
> 
> Let's say there is an upsurge in the number of resident hunters in all the zones. Where is the management now? Do you limit residents?


Yeah its pretty expensive, you should just stay home. And yes, the IDNR limits resident tags by county.


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## buckhead (Apr 7, 2006)

Check out the Lake BelvaDeer area close to Sigourney. It has 1300 acres to hunt. I have checked out aerial photos and if it wasn't 2 hours away, i would have given it a try myself. Not alot of bigger towns in the vacinity.


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## ChappyHOYT (Feb 26, 2009)

SureShot150 said:


> It's a good rule, and it will give the non-resident a much more quality hunt when they arrive. It's not hard to see from looking at hunting videos, where a lot of the big name celebrities are, and if we allowed NR's to hunt anywhere, then many areas would become overrun. We have a good system, which is why so many people want to come here. The cost? Well, you get what you pay for. If you don't like it, go to Illinois. Supply and Demand; the lower amount of tags, the higher the cost.


Xactly!!!


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## Zim (Jun 28, 2010)

SureShot150 said:


> It's a good rule, and it will give the non-resident a much more quality hunt when they arrive. It's not hard to see from looking at hunting videos, where a lot of the big name celebrities are, and if we allowed NR's to hunt anywhere, then many areas would become overrun. We have a good system, which is why so many people want to come here. The cost? Well, you get what you pay for. If you don't like it, go to Illinois. Supply and Demand; the lower amount of tags, the higher the cost.


Actually the cost of Illinois and Iowa deer tags is about the same. Iowa just leapfrogged IL due to the $50 app fee. The big difference is the quality of the public land. In the last 5 years Illinois public has just kept getting more crowded, to the point where I no longer consider it a quality experience. It's become a joke. Plates from Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia & Michigan outnumber Illinois plates. 

Sucks when a guy like me from a good deer mgmt state has to forego 2 buck tags for $26 each and go to Iowa for $550 just because our DNR fails to limit NR on our state owned land I paid for with high taxes. But that is what it's come to. I have 4 Iowa points and will likely burn them in 2012 due to my disgust with IL public.


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## buckbowhunter1 (Sep 7, 2008)

Wow I thought Kansas was the only state that I saw more out of state plates then in state.


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## Zim (Jun 28, 2010)

buckbowhunter1 said:


> Wow I thought Kansas was the only state that I saw more out of state plates then in state.


It's literally become such a joke we took bets this year what would be the first plate we'd see in our favorite lot. I won with my prediction of Tennessee. That guy ended up cutting down 10+ trees 4"+ in diameter in one of my preferred woodlots, for shooting lanes. He cut them 24" off ground level and left the trees attached to the "stumps" there. One fell over the private land fence and he left it there. The path beat down to that tree looked like I-80. Unreal, you'd think a guy driving that far and paying $500 would know better.

I hunted Kansas some in the 90's and ya saw lots of NR's there too at Tuttle Creek but not as bad as Illinois. Most of the bowhunters came from Texas. The pheasant hunters came from everywhere and then some. But that was back when there was a legitimate NR archery limit. You'd think some would opt for there when they made it basically OTC, but no, #'s increased here anyway.


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## buckbowhunter1 (Sep 7, 2008)

Sounds very familiar we had bets on when they would show up. My buddy won with Oct. 23 saw the first out of state plates and they were from Texas. There were literally guys hunting on top of each other on the public land around here. At on time there were 6 different states non of which were from Kansas hunting a 400 acre piece at Melvern lake. It's almost comical do drive around in Nov. and see how many guys are hunting within 100 to 200 yds. of each other. But I guess when you have never killed anything over 100 inches it's worth it to them just not me.


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## Freelance Bowhunter (Sep 7, 2010)

Anyone who is hunting Iowa for the first time should spend some time on the Bowhuntingroad website. There is a lot of good info there, like this:
http://barringer.bowhuntingroad.com/category/hunting-information/iowa/

Plus you can learn a lot from the bloggers who contribute, ask questions, etc. Subscriptions are free.


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## SIL_Archer (Dec 3, 2009)

Zim you hit the nail directly on the head. IL needs to limit the #of NR permits. Make a lottery system like IA or KS. I would also like to see IL go to a 1 buck limit like KY and OH. And this anterless-only season is a bunch of crap too...another money making scam. IL is all about the money and nothing about the management. It is truly sad. They manage a limited resource as if it is an unlimited resource. I used to hunt Shawnee...until it got absolutely overrun with all the NR's. I have NOTHING against NR hunters but there needs to be a limit to make a quality experience for everyone. Seems I see fewer and fewer deer here in IL every year...on private and public land. Anyway, I'm planning hunts next year to KY (my home state) to hunt with my uncle on his farm and OH to hunt with a great friend of mine who recently moved there. Also am buying pref points for IA...got a few years yet...why I am on this thread.


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## dorkbuck33 (Sep 12, 2011)

i am bookmarking your post in hopes to get back to you . I hunted the area and have maps and the wardens phone # etc. - i just can't find the stuff @ the moment. :angry:


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## Zim (Jun 28, 2010)

SIL_Archer said:


> Zim you hit the nail directly on the head. IL needs to limit the #of NR permits. Make a lottery system like IA or KS. I would also like to see IL go to a 1 buck limit like KY and OH. And this anterless-only season is a bunch of crap too...another money making scam. IL is all about the money and nothing about the management. It is truly sad. They manage a limited resource as if it is an unlimited resource. I used to hunt Shawnee...until it got absolutely overrun with all the NR's. I have NOTHING against NR hunters but there needs to be a limit to make a quality experience for everyone. Seems I see fewer and fewer deer here in IL every year...on private and public land. Anyway, I'm planning hunts next year to KY (my home state) to hunt with my uncle on his farm and OH to hunt with a great friend of mine who recently moved there. Also am buying pref points for IA...got a few years yet...why I am on this thread.


Well not likely to happen considering the money interests. However, my focus is on banning or limiting nonresidents from the state owned land. Might be realistic to accomplish. Getting a petition together now to send to Springfield. If they did this, the objection from the special interests..........landowners and outfitters, should be minimal. All they care about is their big money clients and this would not affect them.


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## Goatboy (Jan 15, 2004)

I hunted the Stephens forest area in 2010, nice area but more weekday hunting pressure than I thought there would be. Went in one morning walking from the trailshead parking area in hte dark and returned midday to find 5 vehicles parked around me all Iowa plates.
Had lunch and met a few nice folks, when asked if I'd seen anything I told them I'd passed on a 145-150 5x5 they told me I was nuts and that they all would have shot it. Not what I wanted to here.
Its a lot poorer economy it seems then the rest of Iowa , friendly folks just not much money to be made by the looks of the run down little towns and farms. One thing I've noticed on my last three hunts to Iowa is the amount of more and more resident archery hunters each year. Still love going there thou!:wink:


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## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

Anyone know what some of the better units of Stephens Forest are?


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## dac (Jun 27, 2003)

Daniel Boone said:


> What amazes me is my buddys now have three places to hunt just by getting to know and asking for permission to bowhunt only there.
> 
> One guy told him he hopes they shoot every deer in sight.
> 
> ...


He better bring lots of cash land prices went up 33% just since last year.


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## mintonmj (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks everyone for all the info. Still planning on coming to Iowa in 2012 and will prob. make a trip out there soon this winter to check things out. If anyone has anymore starting points for me when I come out there soon it would help save a little time. Thanks.


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## bwoods (Jan 9, 2012)

mintonmj said:


> I will be hunting in Iowa for the 2012 archery season and probably a DIY public land hunt. Has anyone had any experience or know what might be best between Red Rock, Rathbun Lake, or Stephens Forest public land? Any info. would be great!



Not to take anything away from public land in Iowa, but try to get on some private land. I have owned three different farms in Iowa, the one I own now, I plan on keeping. In each case I have talked to neighbors or landowners nearby and without much problem at all received permission to hunt on those properties as well. One of the landowners had 3000 acres, in which about 2500 was tillable, but still that is a lot of ground to hunt.

Archery is easier to gain permission than shotgun. Try some public land shed hunting this spring and then go talk to ten farmers near the public ground, I will bet you will get a "yes" from 2 or 3 of the 10!

Good luck!


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## newview (Sep 28, 2010)

bwoods said:


> Not to take anything away from public land in Iowa, but try to get on some private land. Try some public land shed hunting this spring and then go talk to ten farmers near the public ground, I will bet you will get a "yes" from 2 or 3 of the 10!
> 
> Good luck!


That certainly will depend on what county you are trying to hunt. I know several counties with good deer population where the bowhunting competition is every bit as much as gun hunting. In those counties you have a better chance of hitting the lottery.


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## iamscubasteve (Nov 29, 2011)

The majority thinks the south is the best, which has caused more pressure..... look into the public hunting areas in the Iowa river valley in the north/ ne. Good stuff.


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## bwoods (Jan 9, 2012)

newview said:


> That certainly will depend on what county you are trying to hunt. I know several counties with good deer population where the bowhunting competition is every bit as much as gun hunting. In those counties you have a better chance of hitting the lottery.


Of course it all depends if you are friendly and ask nice, rather than coming across as an asx and expecting them to say "yes".


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## Stanley (Jan 18, 2005)

I wouldn't hunt any of the reservoirs with out a boat.


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## SureShot150 (May 5, 2009)

See you in March


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## PassYoungBucks (Jan 17, 2009)

SureShot150 said:


> See you in March


See ya then...


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## Olgord (Jul 28, 2005)

I sent you a pm. Let me know what time of day works best for a phone call.

OlGord


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## SureShot150 (May 5, 2009)

PassYoungBucks said:


> See ya then...


Holding you too it!


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## PassYoungBucks (Jan 17, 2009)

SureShot150 said:


> Holding you too it!


Hahaha, we'll see.


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## Lenny17 (Mar 26, 2012)

Guys, There are only 6000 nonresident deer tags for the entire state of Iowa, That number is split up between Archery and the separate gun seasons. As a resident land owner you can shoot 3 bucks. There is no way non resident can do any damage to the deer herd.


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## Boilers (Sep 10, 2013)

You know this thread is over 2 years old right? LOL


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## mhill (Jul 11, 2011)

Boilers said:


> You know this thread is over 2 years old right? LOL


lol x2


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## Lenny17 (Mar 26, 2012)

Boilers said:


> You know this thread is over 2 years old right? LOL



Wow, I feel dumb. I assumed it was this february


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## Bentbolt (Sep 18, 2014)

I have had good luck hunting public land west of pella 10 miles. There is ton of land surrounding red rock that is public but not posted also


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