iowa licenses

[bob koch]

did anyone know iowa nonresident bow deer licenses are going up to $544 '' holy [PoorWordUsage]''

[propster]

You mean "went" up. I think by the time I was done with my online app in '09 it came to $561. Surprisingly to me it didn't seem to cut down on the number of apps enough to get me drawn!

[Esox_Magnum]

As an Iowa resident thats crazy. I can buy an Elk tag for less than that. And elk taste better.

[vister]

yep, an 09 non res either sex archery tag was 660 bucks when all tallied together. its cheaper for a non res elk tag in wyoming and colorado, AND in CO its over the counter!! sorry iowa, but with the land im priviledged to hunt in MN, its definetly not worth it!! maybe id be whistling a different tune if i didnt have the buck of a lifetime hanging on the wall!!

[mabr]

It caused me for the first time to not apply last year I know that. But im going to this year I guess. A bad day down there is like a good day here, or at least that was my experience.

[mrklean]

thats nuts when you can get elk tags for cheaper then that its pretty sad

[mabr]

If i were coming from anywhere else but MN I would agree. But a 3.5 hour drive and a long season it will be worth it to me this year. but again I have relatives where I will incure no other expenses.

[propster]

I agree. We sleep in a tent or the truck, and hunt all day. Unless you've got a good chunk like vister, it's definitely worth it. All of Novemeber with no guns, and a poor day is better than most good days here.

[Rippinlip]

If you apply, how do you get the land to hunt on?

[reddog]

The whole state of Iowa is not whiteail heaven, only parts of it.

I live here and dont buy a license. I go to South Dakota.

$55 for a bow tag, $80 for two (doe only)

[delmuts]

"If you apply, how do you get the land to hunt on?"

If you don't know some people in Iowa, it is very hard to get on private land! BUT! There is an atlas that shows all the public hunting areas in the state that you would be able to hunt on.

I agree the price is outrageous for a nonresident license, but since there is always a waiting list of people wanting one they won't change thier ways!

[PEATMOSS]

Just imagine if you grew up on a farm in Iowa and had to move out of state after college for work. You'd get to pay almost $600 to hunt on your own family farm!

[hugonian1]

Are the archery licenses all via lottery?

[Rippinlip]

For that much money (almost the rest of my years hunting) I will stick around here in our great state of Minnesota.

We have big bucks too and as long as they get the highlights, let people go there and that way we can shoot our own big bucks and keep the price where it belongs for us residents.

How much is our non-resident license?

Just look at some of the bucks that came out of our state last year at Ft Ripley, private land pics and we all know about the Cannon Falls buck. Not that anyone is proud of how it was harvested.

Mark

[harvey lee]

I have thought many times that I would like to archery hunt Iowa. The only thing that keeps me from going is the fees Iwoa charges.

I can hunt bigger game in many states for less than the amount they charge for a deer.

The sad thing is some of these states have turned it into a money game for the rich.

I realize Iowa enjoys some of the best whitetail hunting in the U.S. While pheasant hunting there I have seen many huge deer. The only other place that I have archery hunted that may have a bigger populatiuon of trophy bucks is the Milk River area in Montana. There licenses are also less than Iowa.

[mabr]

Harvey, Have you been to the Milk area lately? I heard they got hit with Black Tounge a few years ago and was wondering how the herd is now. I remember when that area was the big rage on where to go, then it just kind of disappeared on the outdoor shows.

[harvey lee]

I was there I believe 6 years ago. Maybe 5.

[vister]

Iowa has quite a bit of public land. They sell a sportsmans atlas, that shows you all the public land, along with what species are available to hunt. Good luck trying to get permission from land owners. Half of them slam the door in your face unless they answer the door with cash in your hand! Iowa is a rich persons state to deer hunt. The reason their tags are so spendy is they only offer so many. I brought up the outrageous fees on an Iowa hunting forum, and was told the reason their tags are three times as spendy was because the hunting is three times better!! I replied if that's the case, nonres mn fishing licenses should be four grand, because fishing in mn is 100 times better...I was almost kicked off the forum!

[bottom-bouncer]

I will say this you have to pay to play! for those of you who have never experienced Iowa in november you have no Idea none and you should it is worth the price of admission. Is the price spendy sure it is can you go elk hunting cheaper No way have you filled your gas tank lately? for most of us living in minnesota its not even a tank of gas to gat anywere in Iowa. How many tanks of gas does it take to get to colorado? Also look at the amount of money we spend on equipment alone I know I can walk outside look in my garage and yard and I see alot of dollars. boat,fishhouse, 20 deerstands 100 fishing poles three mathews bows, vex, I could keep going but my point is really whats $660 small price to pay for something you enjoy. And as for minnesota having the bucks that Iowa has sorry to break your hearts but we can no longer hold a candle to iowa. And untill we as a state do something to change the mind set of minnesota hunters we will never even be close again. You can all say look at the pics of the deer shot around here this past season yep there are some nice deer shot every year but they are far and few between and you odds are probably better to win the lottery.

[bowhunterrj]

The price is steep but I beleive it's worth it.This will be my first yr sending in so I won't get drawn. My dads group has been sending in for about 10yrs yrs now. I think my dad has got drawn 6 times in the 10yrs and brought home 4 p+y deer in that time. In mn if you don't have great land your odds are nowhere near that. That is also about 1wk worth of hunting give or take. The biggest taken was a 180inch which is a monster. What does a guy spend here planting food plots, driving back and forth every night, paying taxes if you figure everything that's one expensive deer here in mn too.

[vister]

To spend that kinda money, obviously one is only trophy hunting, which is odd cause it seems like on all others threads, no one is willing to change regs to make mn more of a quality state. I've been fortunate to tag a 180" plus whitetail in central mn with my bow. So I have no reason to go out of state. Besides, in mn, nonresidents don't have to buy the license, the any sex tag, an additional mandatory doe tag, a mandatory small game license for over $100, and additional fees to boot. And with a typical 3 year wait for an archery tag??? I'll stick to central mn bucks. Being as how my funds are limited, and I can hunt dandy whitetail litterally in my back yard!!

I've spent a lot of time on Iowa forums. Seen what Iowans post in their trail cam threads. In all actuallity, it's really no different than what we post. Sure there is a few random bruisers. Like mentioned before, there are only a few honeyholes in Iowa, or select counties. No different than mn. Maybe counties like Dakota houston and Fillmore in southeastern mn can rival Iowa. But because I've watched our deer population change the past 5 years into a more trophy area, that's exactly where I plan on shooting my next trophy!

[bottom-bouncer]

To spend that kinda money, obviously one is only trophy hunting, which is odd cause it seems like on all others threads, no one is willing to change regs to make mn more of a quality state. I've been fortunate to tag a 180" plus whitetail in central mn with my bow. So I have no reason to go out of state. Besides, in mn, nonresidents don't have to buy the license, the any sex tag, an additional mandatory doe tag, a mandatory small game license for over $100, and additional fees to boot. And with a typical 3 year wait for an archery tag??? I'll stick to central mn bucks. Being as how my funds are limited, and I can hunt dandy whitetail litterally in my back yard!!

I've spent a lot of time on Iowa forums. Seen what Iowans post in their trail cam threads. In all actuallity, it's really no different than what we post. Sure there is a few random bruisers. Like mentioned before, there are only a few honeyholes in Iowa, or select counties. No different than mn. Maybe counties like Dakota houston and Fillmore in southeastern mn can rival Iowa. But because I've watched our deer population change the past 5 years into a more trophy area, that's exactly where I plan on shooting my next trophy!

I am guessing that you have not ever been hunting there. there is no comparison I to can hunt trophy,s out my front door. And I live in what many would cosider the best part of this state to hunt trophy deer (S.E minn) Last year I spent roughly 45 days in my deer stand I seen three bucks that I would consider shooters 150" or better if you do the math I spent roughly 400 hrs in my stands divide that by three and you have roughly 133 hrs per shooter the last year I hunted iowa I seen 4 deer over 150 in six days of hunting it seems obviuos to me where the big deer live in numbers. I do agree with you that this state is in no hurry to change there is another thread on that subject that seems to really upset many people who do not want change. But I also think that its not just about the size of the bucks in iowa I think they (the hunters,land owners,and there dnr)have done a better job of heard balance(buck to doe ratio) everall its just a better experience to be able to rattle and actually have it work on a consitant basis is a lot of fun.

[harvey lee]

I will say this you have to pay to play! for those of you who have never experienced Iowa in november you have no Idea none and you should it is worth the price of admission. Is the price spendy sure it is can you go elk hunting cheaper No way have you filled your gas tank lately? for most of us living in minnesota its not even a tank of gas to gat anywere in Iowa. How many tanks of gas does it take to get to colorado? Also look at the amount of money we spend on equipment alone I know I can walk outside look in my garage and yard and I see alot of dollars. boat,fishhouse, 20 deerstands 100 fishing poles three mathews bows, vex, I could keep going but my point is really whats $660 small price to pay for something you enjoy. And as for minnesota having the bucks that Iowa has sorry to break your hearts but we can no longer hold a candle to iowa. And untill we as a state do something to change the mind set of minnesota hunters we will never even be close again. You can all say look at the pics of the deer shot around here this past season yep there are some nice deer shot every year but they are far and few between and you odds are probably better to win the lottery.

Yes I can go Elk hunting for less. Check around and you will see.

[harvey lee]

The price is steep but I beleive it's worth it.This will be my first yr sending in so I won't get drawn. My dads group has been sending in for about 10yrs yrs now. I think my dad has got drawn 6 times in the 10yrs and brought home 4 p+y deer in that time. In mn if you don't have great land your odds are nowhere near that. That is also about 1wk worth of hunting give or take. The biggest taken was a 180inch which is a monster. What does a guy spend here planting food plots, driving back and forth every night, paying taxes if you figure everything that's one expensive deer here in mn too.

I have shot some nice book bucks and never paid near what Iowa charges. They have nice deer right along with many states for much less.

[Scoot]

2:06 in the morning, Tom? I see I wasn't the only Vikings fan who couldn't sleep last night!