iowa licenses

[vister]

If someone has a boat, fishhouse, 20 deerstands, 100 fishin rods, 3 mathews bows, then I'm guessin 660 bucks is a mere drop in the bucket. Even more covenient is being in se mn, prolly less than an hour to Iowa. For most of us, Iowa isn't close nor financially friendly. Heck, for most, going to Iowa for whitetail is a hunt of a lifetime, simply cause of the years applying and money involved. I'm not arguing the fact Iowa is or isn't a dynamite state for a trophy, I'm simply saying for most it's only a dream hunt.

The past few years we've gone to Wyoming elk hunting. You can get a reduced price cow/calf elk tag, nonres of course, for 240 dollars. From where I live in mn to where I'm at in desmoines ia is 410 miles. From where I live in mn to where we hunt in wyoming is 1100 miles. After doing the math, I can get way more better tasting meat for far less. And scenery out there makes it completely worth every penny, whether successful or not!!

[bottom-bouncer]

Actually for me Iowa is 25 min away but I chose to hunt in the southern part of the state. I'm not going to dispute the better tasting meat by going elk hunting but nobody is going to iowa to hunt doe's(cow elk tag) it is the hunt of a lifetime but for many so is elk hunting. To hunt Iowa you dont have to apply every year you can simply buy your points and on the third year apply it is much easier and there not holding your money for 6 to 7 months. but there is no way you are going to tell me that you can go west and hunt elk cheaper I have done both numerous times. 410 miles times two is 820 but your not going to hunt were you stay so I will give you 1000 miles round trip that would be about three tanks of gas at roughly $80 a tank thats $240 plus a room 5 nights $70 a night $350 $200 for food and misc. plus license roughly $750 about $1500 totall To go west 1100 miles and when I have been out there we stayed about 25 miles from were we hunted so about 2300 miles round trip thats about 7 tanks of gas thats $560 in gas plus your room $350 plus how do you get you elk out we hired horses $150 per elk apples to apples we will hunt a bull colorado bull tag is $546. For a totall $1600. Not to mention we all have everything we need to deer hunt in iowa. the same cant be said for elk hunting out west. And I agree the sceneary out west amazing. But if you are a serious buck hunter Iowa is amazing. I am advocating the insane price of a tag just saying it is worth it every penny.(vister all of my outdoor gear was not purchased last year I have been at this for awhile longer than you just like many of the people on here its taken time to acumalate)

[bottom-bouncer]

A few more things to take into consideration how many times are you going to drive out west if you dont fill your tag chances are you will make one trip at 400 miles you can do Iowa several times a season. the distance for you is no differnt than me going to lake of the woods. And many many people who live down here make that trip several times a year.

[mrklean]

land is another big thing, there is thousands upon thousands of acres of public land out west that is really good land to hunt to, how much land is in iowa, and how much pressure is on it?

[fishingfool]

Not sure about acres or that kind of thing, but I know I have also been through Iowa for business in November and seen PY type bucks trotting around on public land during the day (there were signs posting the land as public - right off 35). I also have friends that hunt public land in NE IA and kill 150 inch bucks regularly with bow and arrow. I want to say there success as a group has been over 50% though the years (they have gone somewhere around five times). I know they work hard to access the land they hunt, but it is for sure public land!

[delmuts]

Easy Guys!

I agree the cost of many out of state hunting trips are costly wether it be due to license, milage,living, or what ever! We as individuals make our choices. It can be due to budget, time, or for what ever reason. That's the GREAT thing about the U.S. We can!

I agree the cost of a nonresident license in Iowa is outrageous! But! Until there is no longer a waiting list of people wanting one, it will never change!

[vister]

Cost of lodging is $0. Montana canvas, potbelly woodstove, and half a day making wood, while sleeping on cots. We camp right in the area we hunt, bridger-Teton national forest, so no commuting is necessary. This is what makes the trip. Listening to wolves howling at nite, in a bear dense area where we're required to carry bear mace. That's hunting!! Gettin the elk out. Well, shear man power. No horses, all by muscle and sweat. With that said, it is cheaper for us going there to shoot two bulls and five cows. Other members opt for bull tags. Going out west to the mountains after elk, relying on compasses and camp members, being in the wilderness makes for better memories than any deer ever could!! If ya wanna hear about it, I'll tell ya all about getting chased by a sow griz and 3 250 lb cubs. To me, this stuff makes the trip, not a set of horns.

The experience had on a trip like this is well worth the money, even when it does cost less than going to Iowa. No matter where you go, lodging and food come into play. It's just distance traveled raises the price. That's it really, right?

[propster]

Vister, I'm surprised you experienced such difficulty and a negative attitude from Iowa landowners. That has never been my experience there in gaining access. The fact is many residents have their own, family, or friend's land to hunt, and the state lets so few non-residents in that it's actually been fairly easy to gain access to tremendous ground. And nobody hunts the public stuff back in so that's awesome as well. And after hunting there for 20 years I can conclusively say that Iowa has offered me more sightings and opportunities at outsized, mature bucks than Minnesota ever could. I don't pass 140 class bucks in Minnesota, and for good reason. It's a regular occurence in Iowa, at least where I've hunted. And I do like all of november with no guns, since I don't have access to prime, ungunned Minnesota land.

[vister]

And I wasn't even trying to hunt the land myself! I was trying to get permission for my fiancé to hunt. She's a full time grad student at dmu, so she's able to purchase res licenses even with mn residence. I told the landowners we weren't trophy hunting, simply trying to find a nearby chunk of property we could set up a ground blind so she could hunt when she had a chance. Ya know, to unwind from all of the studying involved with med school. They probably figured I was full of it and thought I was going to hunt it. Well no, I told half of them I never applied for a nonres tag.