Nick from Kansas asks,
Congrats on the great deer this year and hope your folks and family are doing well!!! Two quick questions. I will be buying my second point this year for Iowa and plan on hunting your great state next year - all public unless I can knock on a few doors next spring scouting and shed hunting. What are your thoughts about the public in your state? Second is there any chance you will be writing any new books in the near future? Thanks Bill!!
Bill responds,
Topic: Iowa Public Hunting Areas:
Nick,
Thanks for the note. I hope you and your family are doing wall, also.
Hunting can be good on Iowa public land but it pays to have several options in case you run into heavy hunting pressure at your first choice.
I have not hunted the public areas much in the past many years (since I was in my late 20s). However, I know many people who hunt them and I did spend lots of time scouting/walking public areas last November. I tagged out early and spent the next few weeks checking public land just to see how much pressure those areas get and what the buck sign looks like.
I think the public areas in southcentral Iowa get less hunting pressure than those in NE Iowa. I am not sure on those in southeast Iowa as I have not walked them or scouted them. The key to success is to scout several so you have options. The amount of hunting pressure can change a lot from one year to the next so just because a spot seems wide open one year, a group from another state that put together may all draw the next year and you are overrun.
So, have lots of options and move with the pressure (to stay away from it) and you will do fine on the public land here.
Regarding the book, I doubt I will ever again publish a paper book. The market is really small and it takes a long time to write one and select the photos and write the captions, etc. But, I may produce a few e-books. That sounds like fun and would be way easier and cheaper to publish. I will let everyone know if I go that route. Good luck. (3/9/21)
