'99 Snowstorm Buck, Ruger SBH "Hunter", Tasco 3x ProClass, 300gr XTP handload
SPORTS AFIELD magazine's November 2000 issue rates South West Iowa as North America's number one spot for Boone & Crocket bucks, predicting the next B&C World Record Whitetail will most likely come from the Losse Hills region of SW Iowa, stating more record B&C deer have been harvested in the Hawkeye State than anywhere else. "Iowa stands head and shoulders above other states and provinces" says Gerald Almy Field Editor with SPORTS AFIELD.
Surrounding States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri also rank high. Compared to Iowa these four border States combined have something like ten to twelve times the number of deer hunters. Add to this that Iowa allows a very limited number of nonresident deer hunters (who tend to be more skilled and trophy oriented), Southern Iowa's mild winter (by Midwest standards), abundant food sources, low human population, shotgun/bow/&handgun only seasons, and a deer herd grown from essentially zero in the 1950s to be genetically superior for sports hunting. All these things combined are the keys to Iowa's success.
Me.... I use to just call it my backyard, I though everybody shot a deer like this on opening day. Hee, hee. Roll out of bed, eat breakfast, walk out the back door to the best deer hunting on the planet. Though I live in Wisconsin now the family still has about 1000 acres of private farm land and timber in Page County Iowa. And yes, I will be there in December and January for the late season, love the snow and cold. -- Kernel