Let me be the first

[S.B.]

Congratulations. Welcome aboard the Graybeards express! Now, one of you Iowans, tell me which county in Iowa is the very best in whitetail deer hunting?

[New Guy]

I do most of my deer hunting in Linn county, with some in southern Buchanan county. If you click the first link below and go to page 5 it gives a map of the state with all the counties labeled, and the number of antlerless licenses available for each county. The number of licenses available should give you an idea of the deer population numbers. The second link is last years deer and turkey harvest report, the turkey numbers seem low, I don't think everyone is reporting like they should.

http://www.iowadnr.com/law/files/07huntingregs.pdf

https://hfwa.centraltechnology.net/iowadnr/harvestdata/realTimeHarvest.do

Hope this helps.

[45Super]

I live in Wapello Co. (S.E. Iowa). We have some great monster buck hunting here! The World Record buck came from the next county over. Also great turkey hunting!!  (and yes, the Des Moines river is good for Flatheads)

[Irish gunman]

I live and hunt in eastern IA right along the old Mississippi river, and we have some real nice deer hunting around this area,but if you are looking for some potential record book bucks I would say any of the southern counties would be a good choice. I grew up in Wayne county which is in about the middle of the southern counties, and I have seen some monsters down there. With all the free corn and soy beans to feed on they fatten up quite nicely.

[clodbuster]

There are no or very few deer in Iowa mostly does and small horned bucks.  All the really good deer have gone somewhere else, Missouri I think.  Most of the meat of Iowa deer is wormy or has infections of various deadly organisms.  The hides are nearly always torn by fences and briars.  The ones that are left only move in the middle of the night and have grown a real tree camo pattern in their hair.  There is no more rut and they breed randomly  throughout the year never forming any behavior patterns.  You'd be way better off going out west or down south to hunt I hear Hawaii has some really big deer.

[S.B.]

clodbuster, that goes for the Illinois herd, as well? HEHEHE
Steve