Ideas for Girlfriends First Hunt

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WrestleAndHunt149

New member
Hello Everyone!

I am a recent college grad, and my girlfriend is in her final year of college here in the great state of Iowa. While neither of us are native (I'm from Illinois and she is from Minnesota), both her and I have been granted residency by the DNR through our colleges for hunting/fishing purposes (big money saver when it comes to buying licenses).

She has just passed her Hunter's Safety Course, and we will be taking some trips to the gun range here after Thanksgiving. Then, within the next few weeks and before Christmas for sure, I'll be taking her out on her First Ever Pheasant Hunt! I am very excited but no where near as excited as she is!

Now I believe that any new hunter should experience wild birds before being spoiled at a game farm (Even though I'm going to surprise her with a big game farm hunt as an X-mas gift). My only issue is, I've gone out with my chocolate lab in various public areas every weekend since the open with not had much luck! 3 birds in 5 hunts. I know part of it has to do with the incredible pressure at these places, and another part has to be the locations themselves (Hawkeye WMA, Lost Grove Lake WMA, Randolph WMA, various small public areas near Cedar Rapids).

I am NOT asking for your secret spot! However what I am hoping for is some direction a little more specific than "NW Iowa"! We are willing to go anywhere in the state really, though we are on the eastern side. If anyone knows a friendly farmer I could talk to, or if anyone just knows of a place that we won't have to rub elbows with other hunters, I would be so so grateful! Hopefully she'll be hooked after that first big rooster comes exploding up in front of her!

I'll post pics for sure, and feel free to private message me if you'd like!


P.S.- I just recently found this forum, and WOW is it insightful! So many of the members here seem legitimately kind and knowledgeable. Can't represent Iowa much better than that!
 
New and inexperienced hunter: I would encourage you to pursue a game farm or two before the "wild hunt." Nothing like getting some shooting and safety experience and being successful on the hunting side.

Walking 5-6 miles and only seeing a bird or two can be a big turn-off.

Years ago, we hunted from Carroll to Atlantic and had reasonable success.

Good luck!
 
take a 2 hour road trip on highway 20 to the fort dodge area, weather its north/south/east or west of fort dodge this area and further north have good public lands that still maintain good habitat. I'm going in that direction after turkey day. I haven't been up that far north this year but I have had good luck around the ogden and Jefferson area. get on the iowa DNR and get their atlas APP. IN MY OPINION the spencer area in northern iowa is the best pheasant belt we have. GOOD LUCK:cheers:
 
I too recommend a game farm. Its a more controlled environment for a novice.
Classes cant give a new shooter the experience needed to handle the gun safely in the excitement of a hunting situation. That is compounded the longer you must walk for a flush. Just my .02 I am overly cautious with new shooters because I know how long it takes for safe gun handling to become instinctive. For wild hunting look to the current roadside survey for areas.
 
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I would also recommend doing the preserve hunt first. Kind of like skiing the bunny hill before trying the moguls. As for the wild bird hunt , success on public land usually involves good dogs and experienced hunters. My advice would be to spend some time on the road. Read through the reports and get into an area where people have been successful, drive the back roads and knock on some doors. A young couple like you, will probably have pretty good luck getting permission. If you do, it can be great. Good luck.
 
Yup. What they ^ said.

Learning is enormously reinforced by successful application of education. The game farm limits the variables, guarantees an environment in which the birds can be found, and eliminates miscellaneous distractions from the safe use of tools in the learning situation.

Hopefully, this will be the introduction to a long and joyful sport. Don't move to the major leagues when T-ball has yet to reinforce good batting habits.


Hope it is fun for everyone.

:thumbsup:
 
I'm going to buck the advice given so far, I think you've got the right idea. My opinion- let her see real habitat and how much work it is to find birds, as well as the excitement of a hard charging rooster flush. If she doesn't hit anything so be it, a lesson in hunting not being a sure thing isn't bad either. Then the preserve has some perspective as a learning tool. Aside from training I don't find the preserves much fun personally.

I can't vouch for the whole state, only where I hunt, but the advice of hitting Fort Dodge and west is good advice. I do well in the other spots mentioned also but am most familiar with that area having grown up in the neighborhood.

I'll PM you some public spot suggestions and maybe a couple others....
 
Sorry I can't offer any advice as to where to hunt in IA, but I do have opinions on new hunters. I'll be honest. I've never paid to hunt a pheasant, but I imagine a pheasant farm/preserve would be fairly expensive "experience". Sporting clays can also get spendy, but trap is typically less. If you're looking for an opportunity to shoot prior to hunting, either of these would give somebody a chance to get used to the gun and practice safety while getting some shooting in. While not the most friendly gun to hunt with, I think a single shot w/ hammer is the safest for new hunters/shooters. If they're shooting a repeater (or even a double-barrel), consider hunting w/ just 1 shell for a while until they become more comfortable. My $0.02.
 
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Hunted just north of Manchester, near the town of Strawberry Point. We got a cabin at Backbone State park. We ran into some very nice farmers ( and one grouch to put it mildly) I have maps and things I can send you if needed
 
Hmmm - a single shot with hammer. I started my hunting career with a single shot 12 ga. I think I paid $18; I still have the gun but have not shot it in years.

I feel this type of gun (pulling a hammer back) is not very safe. The hammer is hard to pull and can slip and fire.

Because of the difficult pull, there's a tendency to keep the gun cocked while you walk etc. Not good...

Let me know if anyone out there wants this gun - I'll gladly sell it!
 
At risk of getting this thread further off track....

Yes, hammers can slip when cocking/uncocking, but the gun should be pointed in a safe direction. Basic gun safety. I explained this issue w/ hammer guns to my daughter BEFORE she started shooting & told her to make damn sure ANY gun is ALWAYS pointed somewhere safe. Sure enough, it slipped once as she was practicing uncocking the gun. Hasn't had a problem since. 12-year-old girl.

Even with the most bulky gloves around, I wouldn't hunt w/ the safety off & therefore wouldn't hunt w/ the hammer cocked. Basic gun safety.

While a new hunter is getting the hang of carrying a gun while walking through weeds, cattails, snow, over logs & other types of rough terrain, they have a tendency to fall down more than an experienced hunter. This is especially true while they attempt to keep their eyes up, watching a dog, being ready for a flush, keeping track of partners, or whatever. I don't know of a gun less likely to accidentally fire on falling down than a single-shot.

Also less likely to accidentally poke the safety off or forget to put it back on. Easier for the carrier/shooter or anyone else to look at the gun quick & KNOW the safety's on.
 
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a pump or double barrel (no hammer gun) is the safest thing you can give a newbie......game farm is an excellent starter....:thumbsup:
 
Wow!

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the replies! Very very cool to hear from people that know much more than I do.

In regards to gun choice, she is pretty small and I don't exactly have an arsenal at home, so she will be using my Grandpas 28ga pump. I explained to her that she will be limited in distance and passing on a bird is ALWAYS better than wounding one. I also had her trail me last weekend on an unsuccessful hunt in eastern iowa to give her some safety examples. It was public land and we had 6 separate hens flush that gave some really good learning lessons. The dog wasn't happy that she couldn't retrieve anything but it was a good time nonetheless.

Wednesday we are off to shoot some clay birds, then hoping to get out this weekend if we can avoid the deer hunters! If not this weekend, then I may take a day off next week. I've actually already decided that the game farm hunt would be a great Christmas gift (aka I can't think of anything else), and unfortunately I can't afford to go twice. So I think we might head up near the Fort Dodge area as Berettadouble and Roscoe71 have suggested.

Again thanks to everyone for all of the help!
 
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