IOWA_Tallgrass
New member
Looked at the calendar and the weather forecast and decided to pull the trigger on a quick trip yesterday (Friday 12/10) before all this blizzard warning/watch fun is supposed to blow in.
I made the drive up Thursday evening; spent the night to get an early start on Friday. I hunted all public, from the Minnesota border down to HWY-3
There was a little wet snow still around most places, with a foggy mist hanging around most of the day. Temperatures in the mid 30s were quite tolerable, with a light breeze; good scenting conditions for the pooch. I found my birds primarily in sloughs, drainages, and small WPA ponds in the thicker cattails and what I am sure I incorrectly call, "canary grass" (yellowy, moderately tall broad-leaf grass seen in damp spots out here). We hunted the thick stuff pretty hard and had a legitimate chance at a limit, but my shooting was way off yesterday.
I missed 3 easy shots but ended up taking 1 home that's hanging in the garage for Sunday supper.
Lots of walking and brust brushing; definately down from 2008, but still much better than my home area by far. :thumbsup: The 8 hens my setter pointed were both a cause for optimism next year and a sign that we're in the latter part of the season. Did see quite a few hunters; fortunately there is enough public land in this area that I just drove to the next WPA/WMA that was not occupied. Guys doing the same things as me, trying to get a decent day in before it gets brutal out there.
Both dog and I were pretty beat by 3pm. With all the weather warnings and a lowering, thickening cloud deck; despite the still relatively mild conditions, we opted to not push our luck and headed home a little early.
I was pretty satisfied with the hunting. As long as I have had an honest chance at a limit in-state on public grounds, I have held back from traveling further out to SD or KS. :cheers:
I made the drive up Thursday evening; spent the night to get an early start on Friday. I hunted all public, from the Minnesota border down to HWY-3
There was a little wet snow still around most places, with a foggy mist hanging around most of the day. Temperatures in the mid 30s were quite tolerable, with a light breeze; good scenting conditions for the pooch. I found my birds primarily in sloughs, drainages, and small WPA ponds in the thicker cattails and what I am sure I incorrectly call, "canary grass" (yellowy, moderately tall broad-leaf grass seen in damp spots out here). We hunted the thick stuff pretty hard and had a legitimate chance at a limit, but my shooting was way off yesterday.
I missed 3 easy shots but ended up taking 1 home that's hanging in the garage for Sunday supper.Lots of walking and brust brushing; definately down from 2008, but still much better than my home area by far. :thumbsup: The 8 hens my setter pointed were both a cause for optimism next year and a sign that we're in the latter part of the season. Did see quite a few hunters; fortunately there is enough public land in this area that I just drove to the next WPA/WMA that was not occupied. Guys doing the same things as me, trying to get a decent day in before it gets brutal out there.
Both dog and I were pretty beat by 3pm. With all the weather warnings and a lowering, thickening cloud deck; despite the still relatively mild conditions, we opted to not push our luck and headed home a little early.
I was pretty satisfied with the hunting. As long as I have had an honest chance at a limit in-state on public grounds, I have held back from traveling further out to SD or KS. :cheers:
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