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Success varied across Iowa, and even from township to township, as about 90,000 hunters headed out during the early shotgun deer season. Overall, hunters seemed to fare well, taking advantage of ideal weather to fill their tags. Even a Tuesday-Wednesday cold snap still kept temperatures in the teens, although brisk winds on Tuesday made it a little trickier to predict whitetail patterns. Riding with officers across Benton, Linn and Delaware counties over the weekend, I saw my share of big bucks, both in the field and in the beds of pickups. Many hunters with whom I spoke were going for ‘racks’ in the first day or two. Elsewhere, the harvest was mixed and it was apparent that the ‘antler tradition’ was not always the rule. In Johnson County, which already utilizes special zones and park hunts to reduce deer populations, Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Susan Hager noticed a lot of does during the shotgun season opener. "I only saw three bucks (on Saturday)," noted Hager. "I saw a lot more does. Some of the hunters without deer, though, were still looking for bucks." Wildlife officials encourage hunters to take antlerless deer in areas with surplus deer. Hager checked about 100 weekend hunters. "The largest group was ten hunters on Hawkeye Wildlife Area. That group had one more tag to fill," she recalled. "Some of the smaller groups weren’t doing quite so well; maybe two deer between five hunters." Still, Hager noticed more small groups than in years past. While large groups can cover more territory, raising the odds of seeing deer, I talked with several lone hunters or two-person teams with tags filled; ready to head home on the first day. Frank Vozenilek of Cedar Rapids had scouted his area—in northern Linn County--ahead of time. "I turkey hunted this fall," he explained. "Every time I was out, there were probably nine deer that would run through a 100 yard clearing in there…three of them bucks. (Today), I just went out there and waited." He didn’t have to wait long. From ten paces away, he dropped his buck before 8 a.m. The shot was a little longer, but well worth it for Charles Ganoe. The Waubeek hunter, with a large group of 15 or 20, was hunting in the Buffalo Creek bottoms Saturday morning. "A big doe came across first. I drew my gun on that and this one followed her right out, about 30 yards away. Hit him with my first shot," recalled Ganoe. ‘This one’ had him smiling from ear to ear. With a short, thick drop tine he counted 15 points on the big-bodied buck. Definitely a wall-hanger. "I’m still shaking," he admitted. "I let out a yell. I think everybody in the party heard me, from a mile away!" "I saw fair success with most groups by late in the day," assessed DNR Officer Ron Lane. "I think we saw more bucks than does. The majority of folks go after bucks in the first couple days. Everybody’s kinda following suit this weekend." In south-central Iowa, district DNR Supervisor Lon Lindenberg worked with nine officers through Wapello, Davis, Clarke and Lucas counties. "The hunters were happy with what they were finding," gauged Linderberg. "One group of 20 had 15 or 16 deer by late Saturday. Then the next group would not have nearly as many." And while most deer…and deer hunters…stick close to the woods, Lindenberg said he saw a nice buck that had been taken without a tree in sight. "It was from a farm wetland. He had been hiding in the cattails." Something for second season and late muzzleloader hunters to keep in mind, as they head out in the remaining cold days of December and early January.

Uploaded: 12/13/2000