What Makes Good White Tail Hunting Land?

We get calls from all over the USA from people wanting hunting land in Southen or Central Iowa. They have heard about the famous Albia Buck (The largest white tail deer buck ever havested by a hunter was harvested in South Central Iowa) and are interested in owning hunting land here in Iowa. Why Iowa? Southern and much of Central Iowa have the right combination of climate, forage, nutrients and cover to produce large, healthy white tail. The fact that much of Southern Iowa is less intensively farmed and has more timber adds to the proliferation of deer and also makes the land more affordable. The intersted thing about many of these calls is that many of the callers, even experienced white tail hunters, think that good deer land should be all or mostly timber. This is not the case.

Dense timber can provide good cover, but doesn't provide the forage and bedding grounds that white tail need to grow healthy and to proliferate. The best deer (and wild turkey) hunting land in Iowa is a combination of timber (hardwood and/or cedar) with conservation land or hay ground. Throw in a creek and/or some gulleys or hollows and you have land almost guaranteed to produce healthy white tail harvests. The picture below is an example of the most productive type of Southern Iowa hunting land - clumps of timber in amongst fields and meadow, some cultivated, some in conservation or hay.

While Southern Iowa hunting land is still relatively affordable, many agents and owners have begun to try and "flip" the land at considerably higher prices. Only time will tell if the hunting community will sustain these higher prices since Southern Iowa land in general has doubled in value in the last five years. The best hunting land in Iowa is often not offered for sale - it will be a tract that someone has been considering selling but have not yet really been motivated to sell. The best hunting land Reators are those that have a network of hunters and landowners anongst which these "unknown" tracts can be found.

Enjoy your hunting!