dan wrote:Iowa would not be what it is if we sold tags to everyone for cheap.i dont think its greedy more like they have the most desired whitetail hunting in the states and people pay the money to come hunt. If it changed people would flood in hear destroy the deer herd in 5 years then they would be like all the other states that could be good. Its not just the tags they give out that makes it good hear we have no rifle seasons for bucks the rut is over for shotgun seasons. By doing that they have produced big bucks so then the res hunters have learned to let them grow and kill them while there mature. You take any of that away and iowa isnt what it is anymore.
How would tag costs all of the sudden flood the area with hunters? I think the amount of tags given out regulates this. If its the same number of tags, people being able to afford to hunt there would not be a factor in the numbers of deer harvested.
Dan I think IW meant that if we removed quotas AND dropped prices deer hunting would change, not just the price part. As you mention that effects management. If there were no quotas Iowa would quickly be no different than most states surrounding it, trophy hunting wise. It would be good - all states in the Midwest are good compared to some other parts of the US because we all have good genetics and nutrition, but it would be far different than it is now. The only difference between Iowa and surrounding states is a larger proportion of bucks reach that 3-5 y.o. age range.
Give me any single county right across the border from Iowa in WI, IL, MN, or Missouri and similarly limit hunting pressure - number of hunters and season dates....and I will give you back a county that produces the same caliber deer as any similar county terrain and soil-wise in Iowa.
I completely agree I don't like Governor's tags (The concept reminds me of "the King's deer" and that naturally rubs me the wrong way). I also think the price of non-res tags is higher than it needs to be - $700+ when you factor in how many preference points most people need which no two ways about it is excessive. At the same time I fully support the quotas here, that's a big part of why deer hunting is so good here and I of course want to keep it that way. People that complain about their hunting in this state should ship off to any nearby state for a full season and they will shut up quick. Sure we have EHD and all that but other states have similar problems. I love hunting in Wisconsin but its more challenging to tag a mature buck there no doubt about it, there's plain and simple not as many of them per mile of cover!!