Photo by Mike Biggs.

Archers are first in line to tag some big bucks this year, according to wildlife biologist Bill Ohde.

“I think that it goes without saying that nearly every good block of habitat in Iowa has trophy buck potential,” said Ohde. “A look at the annual big-rack scores from across the state confirms it.”

Willie Suchy, the state’s top deer biologist, is optimistic that trophy buck potential is growing. “We’re achieving our goal of lowering the deer numbers,” he remarked, “but there are still a lot of nice bucks out there. Whitetail hunters have been doing what we’ve asked and have been shooting does and letting the little bucks grow up. The trophy bucks are fairly evenly distributed across the state in proportion to the available deer habitat, and we’ve even got trophy-class deer up in the northern parts of the state.”

Here’s a look at our best areas for a great archery hunt in 2007.

ODESSA WMA
“In Louisa County, the Odessa Wildlife Management Area always holds good numbers of deer,” said Ohde. “Much of the area is now covered by extremely thick young forest cover, which provides the secure cover that big bucks tend to seek out.”

Ohde noted that the area can be a bowhunter’s bonanza. Parts of Odessa are accessible by walking in off the Toolesboro Access Road on the south end, and may be the easiest to reach. Another section has controlled access during the main part of the duck season and offers sanctuary to skittish whitetails. Hunters can target the waterfowl area both before and after the duck season closure.

There are several deer-holding islands on Odessa that require a boat to access and may never see a hunter. These impossible-to-get-to spots will let serious hunters in on the cream of the crop when it comes to racks.

The outside perimeter areas of Odessa get most of the hunting pressure. Even during bow season, the best hunting is sometimes during the week rather than on the weekends. The best hunting may depend not only on where you’re hunting, but when.

Odessa covers 3,828 acres of marshland, woods and water a half-mile east of Wapello on Highway 99. Contact the Odessa Unit at (319) 523-8319 for more information.

CEDAR RIVER CORRIDOR
Public hunting areas along the Cedar River are offering outstanding bowhunting opportunities this fall, said Ohde. The Wiese Slough, Cedar Bottoms and Red Cedar areas in Muscatine County each have extensive blocks of river-bottom forest that require a good workout by foot to get into.

“These areas aren’t disturbed much and have a chance of holding good bucks,” he stated. “Our winter surveys showed that the Cedar River Corridor in Muscatine County continues to have a good whitetail population.”

Simply because of a bow’s limitations, archery hunters tend to be willing to put a little more effort into getting a good shot than do gun hunters. Hunting the river corridor is a great place to practice sharp woodsmanship, and the result can be a nice rack. Getting a deer out can be a problem, and that keeps some hunters from digging too deeply into the tangle.

The river corridor properties lie near Sutherland and Nichols. Timber and wetlands are the mainstays, along with river-bottom cover, and bucks can disappear without a trace. No single area seems better than another. Deer move freely along the corridor on public lands and have little problem staying in cover.

Call the Odessa Unit at (319) 523-8319 for additional information.

WEST FORK WMA
Bowhunters should be thinking about two good areas in the West Fork Wildlife Management Area, said wildlife biologist Bryan Hellyer, both of them in Palo Alto County.