The Ingham-High Wildlife Unit that includes the West Fork WMA consists of 900 contiguous acres loaded with native grasses, food plots, oxbows, bottomland timber, cool-season grasses and natural-succession willows. Most of the bottomland timber is a long walk from the road, which makes it an attractive destination for bowhunters who know what they’re doing.

According to Hellyer, the overall deer herd numbers appear to be steady, a direct result of deer hunters doing an excellent job over the last three or four years of harvesting more does. Antlerless deer harvest is an important component of the overall deer management program and has helped improve the local possibilities for a trophy buck.

Eight miles of the West Fork of the Des Moines River flow through the area, much of which is in the Wetlands Reserve Program.

Another section of the West Fork WMA covers 640 acres two miles south of Emmetsburg. The area is covered by grasses, oxbows and bottomland woods. The timbered portion of this wildlife area, three-quarters of a mile from the closest public road, is, in Hellyer’s view, probably under-used by the average bowhunter.

West Fork WMA covers 1,610 acres north of Emmetsburg. For additional information, contact the Ingham Unit at (712) 362-2091.

SEDAN BOTTOMS WMA
“All of the areas in the Rathbun Unit have good numbers of deer,” said wildlife biologist Jeffrey Telleen, “but if I had to choose a couple of the best areas, Rathbun would be one of them.”

According to Telleen, the habitat is nicely diversified, and perfect for whitetails. There’s a lot of opportunity to get away from other hunters and to pick and choose the type of land you want to hunt.

Sedan Bottoms lies along the Chariton River. Bluffs, deciduous forest, shallow marshlands and lots of oak and hickory forest combine into perfect deer country; here, big bucks have a tendency to disappear into the tangle, so archers should look for deer along the river corridor when hunters start to move in. This is the toughest part of the area to penetrate, and where the deer tend to retreat.

Sedan Bottoms lies in Appanoose County. The 4,400-acre area is five miles southeast of Centerville. For more information, call the Rathbun Unit at (641) 774-4918.

COPELAND BEND & AULDON BAR FEDERAL LANDS
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers properties along the Missouri River are looking good for archers this year, reported wildlife biologist Carl Priebe.

“Copeland Bend and Auldon Bar can be good bowhunting areas,” he said. “Both are part of the Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Project, owned by the Corps and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Neither project has been completed, and the Corps of Engineers is acquiring additional land as it becomes available.”

Owing to the changing boundaries, most of the local maps aren’t as accurate as the IDNR would like them to be. Hunters need to watch for public access signs to make sure they don’t end up trespassing onto private land.

Part of the draw of the Copeland Bend section is that it’s only accessible from the Missouri River -- and the deer herd is showing it. Very few hunters ever reach Copeland Bend.

“These areas in Fremont County have a very good deer population,” said Priebe. “There are bucks here that would make any bowhunter proud. But as a reminder: Bucks only grow large if they are not taken when small. Deer hunters do the herd a big favor if they hold out for a larger buck and take a doe rather than a small buck, if it comes down to it.”

Updated maps of Copeland Bend and Auldon Bar are available upon request from the Riverton Unit at (712) 374-3133 or by e-mailing Carl.Priebe@dnr.state.ia.us.