Photo courtesy of Ted Peck.

Late-season hunting with black powder can be a challenge for a couple of reasons. The first is the need for an extra dose of good woodsmanship: Blackpowder equipment requires the stealth to get in close enough to make a shot -- and that first shot had better be a good one. The second reason is that white-tailed deer are leery at this point in the season, having been shot at, stalked and chased since the beginning of deer season, and have left their predictable patterns and feeding areas. Finding the bigger deer in areas that they normally don’t frequent can be tricky.

Here are some of the Hawkeye State’s most promising hunts this January. A little scouting is a good idea and an even better investment of time, but if you don’t have that luxury, these spots can still produce first-quality deer.

YELLOW RIVER SF
Almost entirely free of the concentrated hunting pressure put on Iowa’s smaller wildlife management areas, state forests can provide an excellent outlet for flintlock hunters. Mike Griffin, a wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, observed that both stand- and still-hunting present the best opportunities for bagging a buck during the closing days of deer season.

Hunters who like the unbroken tracts of hardwood forest should give northeast Iowa’s Yellow River State Forest serious consideration. It lies in an area in which hunters can take advantage of unfilled licenses. Allamakee and Winneshiek counties usually have some antlerless licenses left that muzzleloading enthusiasts can put to good use. A blackpowder hunter can purchase an extra antlerless license and use it if the opportunity presents itself, and can hold on to the any-sex license for a buck later on.

Yellow River SF covers 8,503 acres in Allamakee County. Despite some tough topography scattered throughout the park, more than 25 miles of trails can be a big help. The trails vary from bare ground to rock with varying grades. Some of them are more difficult to negotiate than others, but they’re all useful in helping hunters navigate the area.

For more information, phone the IDNR’s Mississippi River Wildlife Management Unit, (563) 872-5700, or the SF’s headquarters, (563) 586-2254.

UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER WILDLIFE AND FISH REFUGE
Accessible by boat in the early muzzleloader season, the larger islands of the Mississippi River are a good bet for Iowa’s blackpowder enthusiasts. “Some of these islands are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and sections are closed to hunting,” said the IDNR’s Griffin. “The islands on the Iowa side of the channel, from pools 16 through 18, are managed by the Iowa DNR and have no closed areas on them.”

Many of the USFWS islands are open to hunting, but access is by boat only. The deer in these areas enjoy the relative obscurity of the islands and are shielded by and large by the difficulty that hunters encounter in accessing them. As a result, smokepolers willing to go to the trouble of infiltrating this area have a real opportunity to tag some of the area’s bigger bucks.

The McGregor District includes pools 9, 10 and 11. The Savanna District includes pools 12, 13 and 14. Both of these sections provide excellent late-season opportunities.

For more information contact IDNR’s Mississippi River unit at (563) 872-5700, the McGregor District at (563) 873-3423 or the Savanna District at (815) 273-2732.