SAYLORVILLE RESERVOIR
Despite some development in the public area surrounding Saylorville Reservoir, approximately 11,000 acres of timber, upland habitat and open water provide ample room to house high-quality whitetails.

“It’s not wilderness hunting around here, but the local whitetails have adapted well,” said IDNR wildlife biologist Scott Peterson. The property is about half wooded, a quarter is field habitat and the rest is reservoir.”

Hunting on the designated recreational areas and more developed sections is prohibited. A downloadable map of the areas open to public hunting can be found on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Web site at www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/Saylorville/documents/2005_hunt_map.pdf.

Saylorville Reservoir covers more than 50 miles of the Des Moines River Valley north of Des Moines. From Interstate 35, drive north to state Route 141 in Polk County. For additional information, contact the IDNR Saylorville unit at (515) 432-2823.

WIESE SLOUGH WMA
Eastern Iowa’s Wiese Slough WMA offers a window of opportunity for smokepole hunters that can remain open up to the closing days of blackpowder season.

“Almost all of our state wildlife areas provide excellent opportunities during the early muzzleloader season but the late muzzleloader season can be a bit tricky,” said Bill Ohde, a wildlife biologist in IDNR’s Odessa unit. “Areas get hunted hard during the shotgun season so it can be tough going for muzzleloaders.”

Still, Ohde says deer will often move back into the area after a week or so, depending on the hunting pressure and the weather.

“The last week of the late muzzleloading season can be fantastic on public lands,” said Ohde.

Stand-hunting next to fields and food plots during the last couple of hours of the day is the way to go. These spots are especially productive if the weather has been cold and the snow has been flying. Look for deer to gravitate towards the available food when conditions are severe and natural forage is limited.

Wiese Slough WMA’s 1,707 acres of wetlands and timber lie two and a half miles east of Atalissa on U.S. Highway 6 in Muscatine County. For more information, contact IDNR’s Odessa unit at (319) 523 8319.

BLACKHAWK BOTTOMS WMA
Another good unit for muzzleloader enthusiasts. The hunting is good once any deer spooked by shotgunners start moving back into the area, and a woodsman with a muzzleloader has no reason to go home empty-handed.

The area covers 587 acres of habitat ranging from woodlands to wetlands. Don’t overlook upland habitat that most hunters pass up. If there are several hunters on the property, look for deer where you least expect to find them.

Blackhawk Bottoms WMA is four miles south of Burlington on U.S. Highway 61, three-quarters of a mile north on county Route X62 and then a quarter-mile southeast on Spring Lake Road. Sited in Des Moines County, it offers access to the Mississippi River. Contact the IDNR Odessa unit at (319) 523-8319 for more information.