Book Your Adventure
1-800-346-8747

Blog Posts > The Land of Giant Whitetail – When Preparation Meets Opportunity in Iowa

The Land of Giant Whitetail – When Preparation Meets Opportunity in Iowa

Judd Lee

| May 20, 2020

Judd Lee
May 20, 2020

Location: Iowa

Iowa: The Hawkeye State, The Tall Corn State, Land Of The Rolling Prairie – whatever you want to call it…I call it a – must apply state – if you are a serious whitetail deer hunter. Iowa sits on some of the most fertile farming soil in the country. It has wet springs and warm summers which combine for unbelievable corn and soybean stands year-in and year-out. Iowa is universally known for its corn harvest which accounts for roughly 1/5^th of the United States production each year. In addition, Iowa has a long standing and well-run CRP program leaving lands untouched. This provides an abundance of great cover for bucks to hide in and grow to maturity. Furthermore, Iowa has very high deer density and by conducting their gun hunts in December and January, well after the rut, it helps keep mature deer from being over-exposed in their most vulnerable period. All this sets-up for the perfect storm for growing big, mature, nasty whitetail bucks!

Opportunity: Annually, Iowa consistently produces an incredible number of Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett whitetails, all while having one of the lowest tag allocations in the country (6,000 non-resident for 2020). A walk through the Iowa trophy deer data will leave one with their chin on the floor. It is nothing short of astonishing.

Breaking It Down – Iowa Whitetail Deer Registration:

170”+ total 2,062
171”-179” total 1,022
180”-189” total 494
190”-199” total 289
200”+ total 257

That’s 257 deer registered over the 200” mark!

Our booked clients harvest many deer each year that are over 160” and tell of having encounters with the biggest deer of their lives. In order to have encounters like this you must be hunting where the big boys live, and it is memories like this that keep clients coming back and applying for those valuable preference points year-after-year.

Preparation: Iowa is broken into 10 different game management units, with four hunts to choose from: Archery, 1^st shotgun, 2^nd shotgun and Muzzleloader. Typically, clients drawing the archery tag will book in November, shotgun – December and muzzleloader – January.

Iowa is a preference point state and as a non-resident you will need to play the point game if you want to deer hunt. Archery hunts will typically take 3 to 5 preference points to draw, while the gun hunts can typically be drawn with just 1 point. As you can see the archery hunts, which run through the middle of the rut, require the most points to draw.

The Consultants of WTA TAGS have spent countless hours vetting and working with the best outfitters with some of the best farms in Iowa. We have outfitters who are all set-up in the best units. In general, these outfitters take a limited number of hunters comparatively to the rest of the Midwest, which makes planning ahead and booking early a critical strategy. Many of our archery clients book every fourth year and hunt in an alternate location, like Kansas, while they are building their three Iowa points.

Iowa’s June 5^th deadline to apply is a critical date if you need to build a preference point for the future. Also, if you are already sitting on a handful of points and are ready to get out this fall our Consultants are ready to help. We have a handful of openings still available for 2020 with awesome outfitters over excellent dates. We would love nothing more than to help you in your quest for the whitetail of a lifetime!

2020 Availability: Must book by June 5, 2020 – The application deadline

Hunt #1

Archery:

2 openings – Oct 30 – Nov 4

2 openings – Nov 6 -11

1 opening – Nov 13-18

Muzzleloader:

1 opening – Jan 3-7

Hunt #2

Archery

2 openings – Nov 1-6

Shotgun

2 openings – Dec 5-9

Muzzleloader

2 openings – Jan 3-7

Hunt #3

Archery

1 opening – Nov 8-11

Shotgun

2 openings – Dec 12-15

Muzzleloader

2 openings – Jan 3-6

Recent Articles

Remembering Our Dear Friend, Mike Mason

WTA Team November 18, 2025

Limited-Entry Alaska Dall Sheep: North America’s Pinnacle Hunt

Eric Pawlak November 5, 2025

My Alaska Range Grizzly Adventure

Joe Griffin November 4, 2025

Popular Whitetail Deer Hunts

Draw Required

Dual-State Archery Whitetail Opportunity: Kansas & Nebraska

Whitetail Deer ·

Kansas

From

$11,000

Outfitter #164

WTA Exclusive

Whitetails Oklahoma

Deer, Whitetail Deer ·

Oklahoma

From

$4,950

Outfitter #1085

Top Iowa Hunting Trips

Draw Required

Unit 5 Trophy Iowa Whitetails

Whitetail Deer ·

Iowa

From

$7,498

Outfitter #761

Draw Required

Iowa Whitetails – The Land Of Giants

Whitetail Deer ·

Iowa

From

$5,550

Outfitter #243

Iowa

Whitetail Deer

Iowa: World-Class Whitetails, Premier Outfitters, and Expert Application Assistance

May 12, 2025

Mexico

Whitetail Deer

Mexico Whitetails: a Hidden Gem

February 23, 2025

Saskatchewan

Whitetail Deer

Saskatchewan Whitetails: A Firsthand Experience

January 6, 2025

Limited-Entry Alaska Dall Sheep: North America’s Pinnacle Hunt

As the December 15 deadline to apply for Alaska’s most coveted big-game tags approaches, one opportunity stands above all others: limited-entry Dall sheep. If you’ve ever dreamed of pursuing this iconic high-country species, now is the time to apply.

Why this Hunt Matters More than Ever

In the not-too-distant past, Alaska suffered back-to-back-to-back severe weather events that dramatically impacted Dall sheep populations across much of the state, resulting in fewer over-the-counter opportunities and even closures. Hunters have been forced to look to Canada, where hunts are now largely sold out through 2027 and prices have surged beyond $60,000. Even at such outrageous prices, availability is scarce.

This shift has made Alaska’s limited-entry draw areas for Dall sheep one of the most valuable options left for serious hunters. With hunts priced between $28,000 and $35,000, applicants can still access very high-quality white sheep at nearly half the cost of Canadian alternatives.

Exceptional Success Rates

Despite the challenges statewide, the limited-entry regions—managed by very conservative tag allocations—continue to produce outstanding results for the lucky applicants of WTA TAGS:

100% shot opportunity during the past three seasons,
90%+ harvest rates on mature rams,
Some of the largest Dall rams in North America.

For those willing to embrace the physical challenge, this hunt represents the ultimate North American mountain adventure.

Why…

My Alaska Range Grizzly Adventure

I’ve been a bear hunter my whole life, but grizzly was always the dream. When the time finally came, I reached out to WTA to book a hunt. My someday hunt was finally becoming a reality. I thought I knew what I was hoping for: one good opportunity at a mature grizzly. What actually happened over those 10 days was beyond anything I could have imagined.

My journey began in Anchorage, where I stayed the night before flying into the bush. The outfitter has a liaison in town to help with any last-minute needs, so no rental car was needed. The next morning at Merrill Field, I boarded a turboprop (they use caravans, not tiny Super Cubs) for the 1½-hour flight into hunting country.

At the airstrip, the crew waited with Kong—a massive military deuce-and-a-half that can ford rivers, plus Polaris six-wheelers. After a stop at the roadhouse to organize, we headed to moose camp, about four miles upriver.

The camp itself told stories of 50 years of hunting. Cabin walls covered with dozens of hunters’ stories, as far back as the ’70s. Old regulation books showing $50 polar bear licenses. Boxes of ammo, left behind over decades for anyone who might need them. Four cabins with wood stoves surrounded the main lodge, and there was a creek-fed shower with endless hot water. A crate of beer stays ice-cold in the stream. It’s glorious. Remote Alaska with just enough comfort to keep you hunting hard every day.

From the roadhouse, we spotted two black bears on the mountainside. That evening, the cameraman Jordan and I glassed near camp, getting oriented for what was supposed to be a grizzly-focused hunt.

The next morning, those black bears were still there. We moved in. At 390 yards, with shifting thermals threatening to blow our approach, I took my shot. Low but lethal. Two more shots finished it. While butchering, we discovered this old boar was peppered with birdshot—dozens of pellets in each leg and shoulder. Somewhere, sometime, he’d been a problem bear. He could take a bullet. By 3 p.m., we had meat in the freezer and the hide salted. We were back to looking for grizzly.

Day two took us seven miles up the creek on six-wheelers, somewhat technical riding through river crossings and over rough terrain. Near the old sheep camp, we spotted a sow with three cubs and various black bears, but no boars.

Then everything changed. Rounding an alder-lined corner, our guide hit the brakes. A black bear ahead was acting strangely. It was actually approaching us. Behind him, a grizzly was hunting him, panting from the chase. The black bear, caught between predators, escaped up the cliffs.

The grizzly sat on its haunches, exhausted, looking between us and the black bear as it escaped. This bear was in full predator mode, seemingly calculating whether we might be easier prey. Then he simply lay down for a nap, 400 yards away, completely unconcerned by our presence.

For 34 minutes, I stayed behind the gun. Time passed slowly as we talked through every scenario: “If he does this, we’ll do that.” Finally, he stood and turned broadside at 415 yards. One squeeze, perfect shot placement. He barrel-rolled down the slope.

This was it—the animal I’d wanted forever, taken in a sequence I couldn’t have scripted better. Pure euphoria.

We had two bears down and over a week left of hunting. Day three was Jordan’s birthday, and we decided to get him a bear tag from camp. This would be his first hunt behind a rifle. We picked up a great black bear in no time. Jordan’s demeanor totally changed as he went into hunt mode and put a perfect 350-yard shot right into the bear’s heart. Top-tier birthday!

Three bears in three days with a week remaining. I bought a second tag and grabbed my bow. We spent four days searching for another bear, exploring drainages, following wolf tracks, catching Dolly Varden, and collecting shed antlers. Living the full Alaska experience while always hunting.

On the second-to-last day, I spotted a huge black bear doing loops through berry patches on a steep face. After multiple failed positioning attempts, I opted to go solo while Jordan and our guide filmed from a distance. The bear, hearing me crash through the alders below him, thought I was another bear invading his berries. At nine yards, with his hackles up and ears flat, I put an arrow through his front shoulder. Our group’s fourth bear.

Four bears in four days. An incredible adventure. This was the outfitter’s first year focusing on Fall bear hunting. The populations are thriving (evident from the moose without calves), and they’ve wisely increased tag allocations.

I came to Alaska with a lifelong dream of taking a grizzly. What I got was something I couldn’t have imagined: multiple species, incredible encounters, and memories that transformed a dream hunt into something beyond dreams. The grizzly lying down in front of us, completely unafraid. Jordan’s pure joy at his first bear. Stalking with my bow, close enough to hear the bear growling and clacking its jaws.

Some hunts meet your expectations. This one created new ones. When you book with WTA, you’re not just booking a hunt, you’re setting yourself up for adventures you can’t even imagine.

Learn about this Hunt ).push(arguments)}; h._hjSettings={hjid:1425549,hjsv:6}; a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1; r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv; a.appendChild(r); })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv='); */ jQuery(function($) { $(function() { let isMobile = window.matchMedia("only screen and (max-width: 767px)").matches; if (!isMobile) { $('#pgpContent').on('click', '.tripCard a', function(){ $(this).attr('target', '_blank').attr('rel','noopener'); }); } }); });