My deer season has officially come to an end in Iowa. I tried and tried some more, but could not pull out a Tebow win like America’s most interesting quarterback recently did against the intimidating Steelers. I guess all the Tebowing was used up in that game, despite my own requests to the Big Man.
Mother Nature was against me from the start. Warm, sunny temperatures were forecast for the entire hunt, and the forecast was spot-on, unlike most outlooks. Mature bucks were seldom seen, and even the does and young bucks switched patterns like New Hampshire’s voting public. One night I’d watch bucks on a corn field and move in the next night only to discover they had abandoned any pattern at all.
It was frustrating, but the crew at Tails of the Hunt did everything possible to try and get me a buck. In fact, I wanted to tag a doe on the last day to donate to Iowa’s HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger) program. Even the does wouldn’t cooperate for a last-minute Hamburger Helper donation.
Partner in the outfitting business, Mike Humpal, wrapped up guiding to try some last-minute bowhunting of his own. If you’re an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, you might recall Humpal’s name—he was a star player on the Hawkeyes football team, earning him some time with the Steelers in the NFL. Today he outfits with partner Aaron Volkmar at Tails of the Hunt in southwest Iowa.
Humpal stalked out to the middle of a picked corn field and hid behind the bank of an erosion terrace to possibly ambush a feeding whitetail. In the last minutes of shooting light bucks started his way, but disappeared behind the small hill. Suddenly, they appeared and one was feeding 10 yards away. When it put its head down, Humpal drew his bow and released. The extreme tactic ended with him taking a buck scoring nearly 140 inches.
Deer hunting season may be finally over, but I’m already itching for another try at those giant Iowa whitetails.