For you people up north I’d guess first SAFE ice around the last week of November. Down here on the Mississippi at Dubuque I hope that it doesn’t ice over so I can fish out of my boat all winter long. If it does ice over down here it is usually the first week or two in December. I can only take ice fishing a couple times a year and then I need open water. I know guys that like to go ice fishing whether or not the fish are biting but they all drink when they are on the ice and I don’t drink so when the fish aren’t jumping out of the holes ice fishing is as boring as it gets. Give me open water year round and I’d be happy.

We have made a trip up to pool 4 in early September for the past several years and have found some good numbers of pike on lower pool 4 just below Lake Pepin. There is a slough that runs from Reads Landing to just above Wabasha.
The slough begans below a series of wingdams so you have to be carefull getting in there. Thre are lots of short closing dams and rock structures in this slough which is actually a series of sloughs. We have always caught some pretty nice northerns in the deeper pools below these structures in that slough mainly casting crankbaits. Some of the pike we have caught and almost caught have been brutes. We’ve also caught bass and walleye back in there but they are usually on the small side.

Last year we made our daily trip down to pool 5A at Fountain City and a buddy was casting a buzz bait for northerns and smallies and hooked into a really nice musky that was just a half inch short of being legal. If there are muskies in pool 5A I’d imagine there are also a few in pool 4 as well. The place where he caught the musky is very much like the slough up in pool 4 that I mentioned above.

I\\\’ll second Eagle Windows. They are a very high quality product and the factory is just down the street from my office here in Dubuque. Another high-end window is Pella which is high priced but worth it. A third is Anderson which is also a high-quality window.

You should be able to find a few white bass on some of the bigger rivers in Minnesota. I\\\’m not sure that fish like Minnesota rivers any more than they like Iowa or Wisconsin rivers as the fish I\\\’ve caught in all 3 states are always anxious to get back in the water. I know the Clear Lake has an abundance of yellow bass and I know several other lakes in Iowa have been eradicated of them because they ended up taking over the lakes. The Mississippi is teaming with white bass (we call them stripers) and I catch a few yellow bass mixed in with the white bass every year as well. I\\\’ve been told that yellow bass are extremely good table fare. I kept a couple once along with a couple white bass and I could not tell the difference between the two. Now I wouldn\\\’t say they are extremely good eating when compared to walleye or bluegill but they are every bit as good as a crappie. It helps to take the red meat off of the filets before you prepare them.

Preseason games are bogus and should not be televised. They are by no means a showing of what a team will look like come the regular season. Once the final roster cuts are made you will then see a team. Right now it is not a team but instead a bunch of guys that are trying to make the team.

When you say that you are wondering where Favre’s targets are at I hope you don’t mean Randy Moss because the Pack is way better off without that idiot. I would have liked to see them pick up a speedster like Ted Ginn from Ohio State (rumors were that they were going after him) but they obviously didn’t get him.

The Packers will pick up where they left off last year. The division will come down to the Packers and the Bears but the Packers will handle the Bears like they did the last game of the regular season last year. The Vikings and Lions will once again play no part in determining the division champ. The Vikings and Lions have become embarrassments to the division. Losers year after year.

We had high winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning sometime early this morning here in DBQ. I haven’t heard how much rain we got but I had at least a couple inches where I live based on the depth of the water in my pick-up bed. My neighbor lady’s loaded walnut tree isn’t quite as loaded this morning either. It would be difficult to walk across her backyard without stepping on a walnut. The squirrels will be working overtime today.

I shoot the greatest broadhead ever made. Nothing beats the bone penetrating power of a Zwicky broadhead. I shoot the 125 gr. with bleeder blades. This is a fixed blade broadhead so it helps to practice with the broadheads as they do fly different than a field point. These broadheads are tough. I’ve got one broadhead that has taken 3 deer and is still in use.

A tip for any broadhead is to take and dip each blade in petrolium jelly before sticking it in your quiver. This is especially important for high-carbon steel blades as it keeps the blades from oxidizing (rusting) when in your quiver.

Eyehunter

I shoot the greatest broadhead ever made. Nothing beats the bone penetrating power of a Zwicky broadhead. I shoot the 125 gr. with bleeder blades. This is a fixed blade broadhead so it helps to practice with the broadheads as they do fly different than a field point. These broadheads are tough. I’ve got one broadhead that has taken 3 deer and is still in use.

A tip for any broadhead is to take and dip each blade in petrolium jelly before sticking it in your quiver. This is especially important for high-carbon steel blades as it keeps the blades from oxidizing (rusting) when in your quiver.

Eyehunter

I’ve seen the river shoot up several feet in one day in the past but nothing like what it is predicted to rise in the next 24 hours. I mean the L&D at DBQ was right around 5 foot the day befoe yesterday and by tomorrow it is supposed to be at 16.5 ft which is a half foot over flood stage. The forecast calls for it to drop almost as fast as it came up but then they aren’t taking into account the rains we are supposed to get the rest of this week. I see there is a heavy line of storms forming out in NW Iowa heading this direction. Not good for the walleye club’s Kid’s Day this coming Saturday. It would be my guess that with the river over flood stage on Tuesday/Wednesday that we won’t be fishing with the kids this coming Saturday.

This will be a good time for me to get all of my archery stuff in order and get dialed in with the bow in the backyard. I doubt if I’ll be fishing anytime soon.

Eyehunter

This is unbelieveable. Yesterday the tailwater at L&D 11 in DBQ was around 7 ft. Tomorrow’s forecast is for 16.5 ft. which is one-half foot over flood stage. The river is going to rise close to 10 ft in 24 hours according to the Corps. web site.

Yup. Those are 1-1/2 year old bucks. My Dad calls them butter bucks because they are so tender and good eating. I admit that I’ve taken a couple of these small bucks back when I first began bow hunting. Now I let them pass by hoping to get them back in bow range in a few years. In only a year these little butter bucks will have considerably different looking antlers. I had been told by the group of guys I used to shotgun hunt with that the spike bucks will never develop antlers and should be culled out of the herd. However I had IDNR wildlife biologist tell me that a 1-1/2 year old spike buck will normally have a rack of some sort or another the following year so the guys I used to hunt with had been misinformed. I guess that is why you don’t see older bucks with spike antlers. The number of points and the rate at which they grow has to do with genetics and the quality of food sources. Right now the bucks are feeding heavily on soybean leaves at night. The same biologist told me that one of the reasons Iowa has such big bucks is due to the leaves on the soybean plants. There is something in the leaves that promotes antler growth and the bucks like to feast on them while they are green. Once the the leaves turn yellow the bucks leave them alone.

Eyehunter

Yup. Those are 1-1/2 year old bucks. My Dad calls them butter bucks because they are so tender and good eating. I admit that I’ve taken a couple of these small bucks back when I first began bow hunting. Now I let them pass by hoping to get them back in bow range in a few years. In only a year these little butter bucks will have considerably different looking antlers. I had been told by the group of guys I used to shotgun hunt with that the spike bucks will never develop antlers and should be culled out of the herd. However I had IDNR wildlife biologist tell me that a 1-1/2 year old spike buck will normally have a rack of some sort or another the following year so the guys I used to hunt with had been misinformed. I guess that is why you don’t see older bucks with spike antlers. The number of points and the rate at which they grow has to do with genetics and the quality of food sources. Right now the bucks are feeding heavily on soybean leaves at night. The same biologist told me that one of the reasons Iowa has such big bucks is due to the leaves on the soybean plants. There is something in the leaves that promotes antler growth and the bucks like to feast on them while they are green. Once the the leaves turn yellow the bucks leave them alone.

Eyehunter

I was always led to believe that a 1-1/2 year old is usually a fork horn or possibly a 6 pnt buck. I’ve got a book that states that the yearlings usually only have buttons. When they reach 1-1/2 they have forks or possibly 6 point little baskets. The book states that when a buck reaches 2-1/2 years that the antlers are now in the configuration that they will be the remainder of the deer’s life. For instance at 1-1/2 years a buck may only be a little fork horn but at 2-1/2 years bucks have grown the maximum number of points and antler configuration that they will have the rest of their lives. An eight or ten point main frame will always have the same number of points once the deer reaches 2-1/2 years of age. There are exceptions to this rule but for the majority of whitetails this is the way their antlers develop. Of course the antlers get longer and heavier every year until the buck reaches prime age at around 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 years. After that the antlers begin to shrink every year. The book shows complete antler sheds from the same deer for like 11 years. I’m certain that there are several of you people out there that have this same book by Cox and Ortega I believe. I purchased it through NAHC. Lots of great photos in the book and much of it was photoed in Wisconsin.

Based on this I would think the greatest growth of antlers would be between the ages of 1-1/2 years to 2-1/2 years. A 1-1/2 year old deer may only have little fork horns or spikes but could possibly have a 10-point frame at age 2-1/2. The 2-1/2 year old 10 point set of antlers will not be heavy but might score upwards to the 120 to 130 inch range at just 2-1/2 years. This from a fork horn the year before would be a tremendous number of inches in one year.

I was out last night with a couple buddies checking trail cams and looking for deer. I’ve got the fever bad but have no choice but to wait until October. I’ll be practicing daily now in the back yard.

I was always led to believe that a 1-1/2 year old is usually a fork horn or possibly a 6 pnt buck. I’ve got a book that states that the yearlings usually only have buttons. When they reach 1-1/2 they have forks or possibly 6 point little baskets. The book states that when a buck reaches 2-1/2 years that the antlers are now in the configuration that they will be the remainder of the deer’s life. For instance at 1-1/2 years a buck may only be a little fork horn but at 2-1/2 years bucks have grown the maximum number of points and antler configuration that they will have the rest of their lives. An eight or ten point main frame will always have the same number of points once the deer reaches 2-1/2 years of age. There are exceptions to this rule but for the majority of whitetails this is the way their antlers develop. Of course the antlers get longer and heavier every year until the buck reaches prime age at around 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 years. After that the antlers begin to shrink every year. The book shows complete antler sheds from the same deer for like 11 years. I’m certain that there are several of you people out there that have this same book by Cox and Ortega I believe. I purchased it through NAHC. Lots of great photos in the book and much of it was photoed in Wisconsin.

Based on this I would think the greatest growth of antlers would be between the ages of 1-1/2 years to 2-1/2 years. A 1-1/2 year old deer may only have little fork horns or spikes but could possibly have a 10-point frame at age 2-1/2. The 2-1/2 year old 10 point set of antlers will not be heavy but might score upwards to the 120 to 130 inch range at just 2-1/2 years. This from a fork horn the year before would be a tremendous number of inches in one year.

I was out last night with a couple buddies checking trail cams and looking for deer. I’ve got the fever bad but have no choice but to wait until October. I’ll be practicing daily now in the back yard.

Ken,

Fantastic photos. I’m sure glad to have you posting them again. I always look forward to seeing your photos. It is great to see these wildlife photos taken by an award winning photographer posted on this site. Thank you.

As far as the cougar goes there is a growing resident population here in the upper midwest. I have not run into any here in NE Iowa yet but the IDNR says there are indigenous cougars living here in Iowa. The only wild cat I’ve ever seen around here is a bobcat.

This morning I head on one of the news channels that they determined the 2 tropical weather systems were not considered to be a threat to the oil industry and that they price per barrel would not be affected by the storms. Maybe the price went up before they decided the storms were not going to be a threat. In any case I would think that they should have to wait to raise the price only after a disaster such as a hurricane hits. I think I should tell my boss I need a raise now because he might give me one next year.

I’m pretty sure this sort of thing happens way too-often. I recently purchased a used S-10 pick-up that needed a new rear brake line, master cylinder and front brake pads. I did shop around at the chain places. The lowest quote I received was just over $350. I’ve replaced rotors and pad in my driveway but since this needed the master cylinder and rear brake line I figured I take it somewhere with a hoist as a hoist is needed to get at the rear brake line.
On a tip from a friend I took the truck to a local mechanic/body shop man who not only got all the parts and provided the labor but he only charged me $175 for the entire job. Not bad considering the master cylinder alone cost over $90. Add in the cost of the brake line, front pads and fluid probably came close to what the guy charged me. I am very satisfied with the work he did so much that I am going to give the guy the majority of my mechanic work. The best part is his business is located less than a mile from my office and I have to walk along the flood wall to get there.

Anyone needing work done on your vehicle in the DBQ area just send me a PM and I’ll send you in the right direction.

I made the switch to Fireline Stealth for trolling and casting cranks several years ago. I actually used Spiderwire Fusion until they stopped making it. It took some experimenting but eventually I learned to go with a longer, more flexible rod when trolling with no-stretch lines. I also learned to loosen the drag on the reel slightly. Make sure that the hooks on your crank are sharp and the fish will mostly hook themselves. My main reason for switching from mono to superline was to cut down on the number of lost crankbaits. While I still snag-up and lose the occasional crankbait I lose way less than half of the crankbaits that I used to lose when fishing with mono. I’ve even switched to super line when pulling double rapala rigs.

Mark,

Try pitching jigs or live bait rigs on the rip rap on the Cross Lake side of the underpass between Cross and Rush lakes around sunset. I’ve caught many a walleye up there doing just that. I have also caught walleye in the evenings on the west side of the island in the cove down near the campground and dam.

For crappie try just above the dam at Cross Lake. There is a bunch of old wooden timbers in there from construction many years ago that hold lots of crappies. It is on the north side of the dam about 25 yards from the dam in approximately 10 feet or so of water. You can see the timbers (and the crappies) when going over it in a boat. Fish it with slip bobbers and minnows. If you are staying ar the Corps campground you can also cast out to this spot form the shore next to the dam. I haven’t fished it for a few years but the last time I was up there the crappies were easy pickings in this particular spot and they always seemed to be there every year.

I’ll admit that I am a life long Cubbie fan. It is hard not to like the loveable losers. However this year might just be different. I was watching Sports Center the other day and they agreed that the Cubbies would win the central division. They came to this decision based on the strength of the starting rotation which is the best I’ve seen in the Cub organization in my 50 years. They stated that pretty much all the great teams from the past that had one thing in common and that was the strength of their starting rotation which is something the Cubbies have this year. Much better than Milwaukee’s starters according to the talking heads on ESPN. It all doesn’t matter unless somebody lets the goat into Wrigley as that is the only thing that will break the curse. I’m afraid that if the Cubbies do make it to the World Series that the end of the world is just around the corner. It has to be a sign of the end.

Good question. When it comes to fishing I’ve always looked at a “professional” as being one that makes money fishing a professional circuit and has sponsors. There are tons of amateur fishing tournaments that pay money and most of the pros cut their teeth fishing these tournaments but they don’t pay the big bucks and most of the amateurs don’t have sponsors. Most of the amateur fishing circuits are regional with all of the tournaments held in the same general area while the pro circuits tend to hold tournaments spread all over the country. Pretty much anybody who has the money can fish a pro circuit but it is expensive and, when done the right way, is more than a full time job. That is where sponsors come in with financial backing.

Eyehunter

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Kind of like believeing Mr. Joe Fellegy’s articles are 100% factual.

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Who said that?

Are really going to go there??

Totally different thread. Do I believe scent blocker clothing works? NO. Enough said? Or would you like to discuss last months thread??

BIRDDOG

I agree 100% and also do not buy into the scent blocking capabilities of the stuff. It may be really good quality camo. I’ve been bow hunting for many years and have seen all kinds of great “innovative paraphernalia” come and go but little has improved on the basics. It still takes a bow and at least one arrow to take a deer.

Camo isn’t even all that necessary. If you can remain motionless the deer are not going to see you unless you move. I know people that hut wearing blue jeans and they get deer every year. I took a buck last year wearing a t-shirt and light weight pants (it was warm out) and never needed camo because I wasn’t moving until I had to release my arrow.

Quote:

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Kind of like believeing Mr. Joe Fellegy’s articles are 100% factual.

---

Who said that?

Are really going to go there??

Totally different thread. Do I believe scent blocker clothing works? NO. Enough said? Or would you like to discuss last months thread??

BIRDDOG

I agree 100% and also do not buy into the scent blocking capabilities of the stuff. It may be really good quality camo. I’ve been bow hunting for many years and have seen all kinds of great “innovative paraphernalia” come and go but little has improved on the basics. It still takes a bow and at least one arrow to take a deer.

Camo isn’t even all that necessary. If you can remain motionless the deer are not going to see you unless you move. I know people that hut wearing blue jeans and they get deer every year. I took a buck last year wearing a t-shirt and light weight pants (it was warm out) and never needed camo because I wasn’t moving until I had to release my arrow.

I too wash my camo in scent killer wash, store them in garbage bags with unhusked walnuts (great cover scent). However I don’t rely on the detergent to remove the scent but instead it removes any UV reflectants in the fabric which is important since deer can pick up UV light. What might look like good clean natural smelling camo to humans might look like a bright white T-shirt to a deer because of the UV light reflecting off of the camo.

Like every tree stand hunter I’ve been busted by getting smelled. When this has happened to me it is almost always when the deer get within 30 yards or less from me. I’ve never had a deer smell me (that I am aware of) further away than 30 to 40 yards and most of the time it is far less than that. Most of the time when I get busted it is by a deer that is within 20 yards of my stand. That is why setitng up so my shooting lanes are in my scent path makes sense to me.

Wind is important as are thermals. One of my favorite stand locations is on top of a bluff that juts out into a river valley. In the early mornings my scent falls down the hillside (cold air falls) but once it warms up later in the morning my scent rises.

I too wash my camo in scent killer wash, store them in garbage bags with unhusked walnuts (great cover scent). However I don’t rely on the detergent to remove the scent but instead it removes any UV reflectants in the fabric which is important since deer can pick up UV light. What might look like good clean natural smelling camo to humans might look like a bright white T-shirt to a deer because of the UV light reflecting off of the camo.

Like every tree stand hunter I’ve been busted by getting smelled. When this has happened to me it is almost always when the deer get within 30 yards or less from me. I’ve never had a deer smell me (that I am aware of) further away than 30 to 40 yards and most of the time it is far less than that. Most of the time when I get busted it is by a deer that is within 20 yards of my stand. That is why setitng up so my shooting lanes are in my scent path makes sense to me.

Wind is important as are thermals. One of my favorite stand locations is on top of a bluff that juts out into a river valley. In the early mornings my scent falls down the hillside (cold air falls) but once it warms up later in the morning my scent rises.

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This should lead to some intresting chats. I to have bought into the hype, but you can NEVER forget the wind. I feel that if all it does is cut down a small percentage of human scent then its worth it. Anything is better then nothing.

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Wind is the key. Actually I am learning to use the wind to my advantage when hunting from a stand. Tom Miranda (who also used to endorse Scent Blocker but no longer does) sets his stands up so that his shooting lanes are directly down wind from him. I watched one of his shows on this a couple years ago and it made perfect sense. The deer don’t catch a whiff of him until they cross his shooting lane. When they do smell him they tend to stop to check things out giving him a chance to get an arrow into the vitals. That way deer coming from all other directions cannot smell the hunter until it is too-late. Instead of trying to block the human scent that cannot be blocked I am learning to use it in my favor. I still try to keep my scent to a minimum but knowing I’ll never be without it I might as well put it to good use.

Eyehunter

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This should lead to some intresting chats. I to have bought into the hype, but you can NEVER forget the wind. I feel that if all it does is cut down a small percentage of human scent then its worth it. Anything is better then nothing.

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Wind is the key. Actually I am learning to use the wind to my advantage when hunting from a stand. Tom Miranda (who also used to endorse Scent Blocker but no longer does) sets his stands up so that his shooting lanes are directly down wind from him. I watched one of his shows on this a couple years ago and it made perfect sense. The deer don’t catch a whiff of him until they cross his shooting lane. When they do smell him they tend to stop to check things out giving him a chance to get an arrow into the vitals. That way deer coming from all other directions cannot smell the hunter until it is too-late. Instead of trying to block the human scent that cannot be blocked I am learning to use it in my favor. I still try to keep my scent to a minimum but knowing I’ll never be without it I might as well put it to good use.

Eyehunter

Scent Blocker is a marketing success seeing how so many people purchased the stuff. However I have read and heard reports that it does not block your scent as it is advertised to do. There was quite a bit of discussion on this last fall here on IDA.

What it boils down to is unless you can totally cover your head and stop breathing that the deer are going to smell you. Most of your body heat escapes from your body through your head. Your breath also sends out the “I AM HERE” signal to the deer. Plus there are all those gadgets and equipment in your backpack that give off odors not to mention the smell of whatever you ate for breakfast or that cheese you cut on the way out to your stand.

While Scent Blocker might sell quality outdoor clothing so do several other companies for a great deal less money. You are better off buying new camo and spending the rest on Wildlife Research Scent Blocker wash and spray. These products have been proven to work.

Scent Blocker is a marketing success seeing how so many people purchased the stuff. However I have read and heard reports that it does not block your scent as it is advertised to do. There was quite a bit of discussion on this last fall here on IDA.

What it boils down to is unless you can totally cover your head and stop breathing that the deer are going to smell you. Most of your body heat escapes from your body through your head. Your breath also sends out the “I AM HERE” signal to the deer. Plus there are all those gadgets and equipment in your backpack that give off odors not to mention the smell of whatever you ate for breakfast or that cheese you cut on the way out to your stand.

While Scent Blocker might sell quality outdoor clothing so do several other companies for a great deal less money. You are better off buying new camo and spending the rest on Wildlife Research Scent Blocker wash and spray. These products have been proven to work.

That is a big walleye for the Cedar River or any river for that matter. I’d imagine that a 30″ walleye (approximately 10 Lbs) that is belly hooked would put up quite a fight. I’m sure you released the fish seeing how it is illegal to keep game fish not hooked in the mouth in Iowa. I’ve heard of a few walleyes that large being taken from the Cedar through the years. I lived in Cedar falls for a couple years way back when and I would catch a few walleyes below the low head dams but the biggest I ever caught on the Cedar were maybe 20″.

The interior rivers here in Iowa have decent populations of walleye in them but they don’t get nearly the fishing pressure that the big river or some of the lakes get. Many of the smaller interior rivers are regularily stocked with walleye and while other rivers have some natural reproduction. I know the DesMoines, Cedar and Wapsi rivers all have some reproduction but also receive supplimental stocking. Rivers like the Turkey and Upper Iowa are stocked and have no natural reproduction but are loaded with walleye.