NOVEMBER MAGIC is what some deer hunters say about the first two weeks of the month. Deer rutting time is beginning to wind down a bit, but in the forested areas of Iowa, bucks are still roaming about in hopes of finding a mate.

This ages-old format of the fall season for members of the deer family (Cervidae) applies to not only white-tailed deer, but also to mule deer varieties, caribou, moose and elk. Roughly in seven months time, new fawns will be born in late May to early June of next year as the population regains numbers.

Across many states in North America, white-tail deer are hunted by people. This species is so plentiful and common that Fish & Game departments in Canada, and all of the lower 48 have over a century of experience dealing with the population dynamics of deer. A lot of deer are born every spring that create a temporary over-abundance of deer.

Hunting seasons are one way of managing deer numbers, numbers that if left unchecked would not be sustainable over the upcoming winter. The land itself and its available deer habitat can only hold in good health a certain number of deer.

Hunting seasons offer a method that has stood the test of time and the test of biologically sound wildlife management to carefully reduce the population. The breeding population will thus remain at a desired level going into 2026.

Melissa related the story of how this hunting morning unfolded. A nice antlered deer was observed via binoculars, but he was seemingly uninterested in coming closer to her tree stand. A doe and this buck were originally going the other way, not closer.

So Melissa said to herself, “Dad, you’ve got to help me out here.” Melissa used a grunt call and bleep calls to try and persuade the buck to change its mind.

The doe ran the wrong way at first, then changed direction to run right past Melissa’s tree stand. The buck, meanwhile, was upset as he pawed the ground and raked his antlers on brush. Because the doe had just run past, the buck finally decided to investigate the grunt calls. He followed almost on the same path as the doe.

He was coming closer and closer. Melissa waited patiently and finally saw the opening for her crossbow arrow’s pathway. Her shot was good.

The buck walked into some tall grasses and laid down. That is where in about one more hour of waiting, he expired.

While checking her history notes of past deer hunts accompanied with her late father A.J., Melissa noted that the same blind she was using this year was where she and her dad were in several years ago when she took a buck. As an additional data point, that successful hunt was also on Nov. 16.

Coincidence? Maybe it is. Sometimes fate accomplishes amazing things. Congratulations Melissa for taking a nice Iowa white-tail buck.

———-

IOWA DEER HUNTER registration data as of midweek shows that about 25,400 total deer within Iowa have been killed. About 9,100 are female deer and 16,300 are bucks.

Marshall County hunters have registered a total of 140 deer. Venison meat cuts may soon be adorning a few Thanksgiving Day dinner tables, and of course, a wild turkey may also be offered that a hunter has acquired.

Our pilgrim forefathers started a grand tradition. We carry the tradition onward.

———-

THANKSGIVING DAY holiday activities will be upon us in just five days. Family gatherings are planned.

Preparations are made to meet and greet, and of course, the noon meal is a long held tradition to give thanks for all the blessings of another year. It is my sincere hope to all of you that you will be able to share good times and the bounty of the land with as many folks as you can.

The turkey has been a symbol of Thanksgiving Day even before Ben Franklin. Game farm raised turkeys supply the predominant supply of grocery store offerings. There is a lot of good meat on any turkey.

Properly prepared, it will sustain a good number of people. On average, Americans eat 18 pounds of turkey per year.

You can purchase sliced turkey meats or buy the entire bird, your choice. Leave room for pumpkin pie.

———-

As outdoor loving people, whether hunters or people that like to go fishing, what is the value of our collective outdoor experiences? To put an economic number on these activities is hard to pin down. I do know it is enormous. I will have to settle for this word — “priceless.”

Is there a tangible way to put a value on outdoor adventures into nature’s storehouse of landscapes, whether it be prairies, mountains or all kinds of seashore settings. Add to this list wetlands, lakes, rivers, ponds, woodlands or native grasslands. How does one add up with any hope of reality the value in dollars of being an advocate of nature and natural resources?

I know others have tried to approximate how much time and money may be spent each year on vacation travel, on hunting and fishing related gear and clothing. Add to this list licenses to fish or hunt, or even entrance fees into national or state parks.

Add in the foods purchased during the to and from actions of these outdoor adventures. Add motels and gasoline purchases. Add in camera gear plus souvenirs one may find as reminders of places visited. Add in camping gear. Add in outfitter services into remote landscapes. This list gets longer and longer.

I defy a person to set a value on early morning sunrises and colorful sunsets or to put a price tag on seeing flocks of ducks or geese at spring or fall migration times. Or to be present when a bass or bluegill fish is caught for the first time by son or daughter, or grandchild — it is all magical.

Walks along a forested pathway each spring allow the fragrant smells of wildflowers to linger in the wind while numerous birds chirp their voices to one another from the tree tops. Nature is wonderful and exciting, relaxing and therapeutic.

My calculator cannot go high enough to meet my expectation of value. I just know that Mother Nature offers many of these things free all the time, every day. The word “priceless” seems to fit quite well. When I look up to admire a circling bald eagle, I know priceless is a magic word.

———-

Here is some advice from an EAGLE: Let your spirit soar; see the big picture; cherish freedom; honor the Earth and sky; Keep your goals in sight; bald is beautiful; fly high.

———-

Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology.

Contact him at:

P.O. Box 96

Albion, IA 50005