About Us

We have been in operation since 2005 and operate in multiple states.  We select our hunting areas based on the best whitetail genetics as well as the right combination of hunting pressure and available ground.  The business has grown slowly but surely over time with near 100% of our hunters coming back on return hunts with us.  We have taken many record book deer but most importantly we provide a world class hunting experience in the right place to harvest a real trophy animal.  We work hard to put all our hunters in the right position to have a great time and opportunity to kill their buck of a lifetime.

Why ITH?  The biggest reason may be success. It’s your time, your money, your tag and success can be measured in experience and/or inches of horn. We excel at both, it’s our lively hood and we are good at it.  We also have a good time and love our work – you will enjoy this hunt and feel at home in our small camps with good people.

Its our job is to put you into the right spot for success.  Our goal is to maximize your time in the stand and to handle all the off-season preparation for you.  There isn’t a secrete to outfitting or shooting big bucks consistently.  It’s a mix of hard work and persistence. Like most things in life there is no elevator to the top, you’ll have to take the stairs!

The ‘right spot’ for a free range trophy deer hunt is out of our camps with our guides on our properties.  Below i’ll expand on those 3 hunts aspect for you.

Small and effective, no 25 hunter lodges here (that means no big mortgage that removes operational money from your hunt / that means not being lost in the rush of a fat operation with too many other hunters).  We have the time and the ability to cater specifically to your hunt.  We put your money into good ground, good equipment, and solid preparations for your hunt.

No TV deer hunters, this mean no BS and no favorites. Each hunter is in a good spot, where we expect and probably have killed big bucks in the past.  We operate on a first come first serve mentality – you will never be moved off a deer.

You will find our camps to be well equipped clean houses run by us. You will find a comfortable bed, home cooked meals, hot shower and a willingness to make you feel at home and maximize your time in the stand.

You will find mostly short drives to the stands from our camps and an extraordinary amount of effort and preparation for your hunt.

You will find the owner there in camp working. We do not hire cheap local talent. Our guides are professional and courteous and must be versatile enough to operate in all our locations.  I do not avoid being immediately available to you. I know your experience will be first class, if its not I want to know immediately. The buck stops here!

We have a small team of great people.  After 6 years of waiting for your Iowa Archery Tag we want you to kill a buck of the quality you are looking for.  I don’t hire part time bodies to help drive you around and drop you off where he thinks the stand is.  We run a professional outfit with attention to detail on all fronts.

Our guides work their tails off to get the job done.  I am also in the field and working at each location.  When you have the A-team working for you an average guide would just get in our way!  You probably noticed we don’t sell early season bow hunts… that’s because its low percentage, possibly hot, and junks up our properties. Why would we want to scare a deer off on October 5th when we know we can kill him on November 5th!  We hunt at the right time.

The main thing here is we have enough of them:

We have the right ground (well laid out ground where a deer wants to be with the potential for multiple trophy bucks).  Our hunting ground is in the right areas (trophy regions of the Midwest with great genetics, feed, and soil type).

We put in about 60 acres of custom food plot each year.  These 1 to 3 acre plots are designed to attract deer at different times of the year – especially in the cold winter months.  We utilize the right forage soy beans, clover, turnups and radishes with other nutritious plants whitetail love.

No penalties (many outfitters that charge this type of penalty fee usually have too little ground for the hunters they book.  They need you (and the next hunter) to see a border line buck but are worried to death you’ll kill it!

No trophy fees and we take more P&Y and B&C bucks per hunter than any outfit in operation today.

We have enough deer and enough big deer and we wish you to shoot what makes your experience with us a success!  If you kill a 200″ with us great, you kill a 7 year old heavy 7 point great, you kill a 5 year old 9 point that is your biggest deer to date that’s great as well.

We hunt for and stress age class and we have enough of each age class.  I refuse to penalize a hunter for taking a deer that he chooses.  This has never been an issue and we have enough deer for the hunts that we book.  We also take the time to educate our hunters on what to look for and what to not shoot – if you don’t know just ask us!

Our properties range in size from 40 to 700 acres on average. They all have food, cover, and are privately managed with low hunting pressure.

In closing, I hope you choose to hunt with us. We are not the cheapest we are certainly not the most expensive. We are not fancy.  We are effective, and the vast majority of our clients have hunted with us multiple times (upwards of 90% are repeat customers each year).  We have many that are on their 10th or 12th deer hunt with us!  To me this says it all.

Do not hesitate to contact us directly – we confirm most of our hunts 2 years in advance of the season.

Please have your equipment ready and be proficient in the killing of the animal. Practice shooting and be ready for the best deer hunt of your life!

As far as the expectations and trophy quality on this hunt we like to express the following ideas / guidelines:

We ask that all clients hold out for shooting 160” frame bucks and up with good mass, 5 years or old.

We do not want to kill any deer under 4 years old regardless of his size.

An old deer of 7+ years with very heavy Mass is a great trophy to us and a green light for you to take regardless of his score in inches.  We prefer hunting age class over inches – younger deer need to be left alone in order to keep Iowa hunting as good as it currently is.  Not all hunters will have a killing opportunity at these type of deer as this is a free-range hunt with all the difficulties and variables that apply – wild animals, weather, deer populations, diseases, neighbors, accuracy, equipment and luck (good or bad!). 

We are in a great area with a proven track record and we work hard for your success but there is no guarantee of a deer or a shot at a deer.  We work hard and help you to hunt in the most effective manner and to your ability.  It takes time, persistence, and work to have, keep, see and kill big deer. 

We ask you to please be patient with this process AND we ask that you practice with your weapon and are able to make a killing shot when the moment presents itself.  Know your weapon / know your skill level with that weapon / do not stretch reality and hope for a killing shot!  To us there is no such thing as a first day shooter and there are definitely no last day shooters.  There is the right buck as per our management and the right buck for you.  We want you to be ready to kill the right buck at any time on your hunt, and if he isn’t for you then best he sticks around another year.

All on site hunt locations, accommodations, meal, logistics and preparations are provided – you must arrive with your valid license and permit / standard cold weather deer hunting gear / weapon / a safety harness as required for elevated hunting with us / solid blaze orange hat and solid vest for gun hunts.

We will have everything in place for your hunt and look forward to sharing our camp with you.  

I appreciate you hunting with us and I am looking forward to seeing you in camp.