Youth Deer Hunting Season Begins Saturday

DES MOINES - Nearly 4,000 Iowa teens will participate in the statewide, youth deer season beginning Saturday and running through Oct. 1. The special season was created to allow adults to teach deer hunting to Iowa resident youths, without the pressure to succeed often found during the regular deer season.

The youth deer season is open to any resident Iowan, who is less than 16 years of age when they obtain the deer license. This is the first year where the minimum age and the hunter education requirements have been removed. The youth must hunt under the direct supervision of an adult mentor who has a valid hunting license and has paid the habitat fee, if normally required to hunt. Only one youth hunter may accompany each adult. The adult mentor may not carry a firearm.

Youth hunters may hunt with a bow, shotgun or muzzleloader during the youth season. Youth season licenses are valid statewide for taking one deer of either sex. The youth hunter and mentor must comply with the blaze orange requirements. Youth hunters may also obtain deer licenses for other season like any other hunter.

Last year, nearly 50 percent of the youth hunters successfully harvested a deer.

Iowa's special disabled hunter deer season also begins Saturday and runs through Oct. 1. There is certain criteria that must be met and a special application filled out and submitted to the DNR in order to participate in the disabled deer season.

In 2005, 75 hunters participated during the two week disabled hunter season.