6/19/2007

County Antlerless-only Deer Tags Increased, January Season Extended

Iowa's harvest of antlerless deer will remain a focus of the 2007-2008 hunting season. The Natural Resource Commission approved final rules for resident hunters at its June 14 meeting in Marion.

Among them, is the addition of 10,250 county antlerless tags, keeping the same counties open for January's antlerless season and extending that season for another week. The NRC also approved changes in the youth and season, a requirement for shotgun hunters using blinds to display blaze orange and a substantial rewrite of the depredation program.

While most hunters still purchase an 'any sex' tag to harvest a buck or a doe, in the last few years, they have embraced the antlerless system. That allows them to buy multiple tags, at reduced rates to increase the harvest of does. Reduction of does is important in reducing deer numbers in overpopulated areas. Each county has an antlerless quota established, with hunters choosing the seasons and counties they will hunt. Many purchase multiple tags, spreading them across various seasons, which now run from late September to late January.

In response, Iowa's whitetail harvest has leapt dramatically, with a record of over 211,000 harvested in the 2005-06 season. Last year, the reported harvest dropped to 150,552. However, DNR officials expected that. County antlerless quotas in north central and northwest Iowa were reduced and a new, mandatory reporting system most likely chipped away at the actual harvest figures. "In the field, we checked over 2,700 deer taken by hunters. We later learned that 95 percent of them were reported. We suspect the rate was probably a little lower for deer that were not specifically checked," explained Willie Suchy, wildlife research supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources.

Following public comments about proposed rules for this season, wildlife officials recommended boosting the antlerless tags available. "If we can increase the harvest by about five percent in the eastern third of Iowa, we could reach our deer population goal in a couple years," said Suchy. "We are there, or very close to it in north central and northwest Iowa. Across the southwestern third or so of Iowa counties, we still haven't gotten the doe harvest to the levels we need." County quotas were increased by from 10 to 35 percent with the June 14 NRC vote.

At the NRC meeting, the Natural Resources Commission also approved special zone hunt dates and quotas for 54 areas; ranging from within city limits, to perimeters around urban areas to state and county parks. Most are for bow hunting and target antlerless deer.

The Commission also approved carryover of unused youth season tags into other seasons. In addition, shotgun season hunters who utilize a constructed blind must show a 12 inch by 12 inch blaze orange banner, visible from all sides. Also, shooting permits will be allowed outside previous time frames for landowners involved in the depredation program. Producers facing substantial damage before a season opens may be issued shooting permits, to allow taking more deer. Deer taken on such permits must be processed for consumption. A full description of requirements will be found in the 2007 deer regulations booklet, when the become available this summer.

The Commission also approved regulations to be followed by the city of Iowa City, as it conducts a controlled, paid sharpshooter program, to reduce deer numbers.