Heading into Iowa’s busiest outdoor “opening day,” shotgun deer season hunters should expect to see fewer deer.
While that downturn is by design, they should still fill plenty of tags during the Dec. 1-5 first shotgun season or the Dec. 8-16 second season.
“Deer numbers are projected to be down at least ten percent from last year,” said Tom Litchfield, DNR deer research biologist. “We have been working to decrease deer numbers since 2003. On a statewide basis, the herd is very close to objective; which would be the levels seen in the mid to late 1990s.”
With a relatively short season (five or nine days), shotgun hunters often must adapt to the weather. Looking ahead to the next week, seasonal temperatures and a continued brown — not white — landscape lie ahead for hunters holding about 172,000 paid first season, paid second season and landowner tags.
One strategy that remains constant is hunting with the wind. Deer rely primarily on their noses to warn of danger. Hunters should keep that in mind, especially as they set up drives.
Hunters are Iowa’s primary deer management tool. It is a role they have carried out well in the last decade, with that emphasis to reduce deer numbers.