Iowa’s Deer Forecast

Iowa’s Deer Forecast

By Ben Leal

As summer months have slowly moved on, we are staring at the opening day of the 2023/24 whitetail deer season. Iowa bowhunters have been out practicing and honing their archery skills, and as each passing month passes, the anticipation has finally come, October 1, time to hunt! In this edition of the Iowa Deer Hunting Forecast, we’ll closely examine the previous season’s harvest report, giving us a better idea of where numbers exist and can help fill our tags. We’ll also look at some of the trends with CWD (chronic wasting disease) and if EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) had any effects last season.

Iowa Deer Population
Since 2009 the Iowa DNR has been working to reduce the deer population to the numbers observed in 1995. “Statewide, the Iowa deer population is well within our management objectives and shows a stable trend,” noted Iowa DNR Deer Biologist Jace Elliott. The deer program aims to maximize hunting opportunities while minimizing negative consequences (crop depredation, vehicle collisions, etc.) that result from overabundance. To balance deer numbers regionally, the Iowa DNR provides additional antlerless tags at the county level, which are determined by both statistical population metrics and local staff observations.

Bowhunter Observation Survey
The Bowhunter Observation Survey is an annual survey conducted by the Iowa DNR to obtain information on deer, turkeys, and selected furbearers. This survey was initiated in 2004 and was designed jointly by the Iowa DNR and William R. Clark, Professor at Iowa State University. For each bowhunting trip, survey participants are asked to record the date, the county hunted, the number of hours hunted, and the number of animals observed.

Hunters are asked to record observations of the following species: white-tailed deer, raccoon, wild turkey, opossum, striped skunk, bobcat, coyote, badget, red fox, gray fox, and river otter. The primary objectives for this survey are to: determine the value of bowhunter observation data as a supplement to other deer data collected by the DNR; and develop a long-term database of selected furbearer data for monitoring and evaluating population trends.

Bowhunters are a logical choice for observational-type surveys because of the methods used. At the same time, bowhunting is also ideal for viewing most wildlife species in their natural environment. Bowhunters spend a considerable amount of time pursuing deer from a stand or ground blind, and while doing so, they typically wear camouflage and take steps to control or mask human scent. (Source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources website) For more detailed bowhunter observation survey data, visit https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Population-Harvest-Trends.

CWD & EHD In Iowa
“Overall, 2022 was a very mild year concerning EHD,” said Elliott. “We received relatively few reports of suspected EHD mortalities in western and southeastern Iowa, typically the regions of the state most affected by the disease.” While reported EHD mortalities were very low statewide, certain properties may have still been majorly affected. “The 2022-2023 CWD surveillance season resulted in record high detections, totaling 94 confirmed cases statewide out of 5,053 samples,” continued the biologist. “The vast majority of these detections came from northeast and south-central Iowa, the two endemic regions of the State. Unfortunately, we also detected CWD in three new counties this past surveillance season: Grundy and Jasper County in central Iowa, and Lucas County in southern Iowa.”

2022-2023 Deer Season Summary
“There we approximately 109,600 deer reported for the 2022/23 whitetail deer season”, noted Elliott. “That represents a 7% increase from the previous season, and we also saw a 2% increase in deer license sales, suggesting that Iowa is maintaining good deer hunter numbers.” While the statewide deer population has sustained an acceptable level, some regions are above (south-central, southeast, parts of central) or below (northwest, west-central, southwest) population objectives. “Our harvest management strategy, including county antlerless tag quotas, are assessed and updated annually to bring deer populations in these regions within our management goals,” adds Elliott.

As we look closer at the top 10 counties in Iowa for harvest numbers, Clayton County leads the way with a total of 4,137 deer. Of those, 1,469 were bucks, 2,291 does, 318 button bucks, and 59 shed bucks. Clayton County covers 793 square miles resulting in an average harvest of 5.22 deer per square mile. Allamakee County follows in second place with a total harvest of 3,543 deer. There were 1,341 bucks harvested, 1,905 does, 246 button bucks, and 51 shed bucks.

The average harvest of 5.38 deer per square mile is higher than that of Clayton County since Allamakee County is smaller, covering 659 square miles.

Madison County comes in third with a total of 2,935 deer harvested. Of that total, 1,008 were bucks, 1,697 does, 194 button bucks, and 36 shed bucks. Madison County covers 562 square miles, resulting in an average harvest of 5.22 deer per square mile. Van Buren County follows closely in fourth place with a total of 2,898 harvested, averaging 5.9 deer per square mile for the 491 square miles it covers. Rounding out the top five is Winneshiek County, with a total of 2,501 harvested deer. Covering 690 square miles, the average harvest per square mile was 3.6 deer.

Following in sixth place, Warren County had a total harvest of 2,405 deer. Covering 573 square miles, the resulting average harvest per square mile was 4.2 deer. Also known for recording some large bucks throughout the years, 1,022 were harvested last year. Monroe and Jackson Counties follow in seventh and eighth, with 2,256 and 2,245 deer harvested, respectively. Guthrie County follows in ninth place with 2,232 deer harvested, and rounding out the top ten is Appanoose County, with 2,203 deer taken for the season. The top ten counties had a total harvest of 27,355 deer. Of those, there are 10,051 bucks, 14,783 does, 2,169 button bucks, and 352 shed bucks.

Deer Management Zone Hunts
There are other opportunities to fill your tags this coming season by participating in Iowa’s DMZ hunts. These were established in 1990 with a zone hunt (then called Special Hunts) and initially conducted at Springbrook State Park in Guthrie County. As the years progressed, more of these hunts were established. The DMZ hunts were created to help with unchecked deer numbers in State parks and communities where deer negatively impact ornamental plants, gardens, etc., and deer/vehicle collisions. There are a total of 18 communities and 25 state and county parks that conduct these controlled hunts.

All the deer taken are antlerless, and deer tagged do not count against a hunter’s regular license or bag limit. These are great opportunities to help manage the deer population, and most of these hunts successfully remove deer in problem areas. A complete list of the DMZs and the application to hunt them can be found on the Iowa DNR’s website (http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Deer-Hunting/Deer-Management-Hunts).

The 2023/2024 Deer Season
The harvest numbers throughout the State are up, indicating there are plenty of opportunities to fill your deer tag for the coming season. Iowa’s hunters are to be commended for their efforts to manage deer. You hold the key to having a good quality deer herd, and the number and quality of the animals depend on your choices in the field. We are all stewards of the wildlife in Iowa. Take time to report your harvest; doing so will positively impact future hunting opportunities and management decisions.

Each new season brings seasoned hunters an opportunity to experience the great resources we share in this state. Take time to introduce someone new to deer hunting, especially the youth. The future of the deer population and the outdoor recreation we enjoy is truly in their hands. Let’s hand off resources available today in better shape than we got them. Good Hunting All!