"The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is monitoring the spread of epizootic hemorrhagic disease and chronic wasting disease in Iowa deer and says Iowa hunters can play an important role.

Pete Hildreth, the conservation and recreation division administrator for DNR, spoke Thursday at the Natural Resource Commission meeting about the deer season thus far and about the persisting diseases.

Hildreth said prior to the first gun season, which started Dec. 7, there were 28,500 deer harvested statewide. According to Hildreth, that is down 5% from the previous year and down 3% from the five-year average for the early archery, youth and disabled hunter seasons.

The first weekend of gun season, Dec. 7 through Dec. 11, however, had harvest numbers that were 4% higher than the previous year and nearly 3% above the five-year average. In the first gun season window, hunters harvested about 24,600 deer, according to Hildreth."

Cami Koons reports for States Newsroom December 12, 2024. [2]