60 Years and Counting Iowa's shotgun deer hunting season opens Saturday

There’s been a lot of talk in deer hunting circles in the past couple years about how many fewer whitetails many hunters are seeing, or not seeing, in the field.

It’s true: the state’s population appears to be shrinking, as evidenced by seven consecutive years of smaller harvests.

Still, compared to the number of deer hunters had a shot at during the state’s first modern deer hunting season 60 years ago, the opportunity and odds of shooting a whitetail are significantly higher.

Similar to turkeys, prairie chickens and numerous other wildlife species, white-tailed deer had nearly vanished from Iowa’s landscape by 1900 due to overhunting by the early European settlers. A slow recovery ensued, however, and with an estimated population of between 12,000 and 15,000 whitetails, a limited deer hunt was approved for 45 counties in 1953.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, hunters killed 3,782 deer in that inaugural Dec. 10 to 14 season.

In recent years, shotgun, bow and muzzleloader hunters have harvested around 120,000 deer annually in Iowa, with a high of more than 211,000 in 2005. Starting this weekend, about 140,000 shotgun deer hunters will take part in either the Dec. 7 to 11 or Dec. 14 to 22 season.

On the eve of Iowa’s back-to-back shotgun seasons, Outdoors Editor Todd Burras posed several questions to Willie Suchy, a wildlife research supervisor for the Iowa DNR, about the size and health of Iowa’s deer population.

Q: A lot of deer hunters are talking about seeing fewer deer — both bucks and does — in the field again this year. What is the estimated deer population in Iowa and what five counties still hold the strongest populations of deer?

A: The estimated preseason population for 2013 was about 435,000 deer. In 2012, the top-five deer harvest densities occurred in Van Buren, Clayton, Allamakee, Lucas and Warren counties. Deer numbers are lower and hunters should take that into account when they hunt during the upcoming shotgun season. If deer numbers are down in the area where they hunt, hunters may wish to refrain from shooting extra does, even if there are tags available in that county. In other areas where deer numbers are higher than the landowner wants, hunters can take extra does. Some urban areas have special hunts as well. So far the number of deer harvested this season is similar to last year. The next three weeks will tell us a lot more about where deer numbers are at currently.

Q: After seven consecutive years of declining deer harvest totals, is the state’s deer herd at a level that the state legislature tasked the DNR of achieving several years ago?

A: In many areas, it is at that level, and some areas, it could still be reduced further. The attached map shows the counties in general, but there are some areas in nearly every county where deer numbers could be reduced. Many are near urban areas or are large areas where the number of hunters is restricted (due to leased areas, large landowners, etc).

Q: Can you update readers on epizootic hemorrhagic disease, which has taken a toll on deer numbers this year? What is EHD? How does it spread? How many deer does the DNR estimate are infected with it? What, if anything, can be done to stop or slow the spread of EHD?

A: To date, 1,034 suspected hemorrhagic disease mortalities have been reported from 54 counties. The majority of the losses have been reported from southeastern and eastern Iowa. These reported animals are not an estimate of the number of deaths caused by the EHD outbreak as there is no way of knowing what percentage of the dead deer were found, and of those found, how many were reported. Hemorrhagic disease is caused by a virus that is spread by biting midges. Warm, dry weather favors the buildup of the midge populations and increases the likelihood for EHD outbreaks. Once infected, the virus multiplies very quickly within a deer causing a high fever, breakdown of cell walls and dehydration. Dead and sick animals will often be found near water. Death is caused by internal hemorrhaging and internal fluid build-up. In the latter stages of the disease, the animals will be lethargic, stumbling, sometimes drooling and unresponsive. Most deer in Iowa will die one to four days after the fever begins. Due to the quick progression of the disease, the animals are in good body condition at death. EHD outbreaks occur in late summer or early fall and end once a killing frost knocks down the midge populations. Some deer display varying levels of immunity to EHD. There is nothing that can be done to stop or prevent an EHD outbreak nor does the disease pose any long-term health problems for the deer herd. The virus poses no threat to humans or the edibility of the venison.

Q: In the past decade, chronic wasting disease was the big concern among deer biologists around the nation. Is CWD still a concern to deer biologists in Iowa or is EHD its top concern now?

A: Any disease is a potential concern. EHD has happened before in Iowa and will happen again under the right conditions, and there is not really anything that can be done to prevent the disease from occurring. So far, CWD has not been detected in wild deer in Iowa. The DNR will be working with hunters to collect tissues samples again this winter to test for CWD. About 4,000 deer will be tested.

Q: In the face of these health concerns, do you foresee any changes in the number of antlerless-only tags allotted and the way the DNR manages Iowa’s deer herd in 2014 and beyond to ensure the population remains stable and doesn’t slide precipitously?

A: The antlerless quota is assessed annually after the hunting season. Data from the harvest and deer population surveys are used to assess what regulations are needed to maintain a population that balances the desires of hunters and wildlife enthusiasts with the impact deer have on Iowa’s producers and the general public. The public will also be invited to provide their comments in February at meetings the DNR will hold to solicit comments for the 2014-15 hunting and trapping seasons.

TODD BURRAS can be reached at outdoorstoddburras@ gmail.com. Read his blog at www.amestrib.com.