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The days are getting shorter, nights
are getting cooler and treestands are being moved into place. For bow hunters,
the long wait is nearly over. Iowa’s archery deer season begins Oct. 1.
“Our deer population has
been relatively stable, keeping things consistent. I’m expecting hunters to have a pretty good
fall,” said Jim Coffey, forest wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources.
Iowa’s world renowned deer herd is the
result of a beneficial partnership between hunters, landowners and local
wildlife staff all working together.
“Our hunters play an important role in
helping us to maintain their high quality deer herd,” Coffey said.
An estimated 62,000 bow hunters will
purchase more than 90,000 deer licenses this year. On average, bow hunters take
12 trips to the timber and spend more than three hours out each time before the
season suspends on Dec. 2 to make way for the shotgun hunters.
“They’re a pretty dedicated group.
Having 62,000 pairs of eyes in the field really helps us to identify any local
issues, like discovering a local case of hemorrhagic disease, and by hunters
providing tissue samples that we can test for chronic wasting disease. We encourage them to talk to their landowners
about the status with their local herd and adjust their doe harvest
accordingly,” he said.
Iowa is unique versus other premier deer
hunting states because there is a restriction on the use of firearms during the
rut that reduces pressure on the bucks, allows bucks to grow older, which is an
important factor for antler growth. Iowa also has mild winters compared to
northern states, and excellent soil quality that provides natural vegetation which
also allows deer to grow quickly.
Early in the season, deer will likely
be in their summer pattern, moving from their bedding areas to food sources,
like acorn producing trees. Hunters putting in the work studying the changing
patterns should improve their odds for success.
Deer population varies across the
state with lower numbers in northwest Iowa and increasing numbers along the
Mississippi River and across southern Iowa, but high quality animals are
available in every county. The highest antlered deer harvest comes from
Clayton, Allamakee, Van Buren and Warren counties.
For bow hunters, Iowa is the place
where dreams are made. Bow hunters harvested nearly 13,000 antlered deer last
year. The archery season will close on
Dec. 1 for the shotgun seasons, then reopens on Dec. 18 until closing on Jan.
10, 2017.
The Iowa DNR has information on the
number of antlerless deer licenses available, locations of hunter education
classes, and maps of available public and private hunting land, a list of
lockers participating in Help Us Stop Hunger, and more at www.iowadnr.gov/deer
Hunters must report their harvest
All
deer taken must be reported using the harvest reporting system by midnight the
day after the deer is recovered. Accurately reporting the kill is an
important part of Iowa’s deer management program and plays a vital role in
managing deer populations and future hunting opportunities.
Hunters
can report their deer on the DNR website www.iowadnr.gov, by calling the toll free reporting
number 1-800-771-4692, or at any license vendor. For hunters with Internet access, the online
reporting of your harvest is the easiest way to register your deer. If no deer is harvested, no report is
necessary.
Media Contact: Jim Coffey, Forest Wildlife Biologist, Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, 515-979-8033.
A
popular program offering landscape-quality trees at a deep discount to Alliant
Energy customers will be held at six locations across Iowa this fall.
Residential tree distributions will be held in Buena Vista, Fayette, Lee, Linn,
Lucas and Story counties this September and October.
Alliant
Energy’s Operation ReLeaf helps their customers save energy in their homes
using trees to create summer shade and winter wind breaks.
Through
the program, Alliant Energy residential customers may purchase high quality
trees for $25 each, on a first-come, first-served basis. These trees
typically retail for between $65 and $125.
Advanced
order is highly recommended, and advance purchase is limited to two trees per
household. In the event there are extra trees available on distribution
day, those trees will be released for purchase at that time. Order forms are
available online at www.alliantenergy.com/releaf.
Distribution
locations, dates and details are as follows:
Buena Vista
County – Storm Lake
Partner: City of Storm Lake
Location: Kings Point Park
Date: Oct. 4, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Fayette
County – Oelwein
Partner: City of Oelwein
Location: Oelwein City Park
Date: Sept. 28, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tree planting and care workshop: 5:15 p.m.
Lee
County – Montrose
Partner: Lee County Conservation
Location: Lee County Conservation Center
Date: Oct. 5, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Tree planting and care workshop: 5:45 p.m.
Linn
County – Marion
Partner: Linn County Conservation Board
Location: Squaw Creek Park
Date: Oct. 7, 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Tree planting and care workshop: 8:15 a.m.
Lucas
County – Chariton
Partner: Lucas County Conservation
Location: Pin Oak Marsh Lodge
Date: Sept. 27, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tree planting and care workshop: 5:15 p.m.
Story County – Ames
Partner: Story County Conservation
Location: East Petersen Park
Date: Oct. 19, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tree planting and care workshop: 5:15 p.m.
The
DNR has resources available online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Urban-Forestry/Resources-and-Links
including Rethinking Maple: Selecting Trees for your Yard that
can help determine what species is best for a particular location.
Mature height of a tree should be given special consideration.
Operation
ReLeaf is offered in partnership with Alliant Energy,
Iowa DNR Forestry and local partners. Operation
ReLeaf participants must be Alliant Energy residential customers.
MEDIA
CONTACT: Emma Hanigan, State Urban Forester, Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, 515-249-1732 or emma.hanigan@dnr.iowa.gov.
Deer
hunters in western Iowa take note – chronic wasting disease (CWD) has shown up
on your doorstep. Five deer harvested in
southeast Nebraska in 2016 have tested positive for CWD.
The
Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will discuss the status of CWD in
Iowa and how deer hunters can help during meetings in Avoca, Sidney and Council Bluffs.
The meetings are
scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Oct. 9, at the AHSTW Community School cafeteria, 768
S. Maple St., in Avoca; 2 p.m., Oct. 10, at United Faith Church, 1975 Hwy. 275,
in Sidney; and 6:30 p.m., Oct. 10, in the Green Room at Bass Pro Shops, 2901
Bass Pro Drive, Council Bluffs.
Terry
Haindfield, wildlife biologist for the Iowa DNR who is leading the effort to
combat CWD, is coordinating the meetings. He hosted a series of meetings in
northeast Iowa last year that drew crowds of up to 300 and hopes to have
similar turn out in western Iowa.
“We
want people to come to these meetings, ask their questions, hear the concerns
from other hunters,” Haindfield said. “Deer hunting is an important tradition
and, for some, a large part of their identity. It is also important to us and
we need to work together to combat this disease. Our goal is to provide quality
deer hunting for future generations.”
The
Iowa DNR will present information on CWD, inform the public about increased surveillance
sampling of deer from Woodbury to Fremont County, and request help from deer
hunters for tissue samples during the upcoming fall and winter deer seasons.
After
the initial CWD positive wild deer was found in Allamakee County in 2013, the
DNR, with the help of cooperative hunters, increased its surveillance in
proximity to where the positive deer was harvested to help determine the extent
of the disease. To date, 18 deer have
tested positive for CWD in northeast Iowa; 17 in Allamakee County and one in
Clayton County, discovered last year.
There
are several things hunters can do to stop or slow the spread of CWD, Haindfield
said.
“The
first and most important is to allow sampling of hunter harvested deer,” he
said.
The
Iowa DNR’s wildlife staff sets an annual goal of collecting 4,500 samples.
Since testing began in 2002, more than 62,500 tissue samples have been
collected and tested looking for the presence of CWD in Iowa’s wild deer herd.
The effort has focused on portions of northeast and eastern Iowa near Wisconsin,
Illinois, and south-central Iowa near Missouri, where CWD has been detected.
Additional testing has been conducted in Pottawattamie, Cerro Gordo and Davis counties,
following positive tests from captive facilities. All counties have at least 15
samples taken to check for CWD. The
disease has been found in every state around Iowa.
CWD is a neurological disease belonging to the
family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or
prion diseases. It attacks
the brain of infected deer and elk causing the animals to lose weight, display
abnormal behavior, lose body functions and die. It is always fatal to the
infected animal.
The
Iowa DNR has more information about CWD and other infectious disease online at www.iowadnr.gov/cwd.
Media
Contact: Terry Haindfield, CWD
Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 563-546-7960, or Matt
Dollison, Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-350-0147.
The main water pump
at the Riverton Wildlife Management Area in Fremont County has been running
since Sept. 11, after a mechanical issue caused the pump to shut down over the
Labor Day Weekend.
The current water
level in the main boat hunting area is less than two inches below full pool. The Iowa DNR will continue pumping water to create ideal wetland habitat before the early split of regular duck season opens in the south zone on Sept. 30.
The DNR will work to correct the
electrical issues causing the pump to periodically shut down once the pumping
season is over.
Media
Contact: Matt Dollison, Wildlife Biologist,
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-350-0147.
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