Giant Deer of Iowa are rapidly becoming a past memory

[iowaqdm]

So take some kids to kill them. Or adults who just want meat. Such an easy solution.

Getting people to kill cull bucks is NEVER a problem if you try. Its actually never been easier to find people. People losing access, cost of protein, etc.

You act like mature bucks are stupid. We’re not hunting in Kansas prairie in box blinds over corn/protein feeders.

I spent most of the late season trying to get two kids on two different cull bucks. Both bucks were on the farm all season. Both kids hunted in box blinds over standing grain or turnip plots. That included 6-8 different evening sits with kids in two different box blinds each night. Wind was perfect for entry and exits. Unfortunately, you can’t make mature bucks move during shooting hours, especially with the warm weather and full moon. They just didn’t move onto the plots before shooting hours ended. They saw several young bucks and some does that came out early enough but neither cull buck showed during legal shooting time. Unfortunately, I like many areas don’t have enough does after EHD to have them take one of those either. So, no tags were punched late season. Both were disappointed they didn’t see either cull buck they were after.

Neither kid wanted to hunt the last weekend when I asked despite seeing bucks and does on every prior sit, so I sat the last night of late season myself trying to catch up with one or both of the cull bucks. Neither buck showed before shooting hours ended. Both cull bucks thus made it through. Now I will have to try getting a kid on them during youth season next September or early October to get them removed. Hopefully they will want to go again next year, otherwise we will just kill them first chance we get.

I do get a kick out of you guys who talk like you can just go kill a specific mature cull buck any time you choose. Just pick the day. It is fun when the weather cooperates and it works or when you have several that you want removed so your odds are better that one will show. However, with kids schedules and other activities it is not as easy as you make it out when it is a specific cull buck you want removed.

 

[Thinkin Rut]

Going to one buck won’t help the buck to doe ratio. I did the math, adding back the second and third bucks will increase the current preseason deer population per square mile from 8.06 to 8.12. So you will increase the number of bucks by .06 bucks per square mile or 1 buck added to the landscape for every 16.56 square miles. That poor buck will be very tired and run down trying to cover that much landscape breeding does. Absolutely, zero measurable effect on the buck to doe ratio going to a one buck limit.

I want to say you're right and I'd love to learn something new...explain further. Give me all the math, this is interesting! It's important for everyone to have a clear understanding of this.

 

[Snail3496]

I been seriously wondering if a guy wouldnt be better buying a wide open farm in a big section of tillable and making crazy good cover in the middle of it. 10 years and have an island.

Absolutely no brainer - unfortunately a nice squared off 100ac of pure tillable in those large wide open tillable areas is going to be in the teens per acre more times than not.

I know very well a guy who's a built a large, successful family company and buys up a lot of ground for production and deer. He just did this last year. I got to see it in person and it's the coolest thing ever. Essentially 110 ac parcel, with 80 acres of Chesnut, persimmon, various late leaf holding white oaks (Shingle, SWO, pin), and a few conifers sprinkled in. They tubed 1/3 of them just for insurance. I'm talking THOUSANDS of tubes it's wild to see. Drilled one 6ft strip of Switch just every third row or so. Rest the first two years is huge marestail and goldenrod and other stuff. Has a steep farm ditch on two sides and a road on the other. Deer have appeared out of thin air and are crawling in it now. Can't express how cool it is to see someone with the resources running with the idea.

 

[Dennis]

As Muddyrem states this is pretty typical to Iowa and typical to where I hunt. What I was pointing out is what you stated. The mature 6.5 yo deer are there but poor racks and people thro 3 yo ages because of low scoring antlers. In your scenario the bucks that can make 180” aren’t 50%. It would be hard to say that no poor genetic 3-4 yo old deer are getting shot. Likely most people don’t hear or care about those we just pay attention to the big or up and comers. Iowa has good genetics but 5/10 is pretty strong in a wild herd. The thing that has changed is our population and there simply aren’t enough bucks to start with for enough to outlast the hunters to slip through to old age.

Maybe we are looking at it differently. I am guessing based on little anecdotal evidence. VERY FEW deer in my area get to 6.5 years old unless they dont make 140". I have passed a ton of deer at younger than 5.5 years to try to get some age on them. The ones that are over 140 mostly dissappear. Some survive by breaking off antlers early every year which was the case with one of the 5 year old deer we were hunting this year.

Of the deer I have seen get to 6.5 that didn't have garbage genetics, most were at or over 170". If they had made it to 7.5, who knows what they would have done, or 8.5? I have not seen a buck that I know of reach 7.5 years of age in the 6 years I have hunted here.

I took the discussion to mean if all deer were passed until they scored 180+, how many would get there? Based on discussions with others, it seems like 7.5 is the magic age and can vary depending on a few factors within a year or 2 when the deer will grow his biggest rack. I have had 2 bucks on my place that had garbage genetics that no one would shoot get to 6. One was 115 at 3,4,5 and 130 at 6. The other was 135 when I found him and was at least 5. When I killed him, presumably at 6, he was 140. His frame was the size of a 130" 10 point and he had 10" of extra mass above normal. I have also watched 2 bucks with average genetics get to maturity. One was 5.5 and the other 6.5 when they dissappeared. At saw the first at 4.5 as a 140s 9, 165 10 pt at 5, low 180s 10 pt at 6. The other one was a 120 8 pt at 3, 140s 10 at 4, and a 165 10pt at 5. That's pretty similar. I have also seen numerous deer that scored between 140 and 160 as 3 year olds never to be seen again. There was a 3 year old hit on the highway up the road that had 14 points and was in the 140s. I'm assuming, and I could absolutely be wrong, that those bucks had better genetics than the 2 I watched from young to maturity. Assuming that, those deer would have been over 180 had they gotten the chance to make 7 years old.

We are all just guessing, but those are my thoughts. I am not in any way saying that every other buck in my hunting area is actually a 180" buck. That number would be around 1/50 to 1/100 in reality and maybe even smaller than the 1% number. Almost none of them get any age on them without a lot of luck.

I'm not sure how much ground you would need to own to get the center bucks to maturity, but I often get the same bucks on all 3 farms I hunt. To own everything in the middle of them would be 2000 to 3000 acres or more. Then you have all kinds of other issues like cars and disease to battle. The ones on the perimeter definitely bleed out and get hunted by other people that probably have different goals.

 

[Muddyrem]

You act like mature bucks are stupid. We’re not hunting in Kansas prairie in box blinds over corn/protein feeders.

Wait………….don’t you reside in the Spirit Lake/Okoboji area of Iowa? How is that area any different than the exact area in Kansas you’re defending against? There’s no place in Iowa easier to pattern and kill a big deer than northern Iowa.

Nobody is saying mature bucks are stupid, but today’s hunter is a heck of lot more equip to kill them…………

Which coincidentally we’re here talking about age structure and how Iowa’s has gotten out of wack. Common Joe Hunter who use to kill a 3-4 year old every couple seasons is now shooting 1-2 every year. Guys had no idea what deer frequented their farms now every farm in Iowa has multiple cameras collecting inventories.

 

[Daver]

...
The only way to help avoid it at this point is having different areas to hunt. Not all your eggs in one basket if u will.

I remember reading a post where you said you were looking at a piece nearby, although convenient leaves you exposed to an outbreak. Perhaps look for a piece a different direction from your house?
...

FWIW, I have also considered buying additional ground "elsewhere"...but 2 things have, so far, stopped me from doing that.

1. If the new piece is far enough away to escape the "EHD zone" that we find ourselves in now...how do I know that EHD won't hit there in the future too? Our current area, for reasons that I really don't know, did NOT experience any appreciable EHD kill in the previous years, as so many other areas did.

2. Getting tractors, equipment, etc, to another place located some distance aways would be tedious, etc. I was trying to stay close enough to be able to drive a tractor to a new place, etc. Also...overnight stays...we have a cabin to stay in on our main place and I don't want to not have that available OR set up another place to stay, etc.

Otherwise, I agree with you.

 

[deerhunter93]

I would say it's pretty clear that continuing to go around and around on this thread isn't going to be beneficial for anyone. Yes there has been some good discussion but we are 40 pages deep and haven't come up with anything new and probably haven't really changed anyone's mind from their initial viewpoint.

Maybe, just maybe. People have different experiences, goals, and expectations.

The legislative session for 2026 has begun and I hope we can have some of the same participation there (in person, calling, emailing) as we have had on this thread.

 

[iowaqdm]

I want to say you're right and I'd love to learn something new...explain further. Give me all the math, this is interesting! It's important for everyone to have a clear understanding of this.

First off let me say, I am no math major. Here is how I got those numbers.

Well because we truly only have population estimates we have to go with what we’re told. So if before hunting season we have 450,000 deer. If we use Iowa’s 55,857 square miles of land that gives you an average of 8.056 deer per square mile (450,000 deer / 55,857 sq mi = 8.0563 deer per square mile)
I rounded up to 8.06.

So if we add back to the next year all the bucks taken with second and third buck tags that is 3,600 total bucks. So now I added before hunting season population of 450,000 deer plus the 3,600 bucks “saved” which gives a new before season population of 453,600. (453,600 deer / 55,847 sq mi = 8.1207 deer per square mile)
I rounded to 8.12

So (8.12 - 8.06 = 0.06). That .06 would be all the bucks “saved” and added to the landscape. So we in theory add .06 bucks back per square mile.

So then we want to know, what does that really mean, I mean what is .06 bucks per square mile????

So we want to know how many square miles it would take to get to equal one buck. So we divide 1 / .06 = 16.667. Which I rounded down from 16.67 to 16.56. So the math is actually 1 buck added back per 16.67 sq miles.

That is how I came up with the numbers. Going to one buck won’t change the buck to doe ratio in any meaningful way.

I know some will say yea but it will compound every year…right????

Wrong. Does compound your population not bucks. So let’s say a buck can live for 10 years in theory in the wild. If those 3,600 bucks all survived and every year we added another 3,600 saved bucks to the landscape. After 10 years we would have added a total of 36,000 bucks, Let’s just say that is 3,600 of each age class 1.5 through 10.5 year olds.

If everything stayed the same 450,000 + 36,000 (saved bucks) = 486,000 before season population.

486,000 deer / 55,857 square miles = 8.70 deer per square mile. So 8.70 - 8.06 =0.64.

So 1/.64 =1.563. So after ten years of one buck limit, if absolutely zero “saved bucks” died for any reason you would add only one buck per 1.563 square miles.

So if you said we have a starting population of 8.06 deer per square mile (let’s round down to 8) with 3 does per buck ratio, that means 6 does and two bucks per square mile. After 10 years with zero of the “saved” bucks dying you would add basically one buck per 9.4 does. Or 1 buck per 1,000 acres (1.563 x 640=1,000.63 acres )

Again, the math shows that going to one buck limit won’t change the buck to doe ratio in any meaningful way. Or your chances of killing a top end buck, because the odds are if that one buck added per 1,000 acres has the genetics to be top end he will likely be high graded by a neighbor before he reaches 5.5 years old.

Ask yourself this….if you added one 160”three year old buck to the 1,000 acres surrounding you, do you think he would make it to age five? If they are not making now would one more make the difference? Would that one buck improve everyone’s hunting (no, but it might improve the hunting for the one guy who shoots him). Now remember you have to have every single second and third buck shot annually to live to 10 years old to add that one buck back per 1,000 acres. That is obviously not going to happen.

Otherwise, it is only one buck per 16.67 square miles which equals one buck per 10,668 acres, (16.67 square miles x 640 acres/square mile= 10,668 acres).

We have to significantly increase our doe population to get out of this mess. That is the only answer. The rest is a waste of time.

 

[Bucksnbears]

I'm getting DIZZY. Lol

 

[Muddyrem]

I'm getting DIZZY. Lol

Same.
Especially trying to convince myself that someone is using data about Iowa as a whole when less than 8% of the state is wooded…………..Comparing deer density in Osceola county compared to Decatur county is wild.

 

[Thinkin Rut]

Well worth the 40 pages! Have you played with those numbers minus the counties that don't have much deer population or by county?

 

[Thinkin Rut]

This will definitely make it much easier to cull! Thanks for taking the time.
I'm going to add this question...The 3600 is all the bucks from the 2nd and 3rd tags from last year, is that a fairly close average as of late?

 

[iowaqdm]

Wait………….don’t you reside in the Spirit Lake/Okoboji area of Iowa? How is that area any different than the exact area in Kansas you’re defending against? There’s no place in Iowa easier to pattern and kill a big deer than northern Iowa.

Nobody is saying mature bucks are stupid, but today’s hunter is a heck of lot more equip to kill them…………

Which coincidentally we’re here talking about age structure and how Iowa’s has gotten out of wack. Common Joe Hunter who use to kill a 3-4 year old every couple seasons is now shooting 1-2 every year. Guys had no idea what deer frequented their farms now every farm in Iowa has multiple cameras collecting inventories.

That is not even close to accurate. First off Iowa’s age structure is in line in many area’s based on the population. On my farm it seems like we lost around 50% of our does, as well as the majority of our two and three year old bucks to EHD. So this year I had a similar number of five year olds as normal but less than normal three and four year olds on camera which sucks but that is what happens. I had similar numbers of one and two year olds this year as what has been normal since we shot our doe population down. Needless to say, the next two years will be lean for shooters. So we will focus on culling 8 points. Now everybody’s area is different so I can’t speak to your farm or area specifically. Only you can do that. I do know it can vary greatly across any county. But if EHD cuts your population in half, you will typically see half as many does and half as many bucks.

The common Joe hunter you referred to is not shooting 1 or 2 every year. Let’s get the facts straight. There were 160,000+ licenses sold in 2024-2025 and around 45,000 total antlered bucks were killed. Now that is basically 1 out of 4 hunters are shooting an antlered buck. Of the antlered bucks killed 50% are 1.5 year olds. So if you take that off the total buck numbers you are down to 22,500 bucks that are 2.5 years old or older out of 160,000+. So that is around 15% of the average Joe hunters are killing a buck that is 2.5 or older. Not even close to the number you gave. Not everyone is killing one or two 3 or 4 year olds every year. That argument is not even remotely accurate.

As far as mature bucks. We definitely have tools to inventory or pattern them regardless of the areas in Iowa or Kansas you’re hunting. The big difference between Northern Iowa and the prairie area of Kansas I was referring to is the abundance of grain available. In the praire areas of Kansas I was referring to the only grain available is in the feeder with the cell cam monitoring it. In northern Iowa or anywhere in Iowa for that matter bucks normally don’t have to move more than 1/2 mile in any direction to find grain. In many areas of Kansas that is not the case. In areas of Kansas with abundant grain fields it is much harder to pattern mature bucks as they can feed where ever versus areas without abundant grain fields where they are drawn to feeders.

Regardless, getting an inventory of mature bucks on a farm in Iowa is relatively easy with any trail camera. However, patterning them and killing them is a different story. Otherwise, everyone would be tagged out by October 15th with their top target buck. I mean almost all the 170”+ bucks should be targeted and off the landscape by October 15th. Right??? I mean if you can just pattern that buck with your cell cam you should have him dead the first two weeks of season….right? I mean if it is that easy why risk letting the neighbor pattern and kill him before you?

Anyone who has played this game very long knows there is much more to killing mature bucks than just knowing they are there or even getting frequent pictures of them. More mature bucks are killed by luck each year than are killed by a strategic plan devised by trail/cell cam pictures and patterning them. But you can believe whatever you want because there is no way to prove either way regarding trail cameras, so it is just fun debating and playing devils advocate. It is fun to blame this or that but ultimately, we are to blame. We killed way too many does for way too many years while high grading the genetics as the population declined. Hopefully we can get the population back up.

I would sure love to see 750,000 deer back on Iowa’s landscape just like in the early 2000’s. That was some fun hunting.

 

[Rjack]

I would sure love to see 750,000 deer back on Iowa’s landscape just like in the early 2000’s. That was some fun hunting.

So would I, but the DNR has said multiple times they DO NOT want the herd at those numbers. How do you suggest we change the mind of the DNR and/or legislature? And don't say "hunter education" as the vast majority will fill tags of they are available.

 

[DMarley83]

This is the exact reason / attitude that causes high grading of the herd like they had in the Amana Colonies. The exact reason a one buck limit is a terrible idea for Iowa and for guys trying to manage for top end bucks. You should always be culling mature bucks with inferior genetics from your farm. If you’re not, you’re part of the problem. I don’t care if you’re holding out for 180” bucks and you only kill one every ten years. You’re hurting the herd way more than you’re helping it. You may think you’re managing, but you’re not. All you’re doing is high grading and promoting 130” genetics by passing those bucks year after year. That is where the guys promoting one buck limit are dead wrong. This post just proves the point I have been saying for 39 pages. Nobody will not waste their only buck tag on a cull buck. NOBODY!!!!

I never claimed to be a self proclaimed land manager as soo many do. Im guessing u may use that title.

We must be doing OK here because I have not made a single post on here about bad dear hunting or quality???? It's taken an hit but we still had multiple 5+ year old deer to hunt on all our farms. Have not been boastful with that as others have been struggling. So saying our method Im the problem is a stretch!

I get your stance on not wanting 1 tag. Broken record. I get it. However the reality is there is both pros and cons.

Im in the middle on this one. Im not willing to give up 2 tags. I can say it outloud and not ashaimed .

Your posts for 39 pages have definitely have not won me over. If anything the opposite.
You go on and on and on with all these rediculous figures which are soooo far off!!!
Im pretty sure the democrats were using the same formulas while tallying votes in 2020.

Not sure of your agenda at this point...

And also having kids kill old mature cull bucks is easy if your farm is even a little bit set up. Youth season "easy pickings"
Early muzz "still easy pickings" gun 1 , gun 2, late muzz...... Taking youth hunting has been very effective in my experience. I have 3 youth hunters who typically all take at least 1 mature buck, a lot of times 2 if they have time.

Im OK having a difference of opinion but when you attack you sure as he'll won't win anyone over.

 

[iowaqdm]

Well worth the 40 pages! Have you played with those numbers minus the counties that don't have much deer population or by county?

Other than extreme NW Iowa the 8 deer per square mile catches most of the counties. By that I mean most counties have more than 8 deer per square mile. Therefore, I like to generalize across the State because not everyone hunts Decatur, Madison or Appanoose county for example where the populations are much higher.
We definitely don’t want to regulate the rest of the State using those higher population counties as the baseline. Also there are highly managed areas in let’s say Decatur where no regulations will affect those areas because the few guys that own it control their own destiny so to speak. Some of those large blocks have really high deer densities that drive the overall county averages up. Now compare that to let’s say Hancock or Cerro Gordo county just picking two at random from up north. Regardless of the county, we need reduced extra antlerless tag quotas, limited anysex tags in counties with really low doe populations, maybe buck only during both gun seasons and implementing no party hunting in those areas for the next few years. I would base all regulation changes with the sole intention of bumping the doe population up significantly. In most counties across Iowa there will be properties with limited access that allow the deer to concentrate on them once hunting pressure builds and then those deer will disperse come Spring. But ultimately controlling/decreasing the antlerless harvest should be the most important consideration with regard to regulation changes both Statewide and specific to each county. We need to get behind Jace and the DNR as they work to rebuild our doe populations.

 

[abell3]

The common Joe hunter you referred to is not shooting 1 or 2 every year. Let’s get the facts straight. There were 160,000+ licenses sold in 2024-2025 and around 45,000 total antlered bucks were killed. Now that is basically 1 out of 4 hunters are shooting an antlered buck. Of the antlered bucks killed 50% are 1.5 year olds. So if you take that off the total buck numbers you are down to 22,500 bucks that are 2.5 years old or older out of 160,000+. So that is around 15% of the average Joe hunters are killing a buck that is 2.5 or older. Not even close to the number you gave. Not everyone is killing one or two 3 or 4 year olds every year. That argument is not even remotely accurate.

Good post here. I like the numbers that you shared. However, your buck harvest numbers are only the ones reported. How many bucks get wounded and killed from same hunter. More than you think. Again, we have no idea what the actual # of bucks getting shot. But to just blanket statement say "well the only bucks getting killed are the ones being reported" is fantasy land. We have no way of knowing the actual # so it's hard to say. I see you point and I think we agree. But can we agree the number of bucks getting killed each year is quite a bit more than the 45K. My opinion is using those numbers as absolutes is a mistake. It's the only numbers you have to go off of so I get what you're saying. I'm just asking lets use a little common sense as well.

 

[Muddyrem]

That is not even close to accurate. First off Iowa’s age structure is in line in many area’s based on the population. On my farm it seems like we lost around 50% of our does, as well as the majority of our two and three year old bucks to EHD. So this year I had a similar number of five year olds as normal but less than normal three and four year olds on camera which sucks but that is what happens. I had similar numbers of one and two year olds this year as what has been normal since we shot our doe population down. Needless to say, the next two years will be lean for shooters. So we will focus on culling 8 points. Now everybody’s area is different so I can’t speak to your farm or area specifically. Only you can do that. I do know it can vary greatly across any county. But if EHD cuts your population in half, you will typically see half as many does and half as many bucks.

The common Joe hunter you referred to is not shooting 1 or 2 every year. Let’s I know in my remote area Warren/clarke county I know of 5 bucks harvested in a 300 acre area. That’s not including bucks injured from rut, hunting, etc. On the property I own, I found 2 does and 1 small buck dead, those deer aren’t being included in your yearly harvest info. On top of all this, I know several guys who wounded 1 or even 2 bucks and never recovered them, most likely those deer are also dead.

I never claimed to be a self proclaimed land manager as soo many do. Im guessing u may use that title.

We must be doing OK here because I have not made a single post on here about bad dear hunting or quality???? It's taken an hit but we still had multiple 5+ year old deer to hunt on all our farms. Have not been boastful with that as others have been struggling. So saying our method Im the problem is a stretch!

I get your stance on not wanting 1 tag. Broken record. I get it. However the reality is there is both pros and cons.

Im in the middle on this one. Im not willing to give up 2 tags. I can say it outloud and not ashaimed .

Your posts for 39 pages have definitely have not won me over. If anything the opposite.
You go on and on and on with all these rediculous figures which are soooo far off!!!
Im pretty sure the democrats were using the same formulas while tallying votes in 2020.

Not sure of your agenda at this point...

And also having kids kill old mature cull bucks is easy if your farm is even a little bit set up. Youth season "easy pickings"
Early muzz "still easy pickings" gun 1 , gun 2, late muzz...... Taking youth hunting has been very effective in my experience. I have 3 youth hunters who typically all take at least 1 mature buck, a lot of times 2 if they have time.

Im OK having a difference of opinion but when you attack you sure as he'll won't win anyone over.

Bingo!!!!!!

You took the words out of my mouth as well as many others I’m sure………

 

[iowaqdm]

I never claimed to be a self proclaimed land manager as soo many do. Im guessing u may use that title.

We must be doing OK here because I have not made a single post on here about bad dear hunting or quality???? It's taken an hit but we still had multiple 5+ year old deer to hunt on all our farms. Have not been boastful with that as others have been struggling. So saying our method Im the problem is a stretch!

I get your stance on not wanting 1 tag. Broken record. I get it. However the reality is there is both pros and cons.

Im in the middle on this one. Im not willing to give up 2 tags. I can say it outloud and not ashaimed .

Your posts for 39 pages have definitely have not won me over. If anything the opposite.
You go on and on and on with all these rediculous figures which are soooo far off!!!
Im pretty sure the democrats were using the same formulas while tallying votes in 2020.

Not sure of your agenda at this point...

And also having kids kill old mature cull bucks is easy if your farm is even a little bit set up. Youth season "easy pickings"
Early muzz "still easy pickings" gun 1 , gun 2, late muzz...... Taking youth hunting has been very effective in my experience. I have 3 youth hunters who typically all take at least 1 mature buck, a lot of times 2 if they have time.

Im OK having a difference of opinion but when you attack you sure as he'll won't win anyone over.

I apologize if you thought I was attacking you. That wasn’t my intention. My intention was to point out that if guys who manage only have one buck tag they will not waste it on a cull buck. It changes their whole perspective on how to manage their tags and what they will shoot. Many guys with smaller acreage parcels can’t bring in kids during gun seasons to cull bucks for fear of pushing off up and coming bucks or their target bucks onto the neighbors who will kill them. Also if you have much pressure around your farm, mature bucks will become nocturnal during the gun season unless cold weather gets them on their feet before shooting hours end. On large un-pressured tracts deer will move freely during the day and onto plots but not on small tracks or neighborhoods where they have been pressured. So if you’re in an area with little pressure or own a large tract that definitely makes taking out cull bucks easier. But for the average guy with a smaller tract that has hunting pressure around them it is not as easy as guys make it out to be.

Not sure which figures you think are off? Basic math using deer herd estimates and the harvest numbers put out by the DNR.

My agenda is to increase our doe numbers to increase the number of bucks on the landscape. That is the only thing that will produce more top end bucks. Then allow landowners like myself the ability to remove cull bucks to help slow the high grading happening in my neighborhood, allow you to slow it your neighborhood and anyone else managing across our State.

I am not for taking things away from each other because that only divides us. We can fix this by increasing the population. Will guys have to give up some does harvests to accomplish this, yes. But that should really be all they have to give up and only for a few years.

 

[150 Class]

Same.
Especially trying to convince myself that someone is using data about Iowa as a whole when less than 8% of the state is wooded…………..Comparing deer density in Osceola county compared to Decatur county is wild.

Especially trying to convince myself that deer only habitat 8% of the state and only wooded habitat hold any deer. That leaves you with a deer density of more than 100/square mile, and deer harvest of about 23-24/square mile. Note: healthy populations are in the 5-20 range. We cannot use only wooded acres since when we do, there are way too many for their habitat.