Interesting article on Iowa deer herd

[Iowabowtech]

Source Article:
http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_fb0f5f42-fe6a-11de-96ae-001cc4c002e0.html

Some of the highpoints as quoted by DNR deer biologist Tom Litchfield:

“Iowa’s deer herd on a statewide basis has always been well below the carrying capacity for the land,” he said. “Places like parks, refuges and properties that don’t allow hunting allows it to get way higher than it needs to be.
“We are running about 5,700 deer behind last year,” he said. “With populations around the state being lower and the weather events, it isn’t surprising we are off some.”

“There are going to be quite a few changes in the deer program,” Litchfield said. “We can’t keep managing for a declining population forever.”

 

[JakeWym]

“There are going to be quite a few changes in the deer program,” Litchfield said. “We can’t keep managing for a declining population forever.”[/B]

Amen Brother :way:

 

[crietveld]

Thanks for posting that link, nice to hear a biologist say changes are coming.

 

[scottonbuck]

Now the Friends of Iowa can quit beating their drum about residents not being able to control the deer herd. Doing away with the late season would be a step in the right direction.

 

[whitetail fanatic]

It will be intersesting to see what kind of changes. Every year since I started going to Iowa, the deer hunting has seemed worse each year since 2001. Less deer and less mature bucks. Has that been happening all over the state or is it just in the area I've been hunting (Allamakee, Clayton Co.) It still is a ton better than WI though!

I wish Iowa would ban shining at night, poaching is such a problem where I hunt and making shining illegal would make it a lot easier to catch the outlaws.

 

[chasefan31]

It's not legal to shine anything in Iowa if you have a firearm in the vehicle. Believe me you'll get stopped. They give me a pretty hard time while checking traps at night, and if you even think about driving across a field at night in the fall be ready to do some explaining.