Fishbonker
Life Member
The DNR held a meeting this morning to go over the harvest data from 2017 and outlining their plans for the 2018 deer seasons.
No big surprises in the harvest data. Iowa is at its goal for deer harvests. Their goals are a sustainable harvest of 100-120 thousand deer/year. Just over 105 thousand in 2017.
The plans for next year include a late antlerless season in Allamakee, Clayton, Wayne and Appanoose Counties with the same rules as previous late seasons. These counties will also see an increase in antlerless tags. A change in the way antlerless tags are sold is being proposed. Currently only one antlerless tag can be purchased before Sept. 15th. After Sept. 15th antlerless tag sales are unlimited until the quota is met. The proposal is to stage (spread out) the sales of antlerless tags until the quota is met.
Nonresident tags in zones 1,2 and 10 will be decreased by 50% and the tags will be shifted to zone 9. This amounts to approximately 300 tags being shifted to zone 9.
A couple of other items of note, an on going study in Iowa is reflecting a trend in the Midwest of decreased fawn doe pregnancies. 10% of fawn does are either bred or have a fawn. This is down from 60-70% of fawn doe pregnancies in the late 70's.
A county where antlerless tag quotas were decreased last year showed an increase in sales and an increase in harvest. I'm not sure if this was the case in just one or several counties. It is an interesting phenomena. Too many variables to say why or how it occurred. It may be as simple as supply and demand. If there is a perceived decrease in supply the demand goes up.
This is what I remember and deciphered from my scribbled notes. Remember theses are proposed changes and can be discussed at the Feb 21st meetings. The actual harvest data maybe available online somewhere but I haven't had time to look.
No big surprises in the harvest data. Iowa is at its goal for deer harvests. Their goals are a sustainable harvest of 100-120 thousand deer/year. Just over 105 thousand in 2017.
The plans for next year include a late antlerless season in Allamakee, Clayton, Wayne and Appanoose Counties with the same rules as previous late seasons. These counties will also see an increase in antlerless tags. A change in the way antlerless tags are sold is being proposed. Currently only one antlerless tag can be purchased before Sept. 15th. After Sept. 15th antlerless tag sales are unlimited until the quota is met. The proposal is to stage (spread out) the sales of antlerless tags until the quota is met.
Nonresident tags in zones 1,2 and 10 will be decreased by 50% and the tags will be shifted to zone 9. This amounts to approximately 300 tags being shifted to zone 9.
A couple of other items of note, an on going study in Iowa is reflecting a trend in the Midwest of decreased fawn doe pregnancies. 10% of fawn does are either bred or have a fawn. This is down from 60-70% of fawn doe pregnancies in the late 70's.
A county where antlerless tag quotas were decreased last year showed an increase in sales and an increase in harvest. I'm not sure if this was the case in just one or several counties. It is an interesting phenomena. Too many variables to say why or how it occurred. It may be as simple as supply and demand. If there is a perceived decrease in supply the demand goes up.
This is what I remember and deciphered from my scribbled notes. Remember theses are proposed changes and can be discussed at the Feb 21st meetings. The actual harvest data maybe available online somewhere but I haven't had time to look.
