Critter
Life Member
I received my Spokesman in the mail yesterday and on the front page was a referral to an article inside addressing the population of the deer herd in Iowa, and legislators plans to reduce it. I immediately assumed it would be another article similiar to those published recently in the Des Moines Register, but to my surprise, and in my opinion, was just the opposite. Mr. Johnson's article addressed the issues at hand with a sensible understanding of how things should be done the right way, involving the IADNR and the HUSH program. I spoke with him briefly this morning and commended him on writing an article that doesn't seem to be based on big business and money alone.
Below is the article from the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, copied with permission from IFB.
Iowa legislators addressing deer overpopulation
Posted:1/24/2005 10:19:17 AM
By Dale Johnson
State legislators are targeting methods to reduce Iowas growing deer herd and the increased number of deer-automobile accidents.
Deer struck by automobiles caused $60 million in damages last year, Bob Skow, with the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, told the Iowa House Natural Resources Committee last week.
Its increased the last three years, about 10 percent per year, he said of accidents that now exceed 15,000 annually.
The statistics do not include long-haul trucks and school bus accidents involving deer, nor other collisions that are not reported to officials because of high deductibles.
The data also do not include the costs of physical injuries, which are rising, he said.
Deer are also causing extensive damage to farm crops. In a 2002 survey, 67 percent of the respondents said the deer population is too high, up 15 percent from a 1996 survey. Twenty-seven percent said in 2002 that deer damage was unacceptable, with 75 percent reporting deer damage to crops.
The data developed by the automobile insurance industry and Farm Bureau do not reflect another statistic, the 10 Iowans killed in deer-automobile accidents in 2003.
Were in agreement the deer herd needs to be more in balance, said Jeff Vonk, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Insurance industry officials and the DNR estimate that Iowas deer herd needs to be reduced by 25 percent.
DNR plan
Vonk thinks the DNR has developed a plan to accomplish the goal while still providing valuable recreational hunting.
For the 2004 hunting season, the DNR issued about 28,000 additional deer licenses. Of this, 23,000 were anterless-only licenses, pushing the number available to 84,000. Deer hunters bought 73,729 of the 84,000 anterless-only licenses, he said.
This is expected to increase the deer harvest nearly 17,000 and raise the doe harvest by 13,000.
We believe this will cut the deer herd 25 percent10 percent this season (2004-05) and 20-25 percent after the 2005 deer season, Vonk said based upon DNR simulations.
The department sold all anterless-only licenses available in 72 counties. If needed, additional licenses could be issued next year.
However, 26 counties saw less than one-half of the anterless-only licenses sold in 2004.
The DNR started a hunter registry program to link hunters with landowners if the hunter would harvest only does. Vonk said 800 hunters signed up on the registry, but very few were contacted by landowners.
One problem is that landowners are reluctant to call a stranger and ask them to hunt, he said.
Expand HUSH
Vonk also said the department wants to expand its Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program, started in 2003 with a $10,000 contribution by Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance. Does shot are donated to the Food Bank of Iowa and other partners.
Local meat-processing lockers are paid $50 per deer for processing.
More than 1,600 deer were donated through HUSH in 2003. (2004 data are not yet available.)
In 2004, the HUSH quota was increased to 2,000 deer. But Vonk said they will deplete all funds for processing deer. More money is needed to expand the program statewide and increase the number of deer processed to 5,000, he said.
Non-resident licenses
Resident hunters will purchase nearly 322,000 licenses during the 2004-05 season. Non-residents, however, can purchase only 6,000 licenses, filling only one-half of the applications received.
Vonk said the department wants authority to raise non-resident licenses to 8,000 for the 2005 season and to have authority to set the non-resident anterless-only quota as needed. More archery licenses would also be issued in northeast and southern Iowa.
This would still be below the opportunities that Iowans have to hunt deer in other states, he said.
Below is the article from the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, copied with permission from IFB.
Iowa legislators addressing deer overpopulation
Posted:1/24/2005 10:19:17 AM
By Dale Johnson
State legislators are targeting methods to reduce Iowas growing deer herd and the increased number of deer-automobile accidents.
Deer struck by automobiles caused $60 million in damages last year, Bob Skow, with the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, told the Iowa House Natural Resources Committee last week.
Its increased the last three years, about 10 percent per year, he said of accidents that now exceed 15,000 annually.
The statistics do not include long-haul trucks and school bus accidents involving deer, nor other collisions that are not reported to officials because of high deductibles.
The data also do not include the costs of physical injuries, which are rising, he said.
Deer are also causing extensive damage to farm crops. In a 2002 survey, 67 percent of the respondents said the deer population is too high, up 15 percent from a 1996 survey. Twenty-seven percent said in 2002 that deer damage was unacceptable, with 75 percent reporting deer damage to crops.
The data developed by the automobile insurance industry and Farm Bureau do not reflect another statistic, the 10 Iowans killed in deer-automobile accidents in 2003.
Were in agreement the deer herd needs to be more in balance, said Jeff Vonk, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Insurance industry officials and the DNR estimate that Iowas deer herd needs to be reduced by 25 percent.
DNR plan
Vonk thinks the DNR has developed a plan to accomplish the goal while still providing valuable recreational hunting.
For the 2004 hunting season, the DNR issued about 28,000 additional deer licenses. Of this, 23,000 were anterless-only licenses, pushing the number available to 84,000. Deer hunters bought 73,729 of the 84,000 anterless-only licenses, he said.
This is expected to increase the deer harvest nearly 17,000 and raise the doe harvest by 13,000.
We believe this will cut the deer herd 25 percent10 percent this season (2004-05) and 20-25 percent after the 2005 deer season, Vonk said based upon DNR simulations.
The department sold all anterless-only licenses available in 72 counties. If needed, additional licenses could be issued next year.
However, 26 counties saw less than one-half of the anterless-only licenses sold in 2004.
The DNR started a hunter registry program to link hunters with landowners if the hunter would harvest only does. Vonk said 800 hunters signed up on the registry, but very few were contacted by landowners.
One problem is that landowners are reluctant to call a stranger and ask them to hunt, he said.
Expand HUSH
Vonk also said the department wants to expand its Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program, started in 2003 with a $10,000 contribution by Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance. Does shot are donated to the Food Bank of Iowa and other partners.
Local meat-processing lockers are paid $50 per deer for processing.
More than 1,600 deer were donated through HUSH in 2003. (2004 data are not yet available.)
In 2004, the HUSH quota was increased to 2,000 deer. But Vonk said they will deplete all funds for processing deer. More money is needed to expand the program statewide and increase the number of deer processed to 5,000, he said.
Non-resident licenses
Resident hunters will purchase nearly 322,000 licenses during the 2004-05 season. Non-residents, however, can purchase only 6,000 licenses, filling only one-half of the applications received.
Vonk said the department wants authority to raise non-resident licenses to 8,000 for the 2005 season and to have authority to set the non-resident anterless-only quota as needed. More archery licenses would also be issued in northeast and southern Iowa.
This would still be below the opportunities that Iowans have to hunt deer in other states, he said.
