Blaster
PMA Member
Iowa hunters killed a record 182,000 deer last winter, state biologists estimated.
The previous record was 140,000, set last year. Before that, hunters typically killed 100,000 or so deer each winter.
Deer have become a huge issue in Iowa, with many people complaining about the growing number of deer-vehicle collisions and about damage to crops and landscaping.
Others have welcomed more frequent deer sightings.
Last winter also marked the first time that more does were killed than bucks, considered a key to controlling the burgeoning deer population. Hunters shot 34,000 more does than usual last winter, said Richard Bishop of the state wildlife bureau.
The state sold nearly all of the 53,000 special permits to shoot antlerless deer. This year, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will offer 84,000 of those permits.
The bigger-than-usual kill is a start toward a smaller deer herd, Bishop said. "This harvest is having an impact, . . . understanding that it will take at least three years of increased harvest of does to see a significant reduction in deer numbers."
The added hunters meant more cash for restaurants and gas stations, too. Based on a federal survey, hunters in Iowa spend an average of $291 per year hunting deer. Together, hunters spent $52 million last winter on licenses, motels, groceries, supplies and meals.
The previous record was 140,000, set last year. Before that, hunters typically killed 100,000 or so deer each winter.
Deer have become a huge issue in Iowa, with many people complaining about the growing number of deer-vehicle collisions and about damage to crops and landscaping.
Others have welcomed more frequent deer sightings.
Last winter also marked the first time that more does were killed than bucks, considered a key to controlling the burgeoning deer population. Hunters shot 34,000 more does than usual last winter, said Richard Bishop of the state wildlife bureau.
The state sold nearly all of the 53,000 special permits to shoot antlerless deer. This year, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will offer 84,000 of those permits.
The bigger-than-usual kill is a start toward a smaller deer herd, Bishop said. "This harvest is having an impact, . . . understanding that it will take at least three years of increased harvest of does to see a significant reduction in deer numbers."
The added hunters meant more cash for restaurants and gas stations, too. Based on a federal survey, hunters in Iowa spend an average of $291 per year hunting deer. Together, hunters spent $52 million last winter on licenses, motels, groceries, supplies and meals.
