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i just recieved this email from richard leopold, DNR director

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Managing Iowa’s deer herd is a complex issue with many elements to consider and balance. One is the various hunting constituencies, including shotgun, bow and muzzleloader hunters. Another consideration is depredation – deer - caused damage to agriculture, tree farms, residential landscaping and native ecosystems. Still another is vehicular traffic accidents. Add to this balance the different traditions and approaches to hunting; deer numbers that vary across the state; and unpredictable weather, and you have a delicate balance.



It is not possible to please all of the people all of the time. Deer management focuses on maintaining a healthy statewide herd while minimizing depredation and vehicular accidents. This year, population trends, especially in eastern and southern Iowa, show we have work to do in downsizing the deer herd. Iowa’s early shotgun season, due to unusually inclement weather, has fallen far short of its projected harvest of 95,000.



Hunting pressure is the primary means of herd reduction and unsuccessful programs translate to problems for all involved.



We fully realize the impact the three-day emergency shotgun season may have on the planned muzzleloading and bowhunting seasons, but this has been decided by DNR wildlife biologists and the Natural Resources Commission to be the most effective way to reduce the herd.



If we continue the planned seasons, we would likely not achieve our heard reduction targets and would face a challenge to meet our management goals. The option of an extended antlerless hunt in January was considered, but the longer we wait, the more bucks that would shed their antlers, reducing the effectiveness of our antlerless kill.



Other points:



We understand safety concerns, and encourage hunters to act responsibly and respectfully toward others on public lands.



This is not about selling more licenses. This is a decision based on sound science, balancing different interests.



This does not set a precedent. This is an emergency rule within a dynamic management program.



For individual concerns, such as licensing requirements, purchasing or refund questions, please contact the DNR Phone Center at (515) 281-5918 or e-mail at webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov



We understood there are concerns, and your concerns have been heard. Deer management in Iowa is a delicate balance weighing different needs and interests of all involved.
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If the State Wide deer herd,has come down from last year, where does this magic number of does that need to be killed come from? And how can it be targeted to those areas that still have alot of deer? I own land down by bowmaker, and I always agree with him, I do not see feilds full of deer. I did,however, have the occasion to be driving around Boone, last month in the evening, and man,, the feilds were full of does in the evening, as well as suburban yards!
 
Wow, Hope all goes well there.

Im wondering though. Im next door here in Illinois and we have a call in system put in place here last year. Our harvest numbers where down just slightly but weather during the second season played a big part in that.

Do you honestly believe your harvest numbers where down 37,00 deer? Thats enormous. Our weather was pretty close to yours wasnt it??

Was there a possible problem with your call in system?

Just having a hard time understanding how the heck your harvest numbers where that low.



Don
 
Just reading through this post guys, and I understand all sides. I really do. I mostly hunt bow season and am not happy to hear the news, but I shotgun also. I would rather see them re-open the season selectively, where the deer numbers selectively need reduced. I don't think it needs to be statewide. Just my 2 cents.
 
we are not down 37,000 or 34,000

if we are to continure at this rate, at the end of the season we might be down 34,000....that is a very rough estimate!!

we are currently 10,000 deer off of last years numbers at this point in the season compared to last year at this time.....

not 34,000!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Greg - I'm really not trying to pick on you today, but why on earth does it need to be permanent? There is already an extra doe season in parts of the state before Thanksgiving and one in late January that you can take part in. You need another gun season to help you fill your tags every year? This is an odd year with the weather which caused the lower harvest numbers and that is the "reason" for this season - so they say. Next year buy yourself a muzzleoader and you can hunt way into January if you need all that "extra" time to fill your doe tags. I really don't think you understand why Iowa has the best deer hunting in the midwest. </div></div>

Hey, what can I say, Im a newbee please bear with me while I try to learn /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif I did hunt the late January season last year on landowner tags and that is when I got my first doe. Bow season is a pretty busy time for me as thats when I harvest the koi fish that I breed. You can only hunt Shotgun or Muzzle but not both correct? Muzzle season works out best with my christmas vacation from work, but ive never fired one so Id have to try one and see.
 
You can hunt both seasons with antlerless tags. Buy a statewide late muzzy and a second shotgun season antlerless tag or statewide second shotgun season and a late muzzy antlerless tag.
 
Man I hate to see this happen, but I guess it has and hopefully some deer get killed during that time to put us back on track, I highly doubt it however. For the sake of the future I hope that when the weather gets bad that people don't just stay in and say "well they will just open another season anyway" that is truly my biggest fear and I can see it happening. Good luck to the gun guys who get to go out again, shoot a bunch of slickheads and I will do the same during the late season.

Kratz
 
I honestly believe the reporting system is why these numbers are off. I wouldn't doubt if there were just as many or more deer killed this year but just not reported.

Who know's, I'll just keep knocking them down and then I'll call all my unfilled tags in. Just to make their #'s look a little closer to the actual harvest.
 
Hey ya all,

Just cuz certain powers that be who control the legislature want ALL the deer dead don't mean we gotta help them do it.

The yote population seems to be WAYYYYYYYYYY out of control. Ya can kill em with rifles and don't have to report them. Most everybody has all of the venison they can eat.

Another Iowa site TODAY shows three hunters with 6 yotes killed today. One with a SPEAR. The yote has NO health issues. Same bunch killed 8 yesterday.
 
I still have my 1st season any sex tag as well as 2 antlerless tags. Will I be able to use my any sex tag on a doe in that special season? I also have 2 late muzzy antlerless tags to fill over Christmas break. I'd be more then happy to jack up the deer death count by five!
 
"our heard reduction"

If that is the message directly pasted from Leopold the DNR director- you are all in trouble- how can you manage it if you can't spell it? Herd- A herd is a large group of animals.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iabowhunter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I still have my 1st season any sex tag as well as 2 antlerless tags. Will I be able to use my any sex tag on a doe in that special season? </div></div>

Yes.
 
Ive got 5 or 6 doe tags that I won't fill this year. I mines well just call them in and chalk up 5 or 6 more towards the 34,000 they want. I guess I cant complain about an extended muzz season.
 
I believe in the original letter that I read via email today that was posted already in a previous post it referred to the scientific information that this was based upon.  What?  Heck we only know what ever the reporting system tells us.  What level of accuracy does this system allow for.  Also, how scientific of a process does the DNR use to tell us what the real population is anyway?  Shoot, the census bureau can only guarantee their accuracy counting people to a certain percent.  They don't even drive down gravel roads looking for people or flying air planes overhead counting us as we run out of our houses.  This is really crazy.  In fact, why is this being labeled an emergency action?  Is their some sort of serious danger that we are facing?  I sent my emails to the involved individuals today and truthfully it didn't matter (like most deer issues effecting hunters) because the Dept. of NonTypical Revenue had already made the decision.  What ever happened to common sense?  I realize that the first Saturday of Shotgun season was pretty tough, but just 2 of us killed 2 deer on Saturday on 80 acres, followed by one deer on Sunday and one on Monday.  These were hardly the worst conditions that I could remember in the past few years.  Remember ,what three years ago ,when first season Saturday was like 5 degrees out?  Also I thought that second season was longer because the hunting is typically a little tougher then first season?  Really it is time we stop messing with a good thing.  Honestly, I hope this all backfires on the state and we end up with hardly any deer again the way it was not that long ago.  Then we would find out where the dnr's priorties are.  Really, if all the deer were gone what would the Farm Bureau complain about then? This is really geting old. Take note, let a State have too much control of anything and it will eventually be run into the ground.
 
So now its passed, I want to find out what some of the regulations are going to be! Has anyone found anything that states the rules of this season? How do they plan to inform people of the regulations? I asked a hypathetical question before and am now going to ask it again!

1. Will party hunting be legal?

2. I filled my tag, can I go out and help fill others tags?

3. If it is numbers why not let people fill bow tags with guns?

4. If your doe tags are county specific, are they now statewide?
a. i.e. if you bought a tag for a southern county for you party hunt, and now can't make it back, canyou use that doe tag locally?



Now back to the other concerns!

1. How are they going to get word out? Having the 10 oclock news announce an extra seasonis one thing, explaining what is legal and what is not will be tough! Do they thinkn ever Tom, Dick and Harry(no offense to anyone named that /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif ) are going to go to the DNR website to read the rules?

I just have bad feeling this is going to be a catastrophy!! I hope I am wrong, but this could end up as a complete mess!!

Good luck IDNR, I for one am all for them keeping control, but I am not sure this is the "Answer"!!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: idehunter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">  In fact, why is this being labeled an emergency action?  </div></div>

So that when and if this turns into a cluster of confusion and PO'd people and worse yet, injuries to non shotgunning hunters that may be in the woods at the same time, they can justify the hastiness of this poorly thought out plan.
 
Just a strange thought.....In the instance that the politicians would "officially" begin deciding how many deer need killed what do you think the impact of hunters boycotting one deer season?  I realize this would be like watching a crack addict in rehab come next November for me, but think about the benifits?  The state couldn't possibly hire enough sharp shooters, all the liberals in Iowa City couldn't afford the deer birth control, the prisons couldn't consume all the venison, all the bucks would get an extra year to grow, unfortunately the better aspects of the DNR would suffer, but the stupid idiots in DesMoines would realize who pays the bill. There has to be a way to stop this stupidity.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">.....In the instance that the politicians would "officially" begin deciding how many deer need killed what do you think the impact of hunters boycotting one deer season? </div></div>

if you would want deer seasons, limits, NR tag allotments set by the legislature and FB, then sure, sounds like a great idea. if you want to ruin iowa's future of hunting, go for it.

if you have gun tags left, go fill them...period

doubleA, for aswers to all your questions, call the number in that email i posted
 
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