Resident Deer Hunting Rules Proposed for 2021-22

The proposal for the upcoming resident deer hunting season, if adopted by the Natural Resource Commission, amends DNR Chapter 106 rules that combined will accomplish the following changes:

• General deer licenses are being reestablished as valid in three counties for all seasons: Hamilton, Webster, and Wright. Deer populations have been steadily increasing in the northwest allowing for this increase in recreational opportunity for Iowa hunters, the DNR says.
• The January antlerless-deer-only season is being "conditionally reinstated" for five counties: Allamakee, Appanoose, Decatur, Wayne, and Winneshiek. The season will occur only if the respective number of unsold antlerless-only-deer licenses in a county exceeds 100 on the third Monday in December. This is the first time this provisional approach has been used, the DNR says, as increasing the number of tags across all seasons unconditionally only tends to shift hunting pressure to later seasons, which can be ineffective given the conditions (such as poor weather). This way, some incentive remains with hunters to hunt more in the earlier seasons. (This was also one of the intended uses of electronic licensing and mandatory reporting.) The DNR also says this change accomplishes two objectives for deer population and disease management: 1) It maintains a stable level of antlerless deer harvest during the early seasons when deer are still within their breeding home range, thus slowing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease among family groups, and, 2) it allows opportunity for additional antlerless harvest late in the hunting season to help with population management. The DNR goal moving forward will be to stabilize deer numbers in these counties and slow the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
• A total of 25 counties are having their respective resident county antlerless-deer-only license quotas modified, for an overall statewide increase of 1,250 more tags. Quotas are being increased in 16 counties: Buchanan, Butler, Dallas, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Henry, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Madison, Marion, Muscatine, and Warren Counties. This is intended to reduce deer densities for disease control or to alleviate negative human-deer interactions. Quotas would be decreased in nine counties: Adams, Fremont, Harrison, Jasper, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Wapello, and Woodbury counties. This is intended to stabilize a healthy local deer population.

The complete proposal can be found in the NRC's February 11 meeting agenda, Chapter 106, Deer Hunting by Residents – Notice of Intended Action, item no. 20, here. The final rule is expected to be approved by the NRC at either their April or May meeting.