IOWA BOWHUNTER FALL 2024/WINTER 2025

DNR NEWS WINTER ISSUE By Jim Coffey- Forest Wildlife Biologist Crystal ball, Magic eight ball, educated guess or scientific surveys what does it take to manage an Iowa deer herd? This article and 10 volumes of books would not be enough to delve into the intricacies of deer biology on an Iowa landscape. We all have heard the saying opinions are like #*(@*$, everyone has one. Well when it comes to deer opinions it is often sometimes more than one depending upon the day. This brings me back to a wonderful book written by Larry Stone many years ago. “White-tailed Deer, Treasure, Trophy or Trouble?”. I always felt this was a superb title for a book about deer. In any given instance the same exact deer could fulfil all three of these virtues. For some people a deer may only fill one of these positions. It always depends upon your perspective. If you are interested in white-tailed deer in Iowa, I highly recommend you pick this book up for a nice winter read. Not only does it cover the history of deer in Iowa it gives you some perspectives you may not have considered. Sometimes the best way to make good decisions is to walk in someone else’s shoes for a few steps. As we begin the annual discussion about deer populations, we are just now ending our current season. Information is coming in from around the state and lots of opinions are starting to form. I’ll preface my comments with this statement. The Iowa DNR will try and manage the Iowa deer herd for all of the people of Iowa. We try and provide maximum opportunities while maintaining a safe hunting environment that ends with sustainable populations. That being said, it is up to local people to be ethical, harvest what deer they feel is appropriate and to express their opinions. One way we allow Iowan’s to express their opinions is through our DNR listening sessions. The wildlife bureau hosts annual meetings each year that allows people to express their thoughts about all wildlife in Iowa. These meetings are one of the ways biologist can better understand what people are seeing or are concerned about when it come to the animals they deal with every day. Please check out the Iowa DNR webpage for a scheduled meeting in your area. If you are unable to attend you may always submit your comments to the Iowa DNR through our webpage. Managing the deer resource is a tremendous responsibility. Tides ebb and flow, but our mission is

clear, that Iowa will have a sustainable resource of deer for future generations. A couple of other things I want to touch on in this article. For those of you that have not heard the news the Iowa DNR has moved out of our old office space at the Wallace building next to the capital and is now located at 6200 Park Avenue in Des Moines. We occupy the second floor of this building and are adjusting to the new environment pretty well. If you are attending a meeting with the DNR or just stopping for a license please note this address change. I also want to make sure people are aware of the CWD and EHD dashboards that can now be located on the DNR webpage under deer health. We still hear lots of misinformation about what is happening with CWD and EHD across the state so this should be your first reference when looking for the most up to date information. As far as CWD is concerned, at the time of this writing we have sampled over 5,000 animals across the state. Results should be completed by the end of January. Currently, there are approximately 25 26 counties with confirmed cases of CWD. New counties added this past year include Wapello, Davis and Shelby. With much concern about EHD this year we have also put together a self-reporting sight on the DNR webpage for people to submit deer suspected of dying from EHD. The extended warm fall seemed to have pushed the EHD season longer than normal this year. Counties reporting early were more centrally located in the State, with some southern counties reporting deer later into the fall. It is important when self-reporting to only report the deer you find yourself and not deer people have told you about. If friends talk to you about deer they have found please guide them to the DNR webpage to so they can submit their own information. It is our goal with this new way of reporting to help capture a better understanding of what is occurring on the landscape. I always enjoy talking about Iowa’s forest wildlife species. I am available for your questions anytime. Contact me at james.coffey@dnr.iowa.gov or send your questions to the IBA editor and I will do my best to answer them.

24 IOWA BOWHUNTERS ASSOCIATION

www.iowabowhunters.org