Iowa Administrative Code for the Natural Resource Commission Chapter 106 sets regulations for deer hunting by residents and includes season dates, bag limits, possession limits, shooting hours, areas open to hunting, licensing procedures, means and methods of take, and transportation and reporting requirements. The Iowa NRC is proposing two amendments to Chapter 106 for the 2019-2020 resident deer season:

  • A total of 24 counties are having their respective resident county antlerless license quotas modified. Quotas are being increased in Adair, Allamakee, Appanoose, Clarke, Clayton, Davis, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Howard, Jackson, Jones, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, and Winneshiek Counties to reduce deer densities for disease control or to alleviate negative human-deer interactions. Quotas are being decreased in Bremer, Fremont, Mills, and Woodbury Counties to stabilize a healthy local population. Statewide, the overall proposed net quota change is for an increase of 3,525 tags.
  • Winneshiek County is being added to the list of counties where a January antlerless-deer-only season is allowed. The addition of Winneshiek County brings the total number of counties authorized for a January season to five (Allamakee, Appanoose, Clayton, Wayne, Winneshiek). The additional county added to the January antlerless-only season, when coupled with an increased county antlerless license quota, will slow the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in this area of the state, the DNR says.

The proposed rule can be found in its entirety at this link, on pages 18-21, of the NRC April 11 meeting agenda.

Comments on this proposed rule should be directed to: Tyler Harms, Wildlife Biometrician, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0034 Email: Tyler.Harms@dnr.iowa.gov, phone: (515) 432-2823, ext. 112. The NRC will likely give its final approval at its June 13 meeting at Honey Creek Resort State Park near Moravia.