Hunting News

2017 deer harvest of 105,544 surpasses 2016 totals

2017 deer harvest of 105,544 surpasses 2016 totals

By Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Hunters reported harvesting 105,544 deer in Iowa during 2017, an increase of more than 4,100 deer from 2016. Iowa’s deer seasons closed on Jan. 10.

Most deer were harvested during the two shotgun seasons.

Totals for Shotgun 1: 26,546 deer, of which 13,804 were antlerless, 12,742 antlered.  For Shotgun 2: 19,921 deer total, of which 12,326 were antlerless, 7,595 antlered.

Bow season, including crossbow harvests, totaled 19,797 deer, of which 7,737 were antlerless, 12,060 antlered.

Landowners and tenants reported harvesting 7,376 antlerless deer and 3,785 antlered deer during the shotgun seasons, and 1,445 antlerless deer and 1,246 antlered deer during bow season.

The overall harvest was 105,544 deer in 2017, and increase of 4 percent over the 2016 harvest of 101,397 deer. Antlerless harvest of 57,522 for 2017 is a 3 percent increase over the 2016 total of 56,010 deer.

Antlered deer taken in 2017 totaled 47,992, a 6 percent increase over the 2016 total of 45,378 deer.

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