Iowa hunters have reported harvesting nearly 54,000 deer through the first weekend of the first shotgun season which ended Dec. 7. Second season shotgun deer season Dec. 10-18 expected more hunters opting for warmer weather.
Iowa’s late muzzleloader season ends Jan. 10; archery season reopened Dec. 19 and also closes Jan. 10.
Deer harvest is not complete until the deer is registered, either online, over the phone or at a license vendor.
To register by phone, call (800)771-4692. To register a harvest online, click here.
The deer should be reported by the hunter whose name is on the tag, and it must come before midnight, the day after the deer is tagged.
Iowa DNR wildlife staff will continue to collect tissue samples to test for the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease in the state’s wild deer herd.
Many hunters voluntarily contribute samples of their harvested deer for CWD testing efforts. Most samples are obtained by wildlife staff, checking with hunters in the field or at home processing points.
For more information about CWD and other information on infectious disease, click here.