The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports that the number of deer taken in the early archery and other seasons was down about five percent leading into the first gun season. The DNR’s Pete Hildreth says early gun totals are looking good.
He says that’s a slight increase.
Hildreth is the Conservation and Recreation Division administrator and spoke during the Natural Resources Commission meeting. He says hunters in eastern Iowa have seen the best success.
Hildreth says the lower deer totals in western Iowa are due to the impact of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease or EHD on deer. Hildreth says they confirmed another disease in three new counties during the first shotgun deer season. Davis, Wapello and Shelby counties all had deer samples that tested positive for chronic wasting disease for the first time. There are now 26 of the 99 counties with confirmed CWD cases, and 14 of those counties have only one confirmed case.
The second gun deer season starts on Saturday.
