The first of two shotgun deer season opens today (Saturday) across Iowa. Department of Natural Resources wildlife bilogist Willy Suchy says hunters took 186-thousand deer last year. He says there was an effort to take more female deer last season, to try and cut back the overall population. Suchy says thousand of hunters will take to the woods and fields and he advises they use caution. He says deer hunting is a little safer than pheasant hunting. He says with deer hunting you have to be careful of where you’re shooting as hunters in groups usually drive deer into areas where others wait. Suchy says you should have a plan and stick to it. He says you have to keep in communication and if you’re supposed to be in a place, go there and be there, don’t be somewhere else so nobody knows where you’re going. He says that’s when you run into problems. Chronic Wasting Disease has been a problem in some of the deer in surrounding states, but not in Iowa. Suchy says they’ll test again this season for the disease. He says they collected just about four-thousand samples last year and didn’t detect C-W-D. He says they’ll take samples again, mainly in the counties near Wisconsin and Illinois. Suchy says anyone with questions about Iowa’s deer season can check the department’s website. He says all the information is at www.iowadnr.com . The first deer season runs today through Wednesday, with the second season starting December eleventh and running through the 19th.
