Saturday opens the first shotgun deer season. (file photo)
The Iowa DNR is asking you to get out and get your license now if you plan to take to the woods for the opening of the shotgun deer season Saturday. DNR wildlife research supervisor Willie Suchy says license sales were sitting at less than half of the expected number of hunters Wednesday morning.
“The good news is that hunters can buy their licenses at the last minute. The bad news is that sometimes we wait until the last minute and we end up standing in line,” Suchy says. He says the forecast looks good for the opening day. “It does look like we’ve got good weather coming up, so I would encourage hunters to go,” Suchy says. “We’ve has some bad winter weather over the last couple of openings, so this will be a good chance for hunters to get out.”
The DNR expects 70,000 hunters to try their luck on the opening day. Suchy says the weather is always important in hunting deer
and he says the milder weather could have the deer spread out a little bit more. “The nice thing with the mild weather, is the hunters don’t suffer from the elements and can actually stay out and hunt a little bit better,” Suchy says.
Suchy encourages hunters to get their licenses today or tomorrow, so they have them in hand and don’t get caught in a rush on Saturday. You can purchase a license on-line at the DNR website, or at a store in your community. The DNR website has a search function to allow you to find a retailer that sells licenses in your area.
The first shotgun season runs through December 10th. The second shotgun season runs December 13th through the 21st.