The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will require all deer and turkey hunters to report their kills beginning this fall. Steve Roberts, a D-N-R wildlife biologist, says all turkey and deer hunters will be required to report by midnight the day after they take an animal.
Roberts says the D-N-R for years has asked hunters to fill out a postcard and send it in when they successfully complete a hunt. Roberts says over time the postcards have become cumbersome, and he says many hunters haven’t filled out the cards. He says they hope the mandatory reporting will give them a better idea of how many animals have been killed to help the D-N-R do a better job of managing the animals.
The deer population has been a particular concern in recent years as the D-N-R has increase the number of deer licenses to try and thin the herd. Roberts says they’ve tried to make it easy for hunters to report their kills. He says you can call in to the system and speak their responses into the phone, or report on-line.
Roberts says hunters who don’t report face a fine — but he doesn’t anticipate that being a big problem. Roberts says the report is simple and should only take a couple of minutes. He says hunters can even call in from the field on a cellphone and report their kill.
Roberts says the deer tags sold with the hunting license will have the information the hunter needs to call in — and they only need to call if they’ve been successful in bagging a deer.
Related web sites:
D-N-R hunting info