The Iowa DNR says deer hunting was the most popular topic in their annual listening sessions with the public.
Wildlife Research Section supervisor Chris Ensminger says 284 of the 800 comments were about deer. “The first theme kind of being that the population is too low and people asking for comment or making comments saying that we should reduce antlerless tags, eliminate the January antlerless season,” Ensminger says.
He says there were several comments about moving the seasons earlier, some want the seasons later, and some would like the two gun seasons combined into one big season. There was also talk of general regulation changes. “For example, the number one was reduce or eliminate party hunting. There’s a comment we got and was popular again this year,” Ensminger says. “Some several people ask them to allow high power rifles in the gun seasons. Several people ask them to get the existing rifles out of the gun season. So it’s a lot of this person wants it and the other person wants the opposite. And so in some ways, I think that’s a healthy part of the meetings is that they hear that my voice isn’t the only thought on any one issue.”
He says changes in the waterfowl seasons were also brought up. “Some people prefer later seasons, some people supporting the current season that we have now, and some people asking for earlier. We did have a number of comments asking to increase our daily bag limit for ten a piece,”he says.
Pheasant numbers have been increasing, and Ensminger says the comments reflected that. “Far and away, people were very happy about the pheasant population. That was our, by a long shot, that was our number one, well 30 percent of the comments total for the upland category where the pheasant population was strong. So people appreciated that,” he says.
Ensminger says there was one thing that stood out for furbearers. “Far and away, People are asking for additional counties to be added to the bobcat season. People have been feeling like that population has been growing and could support more harvest,” he says.
Ensminger says people also want a bounty program on different predators and an increase in the otter harvest.