State wildlife officials say hunters in Iowa have sufficiently thinned down the deer herds, so the number of hunting licenses that will be issued is being scaled back to stabilize the population. Iowa Department of Natural Resources director Chuck Gipp says all signs indicate the statewide deer population declined between 2006 and 2013.
Some parts of Iowa are still overrun by deer, what are considered “hot spots,” while the animals are very scarce in other areas. Gipp says striking a balance with hunters isn’t easy.
He says the D-N-R may expand the number of so-called depredation licenses issued which allow landowners to kill animals that cause property damage. The D-N-R plans to scale back the number of so-called “antlerless” deer licenses, which were designed to thin herds by targeting female deer.
