Floyd County area conservation officer reminds deer hunters of safety practices ahead of season opening

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Saturday marks the start of a new shotgun deer hunting season and that means it’s time for area hunters to get ready to make sure they have a safe trip for them and the people around them.

Before heading out into the snow, there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done. Hunters are responsible for making sure that their license is valid, their habitat fees are paid, and that they have acquired the correct tags for the appropriate season.

This weekend is the beginning of shotgun season one, which runs from Dec. 3 through Dec. 7. Shotgun season two will run longer, from Dec. 10 through Dec. 18. Hunters will need the appropriate tags for whichever season they are hunting in and those tags cannot be carried outside of their respective dates.

“In any scenario where you are hunting deer in Iowa, you will need a transportation tag,” said area Conservation Officer Jacob Fulk.

Beyond making sure that they have the correct licenses and tags, Fulk also recommends double-checking with landowners to ensure that permission to hunt is still applicable. For hunters who use private property as a regular hunting ground, it’s a good idea to reach out with a phone call to make sure that land hasn’t changed hands.

“Make sure that your permission is still good from last year,” said Fulk.

More than anything, Fulk emphasized safety, particularly when it comes to wearing visible hunting gear. The minimum requirement for hunting is a solid blaze orange vest, but Fulk recommends going well above and beyond that standard.

“More is always better,” said Fulk. “I would just as soon people wear full blaze orange coveralls.”

Along with ensuring that they are wearing enough orange gear, Fulk also suggests hunters assess the condition of their gear before heading out. Faded or stained items should be replaced to ensure maximum visibility.

“Get yourself into one of the stores in the area and get one purchased,” said Fulk.

For those going out with a hunting party, it’s recommended to make sure everybody knows where everybody else is supposed to be, and scheduling regular check-ins so that your hunting mates know where to look in case of emergency.

“If you’re going out with a group of people, know who is going to be standing where,” said Fulk.

Fulk also reminds people that it is illegal to hunt deer from a vehicle and you cannot shoot from a road or across a road. Hunters can only fire while standing on private property and must not let the excitement of the hunt make them forget about the direction they are facing.

And, again, Fulk recommends as much blaze orange as possible.

“If you think you have enough blaze orange, go ahead and grab a stocking cap that’s orange,” said Fulk. “It never hurts to have a little bit extra on you.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources estimates that about 100,000 hunters will take to the woods for the first shotgun season.

“Our deer population is stable to slightly increasing statewide, so hunters should expect to see numbers similar to last year,” said Tyler Harms, a wildlife research biometrician with the Iowa DNR.

The two shotgun seasons see the highest numbers of hunters participating, which also leads to significant deer harvest, all condensed into less than three weeks in December.

“About half of our annual deer harvest statewide each year occurs during these two seasons,” Harms said.

While seasonal weather is finally arriving, the mild, dry fall benefited hunters in the earlier deer seasons, he said, including the youth season Sept. 17 to Oct. 2, the first archery season Oct. 1 to Dec. 2, and the early muzzleloader season Oct. 15-23.

“Hunters have reported harvesting more than 23,000 deer so far, which is about 8% higher than last year, so we’re on track to harvest more than 100,000 deer statewide again this year,” Harms said.

Additional seasons remaining this winter beside the two shotgun seasons are late muzzleloader season Dec. 19-Jan. 10 and a population management January antlerless season and excess tag January antlerless season, both Jan. 11-22, 2023, by permit only.

Last year, hunters reported killing nearly 103,000 deer, down from 109,600 in 2020. The Iowa DNR has a goal to manage the herd to provide an annual harvest of 100,000-120,000 deer.

A key piece to the population management plan is harvesting antlerless deer, Harms said.