(Prairie Heritage Center – KIWA Staff Photo)
Northwest Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will soon be hosting meetings in Western Iowa to update hunters on a series of changes to deer season before licenses go on sale on August 15th.
The meetings in our area are August 5th at Sandy Hollow Clubhouse near Sioux Center and August 6th at the Prairie Heritage Center between Sutherland and Peterson. Other meetings are scheduled for August 3rd at Yellow Smoke Park near Denison and August 4th at the Dennis L. Sohl Center in Hinton. All meetings begin at 6 p.m.
The most significant change is dividing the state into two deer zones: Zone A and Zone B. Zone B includes Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien, Plymouth, Woodbury, Ida, Crawford and Shelby counties. General Deer Licenses in Zone B are valid for antlered bucks only, and party hunting is not allowed.
The rest of the state is in Zone A.
Jace Elliott, state deer biologist with the Iowa DNR says that the regulation changes, including dividing the state into two zones, are the product of more than a dozen meetings with local hunters concerned about low deer populations who want to see the herd recover. He says the meetings within the new deer Zone B. They are encouraging hunters to attend to keep the conversation going.
With these changes, hunters will need to select the zone they will be hunting before purchasing their deer license. Zone A licenses are not valid in Zone B; Zone B licenses are not valid in Zone A. Zone B allows for Antlered Buck-only harvest for all seasons except youth and disabled, or for hunters with landowner-tenant tags or landowners in the depredation program.
A limited, county-specific quota of Any-Deer Licenses are available in Zone B, on a first-come, first-served basis. Licenses go on sale at 9 a.m., August 15th.
