Southern Iowa Sunset from one of our camera locations in a past summer
Deer numbers in southern Iowa have been going down steadily for years, some spots worse than others. I could say the same thing about all of Iowa actually. Northeast Iowa, i.e., Jackson County, hasn't had good deer numbers since the late 2000's in my opinion due to too many doe tags being offered by the Iowa DNR. So, I am going to raise some points of discussion that I believe more midwestern hunters, not just Iowans, should consider bringing up with their state's DNR biologists and state government. Change is needed because we are losing one of our favorite natural resources at an alarming rate. Nobody is talking about this. Does nobody care? Well, I do. Let's get into it. Below I will list the continued issues that Iowa whitetails have been facing over the last 25 years which has lead to our current deer population.
DNR Increased Antlerless Tag Quotas per County in the Early-to-Mid 2000's
The Iowa DNR raised tag quotas in most all counties back then that completely altered the deer density, especially in counties where that quota was way too high - Jackson County, for example in E/NE Iowa and Scott County in E Iowa were both raised obnoxiously high. Hunters might not have noticed the fallout from this until the late 2000's, but it was obvious. I assume this was the case elsewhere in the state besides the big deer population counties in southern Iowa. Yet, most shotgun hunting parties didn't give two cares in the world about this as they got to grab more tags, which equals more shooting, more fun, and more dead deer. Most farmers I speak to hate deer, and if it were up to them, they'd all be shot to protect yields and profits. This hurt the lowered deer population areas where the quota and actual herd density didn't align. This probably helped some of southern Iowa where this population control was actually needed.
EHD Outbreak of 2012-2015 (First Years of Well-Known EHD Contraction in Iowa)
Where I hunted in SE/E Iowa, we lost hundreds of deer due to EHD in 2012, and such continued in geographical pockets (as true EHD does). One could argue that this took out Iowa's best herd to date as for genetics and age class, whereas 2005-2012 were some of the best whitetail years in Iowa. Everyone that is passionately invested in deer management in Iowa knows this was the first big punch from EHD, and it completely damaged the deer herds for years to come. EHD still gets deer annually here in Iowa. With EHD deaths, the carcass can turn a dark shade of brownish red, some call it "black", and the predators won't touch it - bobcats, coyotes, crows, vultures, etc. So, it becomes very easy to find EHD deer carcasses compared to completely eaten carcasses that the bones get spread out as the decay happens. Notice, the Iowa DNR have not reduced doe tags to accommodate EHD loss proportionately. Any reductions in antlerless tags have been done with very little improvement to the herds. Too little too late, I believe.
2.5. CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) - A Gosh Darn Myth
What a joke! I could be wrong, and if so, I'll issue a statement of correction on it. To-date, there is not one study that shows concrete evidence of CWD killing a deer. This gives me COVID vaccine vibes like crazy. Darn it, Pfizer. Anyways, the deer that I have shot or seen shot that have tested positive for CWD were visually 100% active and healthy in December. In Iowa, we don't bait (well us good ones don't), but we do run mineral sites in the spring & summer where apparently deer spread CWD through their saliva. Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois all have CWD issues apparently, but the only thing I've seen or heard is that people believe it is tied to the vehicle insurance companies who wish to remove wild deer populations to save them money from comprehensive claims (hit deer). So, what is CWD? Do NOT misidentify CWD with EHD. EHD is real, and I've seen it. Two different things completely. I anxiously await the day CWD is explained to the general public with factual information.
Increase in Predator Populations 2010 to 2020, Especially Bobcats & Coyotes
I would have to go back a few years, but as bobcat populations climbed in southern Iowa in the mid 2010's (2016 was our first full year publicly guiding), with populations moving further and further north into the state from Missouri, they have killed way too many fawns (and turkeys). Coyote populations have remained rather steady due to the volume of hunters trapping and the convenient fun of hunting them year-round and at night with nightvision or thermals with no bag limits. We didn't have a big bobcat population in 2010, and by 2020, we had a hunting season for them for residents. Eventually, residents were able to shoot multiple bobcats a year, up to 3 per person, per county in the southern counties designated by the Iowa DNR, if I understand the regulations. The DNR didn't know how bad the bobcats were already hurting the deer population, and I know of no study conducted to warrant them having a clue about their population growth and range. So, bobcat populations growing with a coyote population remaining steady is a net gain of predation in Iowa. Might as well add mountain lions and wolves to the mix here as well, but we will save the tin foil hat topics for another time. Again, raising the bobcat bag limits is a little too late. Damage has been done. It needs to be raised to 5 per hunter per county per season. Luckily, there are plenty of bowhunters who will implement the Triple-S Process (Shoot, Shovel, Shut-Up) and get rid of as many "fawn killers" as they can. We do not do that at MDLO nor do I do that, but I know of plenty who do.
Change in Agriculture Practices - Part 1: Habitat Destruction (Ongoing)
As all of us Iowans know, farmers will do anything they can to get that extra dollar, even at the cost of Iowa's deer herd and huntable habitat. It's about money for them. I get it. That is their livelihood. If they can take out a brushy fence line, a timber island or peninsula, or worse - even an entire wood block, they will. If the CRP payments are less than what they can make on farming the land in beans or corn, they will definitely farm it (unless the landowner charges excessively high rent to where it breaks the farmer). I've said this for years, " if it can be planted, it will be planted." This references the deer quality and terrain more than anything. Let's level it all and turn it into a gosh darn parking lot. Scratch that, lets just make more field so we can plant more rows of beans or corn, even if one extra row. The ultra negligence of farmers in Iowa in regards to protecting natural habitat is a choice to make an extra buck at the cost of habitat destruction, not just for deer but all of Iowa's game animals. Believe it or not, there is still some land left to level for farmers to add tillable acres, but it's running dry. I bet I could ask most serious hunters here if they've seen habitat destruction like this (not to include urbanization in certain parts of Iowa), and they'd all say the affirmative without hesitation. Farmers and deer don't mix anymore. If you look at the volume of farms taken out of CRP to be replanted, due to CRP not being as lucrative as it was during the Obama administration in respect to GDP and inflation, we'd need 1 out of 5 to 1 out of10 of farmers to re-enroll their land in CRP in southern Iowa, which won't happen unless something changes with funding. COVID spending and government spending has negatively hurt those chances, so nothing will change soon here. Even if it did, too little too late. I'd love to see quail and pheasant numbers increase, but they need more mild winters and better nesting seasons, not just better habitat.
Change in Agriculture - Part 2: Seed & Chemical Changes (2010-Present)
This might be my most passionate argument at this point in time. Has anyone done studies on the GMO crops planted in Iowa that the deer feed on to see how it affects deer health including reproduction? Nope. Over the last 10 years, we have moved from the Round-Up Ready seeds to the LibertyLink seeds. Round-Up to Enlist. Farmers needed to do this for their yields because Round-Up wasn't cutting it anymore. I'm having PTSD thinking about some water hemp I had in a bean plot in 2018 that is nightmare worthy. Yikes! Still, the change in seed genetic modification and the chemicals needed to treat them, including pre-emergents and post-emergents, we have no idea of its affects on wild whitetails. I couldn't ever ask farmers to go back to Round-Up Ready beans and corn, but if they did, I bet we could see improvement in time. It won't happen, so until a study is done and potential improvements made, I don't foresee a positive change here. This is the biggest issue facing deer since EHD, but let's be honest, all of these issues are relevant. Yet, if deer aren't reproducing at their normal rate, and if the DNR is not accounting for such decrease in reproduction annually, eventually, we will see a big time decrease in deer populations without deer carcasses laying everywhere. Talking about this brings back memories of this movie I watched some odd years ago about DuPont. I looked it up, here it is: "Dark Waters is a 2019 American legal thriller film. The story dramatizes Robert Bilott's case against the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont after they contaminated a town with unregulated chemicals." Can you imagine if something similar is happening with the deer in Iowa with farm herbicides and/or pesticides? I am not trying to say this is factual. I have no evidence to justify that type of a claim. Yet, something has happened, and it would make sense that these ag chemicals or the newer seed varieties are having something to do with it. As soon as RR Gen 2 beans and corn were being phased out, I told many hunters that we aren't seeing the deer attack those new LibertyLink beans or corn. Something was different. Was it just taste? Maybe. Was it chemicals or poisonous? Maybe. Yet, we need a study to be conducted. DNA, blood samples. The whole work to really eliminate this potential issue.
Increase in Deer Harvested by Hunters (Ongoing)
We have a healthy amount of hunters shooting more deer every year, but without respectable data being shared showing them per county, per season, and sex, it is hard to tell what we are doing year to year. Yes, we have the report your harvest, and I think most do. People say the hunting population is down. Maybe true. Yet, the hunters out there using more modern tools to get a deer harvested, say trail cameras, food plots, blinds, etc., are being more successful than ever before. I could be wrong, but the only numbers I ever see are strictly shotgun seasons which represent the majority of deer harvested. So, are we killing too many deer in connection to other factors negatively affecting deer populations? Maybe so, but hunting shouldn't have to suffer or be the citation regarding the deer population issues. Hunters are not the problem, or at least, they shouldn't be.
Of all of the things mentioned above hurting our deer populations in Iowa and around the Midwest, one thing stands out as the underlying kryptonite of whitetails (potentially) that could alter reproduction abilities and the genetic make-up of wild whitetails... Which is it? Number 5 is the winner there...
Last year, everyone in southern Iowa was talking about how EHD killed all their deer. They aren't seeing deer nor recovering many carcasses though. Well, we did find some EHD, no doubt. Yet, I only found 5 and that was over two different farms 40 minutes apart. Losing 2-3 deer on a farm is barely noticeable (unless it's a unique buck that stands out). I heard of just a few people finding 20-40 carcasses in spots both last year and this year, but nothing nearby my farms. So, could it have been EHD? Sure.
After February of 2024 and me shed hunting my farms with my family, we found not one EHD deer beyond the 5 EHD deer already found, which over these farms is nothing to write home about.
So, where are the rest of the deer? So far through fall of 2024 (currently in 1st Gun Season), deer numbers are definitely down. Yet, I have some really big deer on camera, I could argue it is one of the best years for big bucks I've ever had (couple mid 180s and a good amount of 160+ deer). I know we would see more deer or more of those big deer if numbers were higher, at a minimum where deer numbers were some odd years ago.
So, in conclusion, the following list are of factors negatively influencing deer numbers:
Too many antlerless tags issued by Iowa DNR per county
I can't verify the actual numbers as such isn't shared publicly by DNR
I've never seen a study to justify the correlation of tags to deer population
EHD (not CWD but maybe also?)
Definitely has some impact, but most are not finding any carcasses
Finally, DNR tried asking for public reports on EHD, and most don't submit
DNR would need to spend a lot of money to conduct accurate study without public help/assistance
Increase in predator populations
Coyote populations have remained steady
Bobcat populations have increased
More predators = Less deer
More likely to kill fawns than mature deer
Ag: Habitat Destruction / Urbanization
Farmers will be farmers, human vs. nature ongoing battle (Ivan Carter reference)
Each year we have less huntable acres in Iowa
Ag: Seeds, Plants, and Chemicals
Big Ag and Big Pharma are too similar... Already monopolized
Biologists have no awareness of what these chemicals or GMO seeds/plants does to our animals - conduct a study!
If not straight-up poisonous, it could affect reproductive health & fertility
Too many deer harvested by Iowa hunters in connection with deer populations
Especially young bucks and does
Non-Residents aren't the big problem
All of the above listing elements are contributing to what could be the fall of Iowa quality deer hunting or worse the Iowa deer herd. I believe proactive measures are needing to be taken by hunters, landowners, farmers, the Iowa DNR, and the state government if we wish to preserve this natural resource for generations to come. Thanks for reading.
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