Iowa’s 2022 deer harvest increased 7 percent over the 2021 season, due, in part to the new Excess Tag January Antlerless Season approved by the Iowa Legislature last spring.
“A lot of hunters chose to participate in the new season, and the harvest was on par or a little above the other firearms seasons,” said Jace Elliott, state deer biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Hunters reported more than 2,500 deer taken during the Excess Tag January Antlerless Season, thanks, in part, to favorable weather across the state.”
Overall, hunters tagged deer at a rate of 30-35 percent which is similar to previous years, for a total reported harvest of more than 109,600 deer.
Deer harvest varied regionally, with the north central and southeast regions seeing an increase over 2021. “The north central deer population is recovering over the past decade and is trending in the right direction,” Elliott said.
The far western counties and southwest region saw a decline in harvest, likely due to the recent outbreaks from EHD and from floods in the Missouri River valley. “The deer herd has shown that, given time, it can recover from EHD outbreaks,” he said. “And 2022 was a mild year with respect to EHD in that area.”
*********************************************************************************************
Ohio’s 2022-23 deer hunting season concluded Sunday, Feb. 5, with 210,977 deer checked, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The final total represents all deer harvested during archery, gun, muzzleloader, and youth hunting seasons since Sept. 10, 2022.
“Ohio is consistently one of the nation’s best states for deer hunting, and this season reaffirmed that status,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “Ohio hunters have enjoyed a long season with many chances to get afield. This is the first time since 2012-13 that the number of deer taken surpassed 200,000.”
