Hemorrhagic disease impacting many Iowa counties, but deer hunters off to a good start in 2024

Despite warm weather persisting in much of Iowa, roughly 6,000 deer have been registered so far through the youth and disabled hunter seasons, and the opening of the archery and early muzzleloader seasons. 

That is slightly higher than both last year and the five-year average. The crop harvest, cooling temperatures and approaching rut, should increase deer activity leading to greater harvest success, the Iowa DNR said.

The rut, which will be in full swing by November, is when mature bucks spend much of their time actively tending and searching for does during daylight hours, creating opportunity for thrilling action from the tree stand at any hour of the day.

A major factor leading to Iowa’s world-renowned buck quality is the simple fact that hunting during the rut – when bucks are most vulnerable – is restricted to compound and traditional bows. The archery season runs through Dec. 6, then closes for the two regular gun seasons before re-opening Dec. 23 through Jan. 10, 2025.

The early muzzleloader season closes Oct. 20.

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Deer disease update

Iowa’s deer population is in the midst of another outbreak of hemorrhagic disease, which tends to affect Iowa deer from late summer to early fall.

Though outbreak severity varies annually, it began increasing in September, with roughly 750 related deer mortalities reported throughout the state, which is considered a moderate outbreak compared to past years.

The DNR added new online tools to the Deer Hunting webpage that allow the public to report and monitor hemorrhagic disease activity. Hemorrhagic disease has been reported in at least 78 Iowa counties, though disease activity has generally been mild at the county scale at fewer than 50 mortalities per county.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) continues to increase in geographic spread and prevalence, though most Iowa counties have yet to detect their first CWD-positive deer. Last year, eight new counties were added to the list: Des Moines, Guthrie, Howard, Jones, Marshall, Monroe, Muscatine, and Tama, bringing the total number of counties that have had a positive deer to 23.

Testing of hunter-harvested deer is available in each county by contacting the local DNR wildlife or law enforcement staff. Hunters can help limit the spread of chronic wasting disease by refraining from feeding/baiting deer and transporting deer carcasses across counties.

The Iowa DNR primarily manages the disease in areas with moderate-to-high deer densities by adding antlerless tags within special Deer Management Zones.