Deer Hunting in Iowa

By: Keith

When you think of tourism attractions in Iowa I would bet a considerable amount of money that you wouldn’t say deer hunting. But nonetheless it has been a major attraction for many avid hunters for years. So when I saw this display at the Historical Society I thought back to when I would visit friends and see similar deer heads hanging in their homes. I by no means fall into the category of a dedicated deer hunter but growing up in a small town in southwest Iowa it was hard to avoid the occasional tag along trip with my buddies. I lived in town and didn’t have parents who were hunters but I had plenty of friends that lived in the country and had cases of rifles in their homes. If the random fall weekend got a little boring then someone would pitch the idea and we all would hop in someone’s truck and head out. This probably sounds very country to everyone that was born and raised in Des Moines but yes I am the product of a po-dunk town if you can believe it. Please don’t judge me for it.

So over the past three years living in Iowa City I haven’t had the time to go back to Creston very often, let alone fit in a little deer hunting if I even had the desire. But I have met some friends from Chicago at school and they are amazed with the deer population back home and in Iowa in general. They literally beg my friends and I to go back home so they can hunt.

They are not the only people in this country that appreciate how the fertile soils and abundance of nutritious food attracts some of the most sought after whitetail deer in this country. Deer populations vary according to available cover and in Southern Iowa, adequate cover has produced a good deer population. Even though deer are normally associated with forested areas and Iowa only has about 10% hardwoods timber, the brushy draws, fencelines, marshes, grassy areas and expansive crop fields provide the ideal habitat for whitetail deer (Inside IA Hunting, 2010). Not only is it an ideal habitat for deer populations but the success rate for hunters is big factor. Well-defined food sources, clear travel corridors and limited bedding options make harvesting a large buck just a little easier than in other regions (Inside IA Hunting, 2010).

Anytime you see a pack of deer along the side of the road or have to actually swerve and miss one ON the road then you can understand why their presence is so prominent here in Iowa. So even though you all may not be interested in this topic or hobby at all, it has a little more significance in my life and helps me appreciate what Iowa has to offer.

Inside Iowa Hunting. (2010). Retrieved October 7, 2010 from

http://www.inside-iowa-hunting.com/whitetail-deer-hunting.html