(Lewis) DNR Deer Surveys conducted last year and this spring show significant decreases in the western Iowa deer herd-harvest data this year-to-date, reflecting the data shown on the survey.
John Lorenzen with the DNR Office in Lewis says the latest harvest numbers confirm what the survey said.
According to the DNR, as of November 12, 20,800 deer harvests were reported from a statewide perspective, a 3.5 percent decrease from the five-year average. He says the southwest Iowa numbers are much lower.
For example, in southwest Iowa, 2,500 deer had been reported as of November 12, compared to the five-year average of around 3,300. In Cass County, the five-year average is 76; this year, it is 45. Shelby County’s five-year average is 41; this year, it is 17. Pottawattamie County’s five-year average is 191; this year, it is 104. Montgomery County’s five-year average is 78; this year, it is 43.
The numbers look better in counties to the east. For example, Audubon County’s five-year average is 32; this year, it is 25, and Adair County went from 125 to 101.
