(Area) The Iowa DNR is conducting spring spotlight surveys.
The Wildlife section is out counting deer and anything else they might find. “The spotlight survey got started 45 years ago in 1978 and it has been expanded to become a really reliable survey that the Iowa DNR uses to manage wildlife species.”
Bryan Hayes with the DNR Office in Lewis says the spotlight survey has routes in all 99 counties. The survey spans 4,700 miles. “We saw a lot of raccoons and the deer were where you’d expect them to be when you go by deer habitat, something we picked up from the survey that you don’t always see is river otters. As we crossed one drainage ditch and shined the light down there were three river otters right on the bank.” Hayes says, “We also saw red fox, skunks, possums, house cats, those were all counted.”
Hayes reports the number of animals found in 2022 were up 20% compared to 2021.
