Iowa’s archery deer season began October 1st, and while the weather was more in line with the Iowa State Fair than deer season, hunters have been out in their tree stands and as of Tuesday morning, reported harvesting more than 5,000 deer.
Roughly 70,000 Iowans harvested an estimated 20,000 deer in 2024. Archery season is the longest of Iowa’s deer seasons, offering hunting opportunities from October 1st through January 10th, with a 16-day temporary closure for the regular gun seasons beginning December 6th.
Also open is the early muzzleloader season that has a quota of 7,500 any deer licenses. The early muzzleloader season is for Iowa residents only, and closes Sunday, October 19th. Hunters reported harvesting more than 2,500 deer during the 2024 early muzzleloader season.
Iowa’s deer population varies across the state. In western Iowa, the herd has seen a significant population decline over the past decade. The DNR is working to reverse that trend through regulation changes to reduce doe harvest while still offering hunting opportunities. In central Iowa, the population is considered stable with some pockets where the herd has declined due to disease outbreaks in recent years. Eastern Iowa has a stable to increasing population.
Information on deer management, disease response plan, deer program reports and more is available online at iowadnr.gov/deer.
Information courtesy of the Iowa DNR
