A bill that would expand the time period in which deer can be killed to prevent damage to crops and trees did not get support from an Iowa Senate subcommittee on Monday.
House File 2484 passed the House last month but appears unlikely to survive a Friday legislative deadline. That “funnel” deadline requires most policy bills to get support from one full chamber and a committee of the other chamber to be eligible for further consideration.
The bill would allow those with special depredation licenses to hunt during the January season — even in counties with low deer populations — and it would create a new season for the licenses in the first two weeks of September.
That new season would precede the youth season, which is held before the popular adult bow and shotgun seasons to increase the likelihood of success for hunters younger than 16.
Sen. Tom Shipley, R-Nodaway, said its important for deer to be undisturbed before the youth season, for fear of chasing them away.
“Those deer start moving, and they don’t come back to that spot for three or four months,” said Shipley, who led a subcommittee that declined the bill Monday. “So we’re gonna have this kid who’s got 160 acres lined up to hunt on — it’s already been scoured. He goes out there to hunt and there’s not much there. Is he going to come back?”
Shipley said residents in counties with large deer populations often complain to him that more should be done to deplete their numbers. He said he supports the general concept of the bill but that it will require further discussion — likely next year — to develop a more palatable version.
Those who seek help from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for wildlife damage can get advice about how to keep deer away, minimize the damage they cause and increase hunting in the area during the existing seasons in the last four months of the year. The DNR can provide extra depredation licenses to be used during those seasons, but it can also issue permits to shoot deer outside of the seasons.
The department issued about 520 of the permits last year, said Todd Coffelt, the DNR’s legislative liaison.
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