Shotgun seasons continue to be the most popular among Iowa hunters with about 197,000 either-sex and antlerless licenses being sold in 2007.

The first of Iowa’s two shotgun deer seasons gets underway Dec. 6 and lasts for five days. The second shotgun season opens Dec. 13 and runs through Dec. 21.

Last year approximately 85,000 deer were reported during the two seasons and represented 60 percent of the reported harvest for the 2007-08 deer seasons, including the harvest from the 3-day shotgun season extension. Typically, the shotgun seasons represent an even higher proportion of the annual deer harvest in Iowa but the 2007 season was plagued with extreme weather conditions.

The shotgun seasons also represent a significant contributor to the state’s antlerless harvest. In 2007, about 45 percent and 52 percent of the harvests were does during the Shotgun 1 and Shotgun 2 seasons respectively. Overall, the does killed during the shotgun seasons represented 55 percent of the reported doe harvest in Iowa during the 2007-08 seasons.

The temperatures in Iowa have been more normal this fall, although the majority of the state is still above normal for precipitation with river bottoms being flooded frequently this year. The main breeding season or “rut” was winding down during the end of November and a second smaller rut should occur in mid-December.

With the cooler weather and the ending of the breeding season, daily deer activities will be centered around feeding and bedding areas. Crop fields, alfalfa, food plots, and edge areas will receive the bulk of feeding activity. Much of the acorn crop has been consumed, hidden, or sprouted (white oak group) by this time of year. River bottoms have less forage available overall due to the frequent flooding this year.

The crop harvest causes deer to redistribute themselves to take advantage of the remaining cover areas. Iowa’s harvest was up to two weeks behind schedule, meaning there was a lot of standing corn and some soybeans still in the field as of Thanksgiving.

As the weather permits more producers to harvest these remaining fields shifts in deer distribution will occur in these areas also. After a couple of days of hunting, hunters should not be shy about checking out unlikely small patches of cover or tall vegetation. Often deer will use these areas simply because many hunters never think to hunt them.

In general, hunters can expect to find similar numbers of deer in northwestern, north central, and central Iowa while deer numbers in eastern and southern Iowa have declined some from 2007. However, deer populations are still strong in central, northeastern, and southern Iowa with densities still above objectives.

A tagging requirement new for 2008 requires a hunter who kills an antlered buck to place the transportation tag on the animal’s antler. It is recommended that the tag be placed on the antler beam either at the base or between two points.

Hunters using blinds during the shotgun seasons are reminded that they are required to display at least a 12-inch by 12-inch piece of blaze orange that is visible from all directions, as outlined on page 22 of the 2008 Iowa Hunting and Trapping Regulations.

License holders for the youth deer season who did not harvest a deer are eligible to use the license and unused tag during one of the two shotgun seasons. However, the youth hunter must follow the weapons restrictions that are in place during the season (a shotgun or muzzleloading rifle only for youths) and be under the direct supervision of an adult mentor.

Hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. All deer taken must be reported using the harvest reporting system by midnight the day after the deer is recovered.

Hunters can report their deer on the DNR Web site (www.iowadnr.com), by calling the toll free reporting number (800-771-4692), or also at a license vendo