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Mary Lou Freeman STATE REPRESENTATIVE Fifty-Second District Statehouse: (515) 281-3221 e-mail – mary.freeman@legis.state.ia.us
HOME ADDRESS 203 Villa Road Alta, IA 51002 Home: 712-732-3781
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COMMITTEESNatural Resources, Chair Commerce, Regulation & Labor Human Resources
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE Economic Development
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FREEMAN FOOTNOTES
January 13, 2005
Deer, Deer, Deer
Iowa is both blessed and cursed with a large population of white-tailed deer. Iowa deer are well fed and very prolific, with many does producing twins on a regular basis. The deer herds in Iowa have swelled to record numbers in the past two years, despite the efforts of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to increase the availability of deer tags for landowners and hunters statewide. License sales are about 39% above where they were at this time in 2003, despite the fact that in Southern Iowa and extreme Northeast Iowa almost 13,000 antlerless licenses remained unsold. All of the antlerless licenses were sold out in the other 82 counties.
As a result of the population increase, automobile and truck collisions with deer have increased as well. The insurance industry is reeling with the effects of the claims submitted as a result of these collisions. It is a cost to all of us as we see our insurance rates rise with little hope that they will go down again.
On Tuesday of this week, the leadership of the Natural Resource Committees in the House and Senate met with representatives of the insurance industry and Department of Natural Resources to see what strategies could be developed to alleviate the problem of deer-collisions in the state. The issue will be presented before the standing committees next week. Sub-committees will be appointed to work with both groups in conjunction with the Department of Transportation to seek solutions to this problem.
DNR Director, Jeff Vonk, stated at the meeting that he believed that the deer population could be thinned by as much as 25% without harming the climate for deer hunting in the state. It is my hope that we can solve some of this problem by targeting high population areas in the state; then, work with Iowa conservation/hunting clubs to sponsor hunts to thin the herds.
One other deer-related issue that seems to arise every year is the ability of the DNR to issue more out-of-state any sex deer licenses. This causes great consternation for the Iowa hunters, who every year have more and more trouble finding land on which to hunt.
This week was primarily one of ceremony and organization of committees. Bills are coming into the committees and will be assigned, studied and disposed of according to the wishes of the committee.
I welcome your advice and suggestions on issues that affect or concern you. I can be reached via email at mfreeman@legis.state.ia.us or mfreeman@iw.net ; phone 515-281-7481 (weekdays) or 712-732-3781 (weekends)
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