Warmer temps effect first hunting season

MARENGO — Marengo native Brian Van Heiden has been an avid hunter all his life, deer hunting since he was 16.

Hunting in Iowa County this season was not the greatest experience for Van Heiden.

A big reason for that was the warmer weather during the first gun hunting season, Dec. 7-11.

Those dates happened to coincide with a December heat wave in which temperatures hit highs above 50 degrees.

“The colder the better,” Van Heiden said of deer hunting. “When it’s warmer they don’t get up as much.”

Colder weather makes deer get up more often in search of food.

The second season, which started Dec. 14 and ended Dec. 22, saw colder temperatures after the ice storm, but hunters can only register for one season.

Van Heiden has always preferred to hunt during the first season.

“I’ve always liked hunting first. The deer aren’t as spooked, and they can become more wary for the second season,” Van Heiden said.

Although it was not an ideal hunting season this year, Van Heiden and his partner still both filled their tag.

In their last two hours of hunting on Wednesday, Dec. 11, they were able to shoot two button bucks.

“It was just by chance, but sometimes you get lucky,” Van Heiden said.

There may have not been as many deer out and about this season either.

Van Heiden said other hunters he knows in surrounding areas have seen dead deer more frequently.

Chronic Wasting Disease has begun to effect the deer population in the State of Iowa.

Earlier this month, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources held an online meeting to update the state on management and surveillance efforts of CWD.

As of Nov. 19, 397 wild deer were tested and confirmed with CWD in 25 Iowa Counties since the DNR began testing.

“Chronic wasting disease will be a generational challenge,” said Dr. Rachel Ruden, state wildlife veterinarian with the Iowa DNR in the Nov. 19 press release. “What we do to limit the spread of this disease today will pay dividends tomorrow, and we need everyone at the table.”

“As this disease continues to expand its geographic footprint in Iowa, we encourage all Iowans to stay up-to-date on where we have found CWD so they can make informed consumption decisions,” she said.

The Iowa DNR partnered with many hunters to collect tissue samples in this gun season with a goal of gaining a sample from at least each county.

It’s very likely the CWD numbers will go up; the bulk of testing happens during gun season in December.

As of now in 2024, there have been 4,904 deer tested and 26 confirmed CWD-positive deer.

A surveillance map of results can be found on the Iowa DNR’s website to track where cases have been confirmed.

The nearest confirmed case to Iowa County has been in Tama County.

CWD will continue to be an important issue for hunters in future hunting seasons.