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Boone council debates urban deer hunt as one tool for growing deer problem; no application filed
Summary
Council members heard staff outline how an urban deer management zone with limited hunting could work, but officials cautioned the program would not eradicate deer and recommended next steps including park-board review and DNR timelines.
Boone City Council members on Tuesday spent more than an hour discussing the possibility of establishing an urban deer management zone and the process needed to seek Iowa Department of Natural Resources approval.
Council members heard staff summarize experiences from nearby cities and the DNR’s process for urban hunts. A staff presenter said the city’s aerial survey in February counted 81 deer within Boone; the DNR application for a deer-management zone is due in April and the state notifies applicants around July, meaning any program would start no earlier than the next hunting season.
“Statewide, about 50% of available tags are purchased, and of those available tags, only about 30% have a success rate,” the staff member told the council, citing figures from nearby municipalities and noting results vary widely by local conditions.
Council members and members of the public raised several practical concerns: availability of adequate hunting ground inside city limits, the length of the proposed hunting season, public safety and park closures during hunts, and the limited effect urban hunts have had on deer populations in comparable cities. “That's not affecting their population problem,” the staff member said of some neighboring cities’ programs, referencing harvest statistics from Ames, Oskaloosa and Mason City.
Speakers urged the council to consult the Parks and Recreation Board before moving forward. Councilmember comments and member of the public Patrick Sanders and others suggested targeting experienced bow hunters, pairing tags with volunteer processing for donated meat and working with private landowners where possible.
City staff recommended drafting an ordinance if the council wants to pursue the option, and to consult DNR staff (the presenter said the city had been in contact with Catherine Cummings, the DNR wildlife depredation biologist) and the Parks Board before applying. The presenter noted the DNR is flexible about the number of tags allotted to a city but cautioned that if no land is available for safe hunting within Boone, issuing tags would have little effect.
No formal council action was taken Tuesday; several council members asked staff to return with a draft ordinance and to take the proposal first to the Parks and Recreation Board for feedback.
Key facts discussed: city aerial survey counted 81 deer; the DNR application deadline is in April with notification in July; example tag/harvest data were described from Ames, Oskaloosa, Mason City, Marshalltown and Fort Dodge; staff emphasized an urban hunt is likely to reduce some individual deer but will not eradicate the population.
Council direction was limited to further study and stakeholder consultation rather than immediate adoption of an urban deer hunt.
