COUNCIL BLUFFS — The number of deer killed in the Bluffs during its annual bow-hunting season continues to climb.
City officials said 154 deer harvested by the season’s end Jan. 29 in what was the fourth year of the program aimed at reducing the deer population. The 154 compares to 138 harvested the year before and 116 two years ago.
“I want it to continue to go up,” said City Health Director Donn Dierks.
His goal this year was to kill at least 200 deer, but the mild weather hampered hunting, Dierks said.
“It’s more difficult to hunt when there’s no snow,” he said.
The program to hunt antlerless deer began during the winter of 2008-09.
This season, which began Sept. 10, 66 bow hunters participated, with 45 of them taking at least one doe, according to Dierks’ figures. There were 19 deer taken along the Woodbury Avenue area, with 13 along Gunn Avenue and 13 along Veterans Memorial Highway.
As an incentive to kill does, hunters received a tag to hunt bucks if they took four does. They then could receive another tag for each additional doe taken. Four bucks were taken as a result of this incentive program.
Since bow hunting was approved during specific times and locations by the City Council in 2008, about 454 deer have been taken within the city limits. Since females can produce two or three offspring a year, the number of additional deer roaming the city now could number more than 1,500 if not for hunting program, Dierks said.
The reduction in the deer population is apparently playing a role in the reduction of deer being killed on city streets by vehicles, according to his figures.
There were 161 dead deer collected by animal control officials in 2011. This compared to 165 dead deer collected in 2010 and 239 collected in 2006.
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