Latest Deer Tag Revisions Now On Sale Across Iowa

It's officially time to prep for a new deer season as the Iowa DNR opened up deer tag sales on Tuesday, August 15th. Tags are available through the end of the season or until quotas are filled. A current hunting license and habitat fee are also required to participate.

The white-tailed deer is a major game species in Iowa, and a tribute to good landowner attitudes, progressive management, research, and enforcement programs. The Iowa DNR is a firm believer that it takes the cooperation of hunters and landowners, for preservation of critical timber habitat, legislative support, and continued professional management of our area resources.

For those of you planning to hunt this year, seasons are as follows:

• Youth Season: September 16 - October 1
• Disabled Hunter (Requires a permit): September 16 - October 1
• Archery Season, Early Split: October 1 - December 1
• Archery Season, Late Split: December 18 - January 10, 2024
• Early Muzzleloader (residents only): October 14 - October 22
• Late Muzzleloader: December 18 - January 10, 2024
• Shotgun, Season 1: December 2 - December 6
• Shotgun, Season 2: December 9 - December 17
• Nonresident Holiday Season: December 24 - January 2, 2024

For those of you picking up your deer tags you may notice a new section on them. Beginning this year, Iowa deer hunters who harvest a buck will have an additional piece of information to report as part of the harvest reporting requirement – if the length of the main antler beam is below or above 14 inches. This information will provide age structure to the DNR’s population models and produce a better overall picture of Iowa’s deer herd. Hunters will notice the back of the deer tag has been redesigned to include a seven-inch ruler to help measure the main beams.

A hunting license and tags can be purchased at participating retailers, or online here. Hunters are reminded to stay vigilant this year with reporting, especially when dealing cases of Chronic Wasting Disease. Last year, the DNR's surveillance program identified 96 CWD-infected deer—nearly double the previous year's count—mainly in northeast and southern Iowa.

Always remember to attach the bottom Transportation Tag before transporting your animal, and the top Harvest Report Tag only after reporting your animal. The Transportation Tag must be attached to the deer within 15 minutes of harvest or before it is moved, whichever occurs first. Always notch the month & day of the harvest on your Transportation Tag. Transportation Tags must be attached to antlers if it is an antlered deer, otherwise attach to the deer or turkey leg. Press halves of the tag together to bond. Hunter's name, registration number and date of harvest must be readable.

Reporting your harvest can be done several ways; online, by calling 800-771-4692, or texting you registration number to 1800-771-4692 and following the prompts. For those of you hunting later seasons there is still plenty of time to get your tags. For adults looking to pick-up hunting or take kids hunting, hunter educations and safety classes can be found and scheduled here. As always keep it safe out there. Make sure to wear blaze orange and always be responsible with firearms.