Iowa’s most popular deer hunting seasons start this weekend, when more than 100,000 hunters are expected to take to the timber for the long-awaited gun seasons, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 

Iowa’s first shotgun season is December  6-10. The second shotgun season is December 13-21. While hunters are split about 50-50 to which season they hunt, the trend has been moving toward the second season due to the flexibility of hunting two weekends. Hunters are expected to harvest 55,000 to 60,000 deer during these two seasons, which is 50-60 percent of Iowa’s total deer harvest.

So far this fall, youth, disabled hunters, early muzzleloaders and archery hunters have reported 28,600 deer through the harvest reporting system, which is three percent below the five-year average.  

Before heading to the timber, it’s important that hunters go through their gear, sight in their gun and take time to review their hunting safety plan. The minimum amount of blaze orange required by Iowa law to hunt in the firearm deer season is a 100 percent solid blaze orange vest, but hunters should wear as much blaze orange as possible.