Forecasted snow this weekend in Guthrie County may lead to mixed results for the beginning of the first shotgun deer hunting season.

The season begins Saturday and lasts until December 5th. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Officer Jeremy King says the deer population in southwest Iowa is trending similarly to last year, and that the County has a bevy of areas for hunters to enjoy. With a chance of snow expected this weekend King says that can be a double-edged sword for hunters, “A little snow sure does help but if it’s snowing during the seasons it also reduces visibility for hunters in the field. And then people are going to have to be a lot more careful because they can’t see as far with their hunting activities so they aren’t shooting in the direction of other hunters that they know are there or maybe that aren’t there.”

As Guthrie County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a lost hunter in the past couple weeks, King reminds hunting parties to draw out a plan of where they’re going to hunt and stick to it, to keep a cell phone on hand, and inform others when and where you will be hunting.