The first weekend of December is here, and that means shotgun season is open for Iowa deer hunters. The season is broken into two parts, with the first lasting until Wednesday, December 6th. The second lasts from Thursday, December 7th to Sunday, December 17th. Hunting is permitted one half-hour before sunrise and one half-hour after sunset. The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that wearing solid blaze orange is mandatory.

According to the DNR, over 100,000 hunters are expected to participate during the open deer seasons. Iowa’s overall deer harvest across all seasons last year was 101,397, down more than 30-percent from its peak in 2006. The harvest numbers in 2017 look to be similar. For more information, visit the DNR’s website.