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Environment

Urban Deer Hunt in City of Davenport

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Davenport Parks and Recreation
Deer zones in Davenport

It's deer season and that includes the city of Davenport.  Its eleventh annual urban deer hunt began last weekend. 

Scott Hock, Director of Davenport Parks and Recreation, says the bow hunt helps regulate the deer population.

"To help keep the population in check by hunting deer in what might be within the city limits, primarily. You know a lot of the time, hunters might have to drive distances and the urban deer population can grow a little strong and cause problems," Hock says, "so we do allow hunters to participate in some hunting in the area, so it helps control the deer population and giving hunters the chance to hunt in those locations." 

Last year, the hunters harvested 81 deer in Davenport. 70 of them were female and 11 were male. Of the 130 permits sold last year, only 40 hunters turned in deer. 

Hock says, "of course they have to follow all the state of Iowa DNR codes that are out there for deer hunting. In order to hunt in the City of Davenport, you have to go through additional training, some proficiency testing, and then you are allowed to get an urban deer permit that will allow you to hint within the confines of the city." 

After every kill, hunters are expected to check into one of two verification sites, Fire Station Number Five or the River's Edge in Davenport. If hunters take three female deer, they are eligible for a buck license the following year. The urban deer hunt continues through the first weekend of January.

Environment