Permits still available for Clinton deer hunt

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By Steven Martens | Saturday, September 23, 2006 12:18 AM CDT | () comments

CLINTON, Iowa — Permits still are available for the first deer hunt by bow hunters in Clinton city limits.

The bow season will coincide with Iowa’s regular bow hunting season, Oct. 1 through Jan. 21. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, has granted the City of Clinton 200 antlerless deer permits, which are being sold at R&R Sports, 2014 N. 2nd St., Clinton.

The City of Davenport also is conducting its first urban deer hunt, with 200 permits available for bow hunting along the entire Duck Creek Recreational Trail and portions of Emeis and Duck Creek golf courses.

To buy a permit, hunters are required to pass a bow hunting proficiency test and show proof that they have passed Iowa or International Bow Hunter Safety Course or Iowa Hunter Education Course.

Proficiency testing is free, and is available by appointment by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at (563) 243-1260.

Clinton parks superintendent Tom Krogman said Friday that two of three people who took the test last weekend at the Izaak Walton League passed it. Testing will be done again at the Izaak Walton League beginning at 10 a.m. today.

The hunt was scheduled because Clinton residents have been concerned about the damage deer are doing to residential landscaping. The city formed a committee to investigate the problem, and the committee recommended the hunt.

The DNR has established that an urban setting can sustain about 20 to 25 deer per square mile. The DNR estimated that the deer population in Clinton is more than 35 deer per square mile and could be as high as 50 per square mile, according to the deer management program literature.

Krogman said it will take time to get the deer population down closer to 25 per square mile.

“We won’t be able to do that the first year,” he said.

The city has established a deer management zone, which includes much of the city limits north of U.S. 30, excluding the downtown and most residential areas.

Al Luckritz, assistant manager at R&R Sports, said he expects to sell more permits after more hunters take the test this weekend.

He said hunters in the store have expressed interest in the hunt, although some have complained that the boundaries were too stringent.

Luckritz said he hopes the hunt will be a success.

“They’re in town,” he said of the deer. “They’ve got to be thinned out.”

Applications for deer permits can be picked up at City Hall, 611 S. 3rd St., or at the Ericksen Community Center, 1401 11th Ave. N.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.