Green Valley State Park to Close during Special Deer Hunt

Green Valley State Park will be closed to the general public November 21, 22 and 23, in order to hold a special park deer hunt. The sixth annual hunt is designed to allow 30 hunters to harvest up to 60 does, using only muzzleloaders.

All hunters have registered and will receive two antlerless tags each, redeemable only during the special hunt at the designated areas and specified dates.

To ensure a safe event, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will have extra staff on hand to patrol the park boundaries. For safety reasons, the park will close on Nov. 21 and reopen on Nov. 24.

“The hunt helps to keep the park’s deer population under control. We have had five successful hunts and we are hoping this year’s hunt will be just as good,” said Park Ranger Alan Carr. “All hunters have attended a special safety meeting for this hunt and we are expecting it to go just as well as in the past. We hope to harvest as close to 60 female deer as we can and do it in a safe and efficient manner.

“This has shown to be a great management tool for state parks to maintain a balance in the deer herd. People want to see deer when they come to park, but we can’t have so many deer that they destroy their habitat and create a lot of crop damage for neighboring landowners,” Carr said.
The hunt will likely remain an annual event. Research shows that if these hunts stop, the deer population tends to increase rather quickly. The number of deer that are targeted for removal may change depending on the research. The final decision is made by the depredation biologist.

For questions, contact the park office at (641) 782-5131.