Blood tracking dogs in Iowa

Brian Hibbs who has been working very hard to legalize blood tracking dogs in Iowa wrote:

The leashed dog tracking is getting close to being a reality in Iowa. After some hard work this is the latest recent action proposed by the Iowa NRC. Please pay attention to #3 relating to using dogs to recover wounded deer in Iowa. Do me a favor and show your support for this action. Send the Iowa DNR a letter of recommendation for this action to http://www.iowadnr.com/. Let’s do the ethical thing and give our dogs a job to do!

If you decide to let the Iowa DNR know that you support the leashed dog tracking action please send an email to Dale.Garner@dnr.iowa.gov. He is the Wildlife Bureau Chief. There is no need to write a long letter. You can just let him know you think this would be a good thing for Iowa. If you want to forward this email to any other interested people their support will also be appreciated.


Thank you,
Brian Hibbs
Oxford, IA 52322
hibrig@southslope.net
http://www.trackingteckels.com/

NATURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION [571]

Notice of Intended Action

Pursuant to the authority of Iowa Code subsection 455A.5(6), the Natural Resource Commission hereby gives Notice of Intended Action to amend Chapter 94, “Nonresident Deer Hunting,” Iowa Administrative Code.

Chapter 94 gives the regulations for nonresident deer hunting and includes season dates, bag limits, possession limits, shooting hours, areas open to hunting, licensing procedures, means and methods of take, and transportation and reporting requirements.

The proposed amendments:

1. Clarify which cartridges are legal for deer hunting with a handgun. The minimum length requirement removes some cartridges which are not designed for hunting deer.

2. Modify the hunter orange requirement for blinds during the shotgun season so that the visible orange is a minimum size, not shape.

3. Allow dogs to be used to recover wounded deer. The dog must be on a leash and the hunter must have permission to track a wounded deer with a dog on private property.

4. Clarify that antlerless deer are tagged on a leg and antlered deer are tagged on the main beam of the antler. This will help keep the tag from pulling off accidentally during transport.

Any interested person may make written suggestions or comments on the proposed amendments on or before April 27, 2011. Written comments may be directed to the Wildlife Bureau's Web site at www.iowadnr.com or may be sent to the Wildlife Bureau Chief, Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-10034; fax (515) 281-6794. Persons who wish to convey their views orally should contact the Wildlife Bureau at (515) 281-5034 or at the Wildlife Bureau offices on the fourth floor of the Wallace State Office Building.

There will be a public hearing held via the Iowa Communications Network on April 27, 2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. Interested persons should contact the Department at (515) 281-5034 for a list of hearing locations or go to the Department's Web site at http://www.iowadnr.com/. At the public hearing, persons may present their views either orally or in writing. Participants will be asked to give their names and addresses for the record and to confine their remarks to the subject of the amendments.

Any persons who intend to attend the public hearings and have special requirements such as those related to hearing or mobility impairments should contact the Department of Natural Resources and request specific accommodations.

These amendments are intended to implement Iowa Code sections 481A.38, 481A.39, 481A.48, 483A.1, 483A.8 and 483A.24.