Iowa Code § 483A.8 — IA Code / Title XI / Chapter 483A / Section 483A.8
Deer hunting license and tag.
Status: in_force

(1) A resident hunting deer who is required to have a hunting license must purchase a resident hunting license that includes the wildlife habitat fee, in addition to the deer hunting license. In addition, a resident who purchases a deer hunting license shall pay a one dollar fee that shall be used and is appropriated for the purpose of deer herd population management, including assisting with the cost of processing deer donated to the help us stop hunger program administered by the commission.

(2) (a) The deer hunting license shall be accompanied by a tag designed to be used only once. When a deer is taken, the deer shall be tagged and the tag shall be dated. The tag shall be attached to the carcass of a deer taken within fifteen minutes of the time the deer carcass is located after being taken, or before the carcass is moved to be transported by any means from the place where the deer was taken, whichever occurs first. For each antlered deer taken, the tag shall be affixed to the deer’s antlers.

(2) (b) For purposes of the tagging requirements in this subsection, a deer carcass may be moved away from an obstacle, entanglement, waterway, or any other area, including but not limited to a roadway, if tagging the carcass at that location would be a safety hazard to the hunter or a third person, before the tag is attached to the carcass. However, the carcass shall not be moved from the immediate vicinity of where the deer was taken, shall be moved only so far as is necessary to avoid the obstacle, entanglement, waterway, or other safety hazard, and shall be tagged immediately upon being so moved and before being moved to be transported.

(3) (a) A nonresident hunting deer is required to purchase a nonresident annual hunting license that includes the wildlife habitat fee and a nonresident deer hunting license. In addition, a nonresident who purchases a deer hunting license shall pay a one dollar fee that shall be used and is appropriated for the purpose of deer herd population management, including assisting with the cost of processing deer donated to the help us stop hunger program administered by the commission.

(3) (b) A nonresident who purchases an antlered or any sex deer hunting license pursuant to rules adopted pursuant to section 483A.1, is required to purchase an antlerless deer only deer hunting license at the same time, pursuant to rules adopted pursuant to section 483A.1.

(3) (c) The commission shall annually limit to six thousand the number of nonresidents allowed to have antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses. Of the six thousand nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses issued, not more than thirty-five percent of the licenses shall be bow season licenses. After the six thousand antlered or any sex nonresident deer hunting licenses have been issued, all additional licenses shall be issued for antlerless deer only. The commission shall annually determine the number of nonresident antlerless deer only deer hunting licenses that will be available for issuance.

(3) (d) The commission shall allocate all nonresident deer hunting licenses issued among the zones based on the populations of deer. However, a nonresident applicant may request one or more hunting zones, in order of preference, in which the applicant wishes to hunt. If the request cannot be fulfilled, the applicable fees shall be returned to the applicant. A nonresident applying for a deer hunting license must exhibit proof of having successfully completed a hunter education program as provided in section 483A.27 or its equivalent as determined by the department before the license is issued.

(3) (e) The commission shall assign one preference point to a nonresident whose application for a nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting license is denied due to limitations on the number of nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses available for issuance that year. An additional preference point shall be assigned to that person each subsequent year the person’s license application is denied for that reason. A nonresident may purchase additional preference points pursuant to rules adopted pursuant to section 483A.1. The first nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting license drawing each year shall be made from the pool of applicants with the most preference points and continue to pools of applicants with successively fewer preference points until all available nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses have been issued. If a nonresident applicant receives an antlered or any sex deer hunting license, all of the applicant’s assigned preference points at that time shall be removed.

(4) The commission may provide, by rule, for the issuance of an additional antlerless deer hunting license to a person who has been issued an antlerless deer hunting license. The rules shall specify the number of additional antlerless deer hunting licenses which may be issued, and the season and zone in which the license is valid. The fee for an additional antlerless deer hunting license shall be an amount established by rules adopted pursuant to section 483A.1 for residents.

(5) A nonresident owning land in this state may apply for a nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting license, and the provisions of subsection 3 shall apply. However, if a nonresident owning land in this state is unsuccessful in obtaining one of the nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses, the landowner shall be given preference for one of the antlerless deer only nonresident deer hunting licenses available pursuant to subsection 3. A nonresident owning land in this state shall pay the fee for a nonresident antlerless only deer hunting license and the license shall be valid to hunt on the nonresident’s land only. If one or more parcels of land have multiple nonresident owners, only one of the nonresident owners is eligible for a nonresident antlerless only deer hunting license. If a nonresident jointly owns land in this state with a resident, the nonresident shall not be given preference for a nonresident antlerless only deer hunting license. The department may require proof of land ownership from a nonresident landowner applying for a nonresident antlerless only deer hunting license.

(6) The commission shall provide by rule for the annual issuance to a nonresident of a nonresident antlerless deer hunting license that is valid for use only during the period beginning on December 24 and ending at sunset on January 2 of the following year and costs an amount established by rules adopted pursuant to section 483A.1. A nonresident hunting deer with a license issued under this subsection shall be otherwise qualified to hunt deer in this state and shall purchase a nonresident annual hunting license that includes the wildlife habitat fee, and pay the one dollar fee for the purpose of deer herd population management as provided in subsection 3. Pursuant to this subsection, the commission shall make available for issuance only the remaining nonresident antlerless deer hunting licenses allocated under subsection 3 that have not yet been issued for the current year’s nonresident antlerless deer hunting seasons.

(7) The department shall make youth deer hunting licenses available for purchase during the same time period that general deer hunting licenses are available for purchase, including through all established deer hunting seasons. A person who is issued a youth deer hunting license may use the deer hunting license and tag during the season for which the license was issued or in any subsequent established deer hunting season using a method of take authorized for that season. If the tag is filled during one of the seasons, the license will not be valid in subsequent seasons.

(8) The commission shall adopt a rule permitting a resident to use a crossbow for taking deer during the late season that is designated for taking deer by muzzleloading rifle or muzzleloading pistol.

(9) There shall be a January antlerless deer only hunting season in a county whenever that county has unsold antlerless deer licenses available in its county quota as set by the commission by rule. The commission shall establish the season dates. Licenses shall be available for sale beginning the day after the close of the late muzzleloader season until either the county quota allotment has been sold or until the end of the season, whichever occurs first. A January antlerless deer only license issued under this subsection is valid only in the county identified on the license. A rifle with a barrel length of at least sixteen inches and firing centerfire ammunition propelling an expanding-type bullet with a maximum diameter of no less than two hundred twenty-three thousandths of one inch and no larger than five hundred thousandths of one inch and with a published or calculated muzzle energy of five hundred foot pounds or higher is the approved method of take for this season.

[C79, 81, §110.8]86 Acts, ch 1240, §4; 89 Acts, ch 237, §3; 90 Acts, ch 1003, §2C93, §483A.894 Acts, ch 1111, §2; 98 Acts, ch 1199, §10, 27; 98 Acts, ch 1203, §5 – 7; 98 Acts, ch 1223, §28 – 30; 2001 Acts, ch 134, §5; 2001 Acts, ch 148, §6, 7, 9; 2002 Acts, ch 1119, §64; 2003 Acts, ch 85, §1; 2005 Acts, ch 139, §4; 2005 Acts, ch 179, §132; 2007 Acts, ch 129, §1; 2008 Acts, ch 1158, §1; 2009 Acts, ch 144, §38; 2009 Acts, ch 179, §216, 217; 2011 Acts, ch 103, §1; 2012 Acts, ch 1096, §10 – 12, 23; 2014 Acts, ch 1100, §1; 2015 Acts, ch 26, §2; 2017 Acts, ch 48, §1; 2018 Acts, ch 1159, §9, 17, 18, 28; 2022 Acts, ch 1137, §4; 2025 Acts, ch 55, §2