02/09/23: Area Happenings & Accomplishments
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Albert, Falline graduate from Buena Vista
More than 140 students at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake graduated in the fall of 2022, including two students from this area.
Maggie Albert, of Hartley, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science (animal science track).
Sara Falline, of Everly, graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services.
Winter fishing cutoffs looming
Ice fishing shelters, left unattended, must be removed from all state-owned lands and waters by Monday, Feb. 20.
Ice shelter owners are encouraged not to wait until the last minute to get their shelter off the ice. If a structure falls through the surface, the owner is responsible for getting it out of the lake.
Additionally, area anglers should take note that the walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14. It will close after that date and reopens on May 6. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.
Hunters harvest nearly 110,000 deer during 22-23 season
Iowa’s 2022 deer harvest increased seven percent over the 2021 season, due in part to the new Excess Tag January Antlerless Season approved by the Iowa Legislature last spring.
Hunters reported more than 2,500 deer taken during the Excess Tag January Antlerless Season. Overall, hunters tagged deer at a rate of 30-35 percent, which is similar to previous years, for a total reported harvest of more than 109,600 deer.
Deer harvest varied regionally, with the north central and southeast regions seeing an increase over 2021. According to a news release from the Iowa DNR, the north central deer population is recovering over the past decade and is trending in the right direction.
The far western counties and southwest region saw a decline in harvest, likely due to the recent outbreaks from EHD and from floods in the Missouri River valley.
The deer population model indicates the herd size is stable to slightly increasing and is within the goal of the Iowa deer study advisory committee.
