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Monday, February 5, 2007 4:08 AM CST
Iowa lawmakers to consider deer contraceptive regulations
DES MOINES (AP) --- Iowa wildlife experts are looking into a new deer contraceptive that could curb the state's multimillion-dollar-a-year overpopulation problem.

 

The new, single-dose birth control vaccine would neutralize sex hormones in the famously fertile and polygamous animals. It would result in infertility in both males and females.

"It's not something you want anyone or everyone to use," said Dale Garner, wildlife bureau chief at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "We want to make sure it's not used willy-nilly in the state."

In order to do that, there's a bill before the state Legislature aimed at regulating wildlife contraceptives. The proposed legislation would also restrict the use of growth hormones in deer, as well as drugs for sedating animals or treating them for disease.

The contraceptive vaccine, called GonaCon, is being developed by researchers at the National Wildlife Research Center, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is expected to be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in March, said Gail Keirn, a spokeswoman for the research center.

The EPA wouldn't likely approve the drug until early 2008, making it the first wildlife contraceptive available for nonresearch purposes.

Researchers say the vaccine, a protein, shouldn't be dangerous for people to eat meat from a vaccinated deer. However, Garner worries about what could happen if people are accidentally injected with the drug.

"What if some people in a neighborhood get a deer down ... and it's kicking or takes a side step or a roll and some guy or lady gets injected in the rear end?" he said. "Or if somebody's shooting a dart gun at deer in a park, and it misses an animal and hits a person? Or if a kid picks up an unspent dart and the injection goes off?"

Use of wildlife contraception in Iowa is not a common practice, so far, said Chad Machart, president of the Iowa Whitetail Deer Association. Other vaccines have seemed impractical because they required singling out females for an injection, then finding the same animals again later for a booster shot.

Garner said it could cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000 to capture and inject each deer with the vaccine, adding that its effect lasts only two years.
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what a joke wrote on Feb 5, 2007 8:34 AM:

" It has been proven that the best tool for deer management is a hot lead injection. Making this type of drug legal and available to all is a very dangerous proposition. "

joke wrote on Feb 5, 2007 8:50 AM:

" We can force animals to take birth control but its against our freedom of choice to tell people who are in the welfare lines, drug addicts or known child molestors to curb their procreating. "

Savage wrote on Feb 5, 2007 8:51 AM:

" Its all a waste of time and money. You have people putting in food plots to feed deer,,,then your gonna spend millions on birth control. To reduce the heard, allow more tags to be sold. Several of us tried to buy a couple of tags for rifle season 4 weeks in advance and they were all sold out. Instead of spending all that money, why not issue more tags and make money and extend the seasons. First shot gun season is only one week. "

Give out more tags wrote on Feb 5, 2007 9:03 AM:

" Just let hunters take care of it. I bought 19 tags this year and shot 14 Deer. I would have had more if there were any available for the November antlerless season. Lawmakers are putting a limit on the number of tags when they want more Deer killed. Doesn't make sense to spend $300 to $1000 dollars on a Deer when I will pay them to shoot them. "

Had Enouf wrote on Feb 5, 2007 9:48 AM:

" During the special late deer season in southern Iowa, when doe only could be shot, a group of 14 shot 14 does in less than 4 hours. (It took longer to drive to the hunt site than it took to hunt!) All said if they could have shot more deer they would have. Instead of creating more spending, and wasting tax payer money, allow either more tags per season, open seasons that would allow a bow, gun, and muzzle loader to hunt all seasons, and create more tags and less restrictions during the special late season deer hunts. Also, open up more out-of-state licenses. And last, stop messing with land owner tags, open those back up. (BTW, I agree with you totally, Joke.) "

Bill Garretson wrote on Feb 5, 2007 10:28 AM:

" I suppose law makers are given money from the drug companies and that is why they make such ridiculus laws. "

I don't Get it! wrote on Feb 5, 2007 10:40 AM:

" Who in their right mind would pass such legislation. Who is going to foot the bill to capture and inject "each" deer with a vaccine. And then have to repeat it in a couple of years. Give me a break! Give the hunters more time to hunt and more tags and it will be taken care of. It's a no brainer. "

who thinks of this stuff wrote on Feb 5, 2007 11:00 AM:

" What a joke....Just sell more tags... it's a no brainer... Trust me the hunters in Iowa will take care of the problem. So many of them want to buy more tags and can't. "

ccwildlife wrote on Feb 5, 2007 12:05 PM:

" Not a big fan of messing with mother nature in this fashion. Guaranteed that the short term we'll have solved the problem but in the long term the entire population is in serious risk of crashing. "

Beau wrote on Feb 5, 2007 1:13 PM:

" Leave it to few of our Law makers in Iowa to come up with a Real DUMB PLAN! Just issue more DEER TAGS. So how many of the Law makers that want to do this are planning on some making money off of it? Hunters don't forget the ones that vote for this, remember them the next time it they come up for reelection I know I will. "

Anthony wrote on Feb 5, 2007 2:43 PM:

" What brainiac came up with this garbage? So, which tax are they going to raise to pay for this. I'm sure they'll pass this cost on to those of us that hunt. License prices will go up, habitat stamps will go up, waterfowl stamps, deer tags. What a load of crap. It would be really stupid to do this when there are so many of us that would gladly pay to help control the population. I agree with everyone else, sell more tags. "

deer hunter wrote on Feb 5, 2007 3:28 PM:

" I think this plan is a joke. I agree with others, more tags need to be issued! I've grown up eating deer and my family loves it. I have also heard that food banks have accepted deer meat in the past. Why not feed people with all the extra deer we have running around? It is a health lean meat. This is a win-win situation. Spending thousands of dollars on deer birth-control is a joke, when we have starving families in Iowa! "

nobrainer wrote on Feb 5, 2007 3:46 PM:

" This rates right up there with the Mourning Dove Season that Denator Dick Dearden would like open. STUPID! "

April fools? wrote on Feb 5, 2007 4:35 PM:

" Worst.Idea.Ever "

What next wrote on Feb 5, 2007 8:38 PM:

" Legislators and DNR. Deep-six this before someone thinks it's a good idea. There cannot be one Iowan in a hundred favorable. Let the hunters' harvest solve your problem. $1000 per animal for a two year treatment? Get your heads on straight and rethink your priorities. "

Brian B. wrote on Feb 6, 2007 3:36 AM:

" Tags for deer? Do you get charged per tag? Alabama has a lengthy season in which you buy a hunting license (about $20 a year) and then are allowed to harvest 1 deer a day, everyday, throughout the entire season. If the population rises significantly, they boost it to 2 a day. "

Had Enouf wrote on Feb 6, 2007 9:10 AM:

" This rates right up there with paying sharp shooters to 'fix' the deer problem in CR. Write your government officials. *State Capitol Des Moines, IA 50319 * Senator Jeff Danielson, PO Box 1191, Cedar Falls, IA 50613-1191 - *Senator Bill Dotzler, 2837 Cedar Terrace Dr., Waterloo, IA 50702 - *Senator Brian H. Schoenjahn,PO Box 132, Arlington, IA 50606 - *Representative Doris J. Kelley, 1540 W. Ridgeway; PO Box 932, Waterloo, IA 50704 - *Representative Tami Wiencek, 295 Kenilworth Rd., Waterloo, IA 50701 - *Representative Dan Rasmussen, 1310 8th Ave., NE, Independence, IA 50644 "

what a joke wrote on Feb 6, 2007 10:51 AM:

" How can this make any sense when last season they did NOT issue bonus tags in 22 counties. I am a muzzleloader hunter but would love to be able to get a doe tag for shotgun season but because how the system is set up I cant. Issue more tags and set the system up to give incentives to harvest does. I truly believe that our DNR folks need to be ELECTED officials instead of appointed. Just because they have a wildlife degree does mean that they understand a common sense approach. "

Anthony wrote on Feb 6, 2007 11:14 AM:

" to Brian B. Must be nice, I wish they would do that in Iowa. We have several seasons for deer. Early (Oct) and late (dec) seasons for bow and muzzleloader. 2 shotgun seasons about a week long each in december. A youth season in september and october. An antlerless season for 3 days in November and a late antlerless season for a week in January. Each tag is $27 and there is a limit on how many you can purchase but I'm not sure of what they are. "

deer hunter wrote on Feb 7, 2007 5:36 PM:

" Thanks Had Enouf! I will be writing/contacting my area's elected officials. I think I may also draft a letter for my dad and brothers to give all their hunting budies to sign & send out. The more the word gets out on this issue the better!! "

Be Happy wrote on Feb 7, 2007 5:58 PM:

" They're proposing birth control rather than more tags because the Democrats will soon confiscate all your guns. "

paulie wrote on Feb 7, 2007 6:22 PM:

" hold on folks! Now we have to give the deer freedom of choice! maybe the DNR needs to refer the deer to the emma goldman clinic in iowa city? taxpayer funded abortions for deer! why not? deer have no income from employment, consume the resources of others, and procreate lavishly. put 'em on welfare! "

oldrocker wrote on Feb 7, 2007 7:22 PM:

" I live by Blackhawk school and we get them in our yard. Hot lead is right and take about 100,000 of those dirty filty geese along for the ride. Ever seen a Deer starve to death? They are picked apart while they are still alive by other animals. Don't tell me you care about a Deer. If you did, you pick up a shotgun and have a meal. "

Lindsey Ory wrote on Feb 7, 2007 8:44 PM:

" You guys should all write the governor. I agree that this is absolutely ridiculous waste of time. Why did this seem like such a good idea when these scientists could be coming up with cures for important diseases instead of deer birth control. Plus you have to admit this is a little scarey that our government is advocating reproductive control of a wild animal. If this gets into the wrong hands or things go to far deer could quickly become endangered or even extinct. The simplest solution would be to get rid of all the red tape hunters have to go through and issue more tags as you all have said, especially if the government feels they are over populated. Why is that the stupidest ideas seem to be the only ones our government officials consider? I wonder if this was the first idea that came their way and they just wanted to be done with it so they're running with it. We need to tell them they are completely off track with this idea and that we have better ideas they should consider. "

Brian B. wrote on Feb 8, 2007 2:53 AM:

" Anthony: Another amazing thing is that the deer population of both states are very close to each other. And getting rid of the surplus is what this article was about. I agree with Had Enouf, you should write your representatives. Alabama's season and limits can be easily found with a web search. Good luck! "

Bryan M. wrote on Feb 8, 2007 9:41 AM:

" Before we start spending more money in the wrong places maybe we should make hunting more affordable. Not just the ridiculous cost of a hunting license and deer tag. Iowa needs first to curb the insane amount of leased hunting. Personally in the last five years myself and many I know have lost well over half of the land we once hunted to out of state and rich city slickers. You can't really blame farmers for wanting to earn a little cash under the table when people come to them willing to pay $250-$500 an acre to hunt. None of these people are out to fill their freezer for the winter, they are only trophy hunting. And as we all know, when you only kill the bucks the deer herd is only going to get bigger. Could the politicians just once bend down grab their ears and pull their heads out. "

waterloo reader wrote on Feb 8, 2007 11:20 AM:

" The rabbits and squirrels are very heavily populated in my neighborhood. They are causing irrepairable damage to the neighborhoods largest crops, kentucky bluegrass and flowers. How do I obtain the deer contraceptives and can anyone help me with the math to lower the dosage for a rabbit? The current plan of "Thursday Night Massacre" (because garbage day is Friday) is harmful to the psychological development of the rabbits and squirrels. I'm sure everyone would feel better if we gave the rabbits and squirrels a "choice" in this matter. Where's PETA on this important issue? I have to go...it's Thursday and the snow helps...if you know what I mean. "

Condoms for all wrote on Feb 8, 2007 5:22 PM:

" They give condoms to our kids in school why not the deer. "

Planned Deerhood wrote on Feb 8, 2007 5:23 PM:

" Let Planned Parenthood help. They've been very successful in killing human babies for years. "

Zach wrote on Feb 10, 2007 9:00 AM:

" Didn't you hear that they are paying for all of this with the increased cigarette tax? "

Just pass a law wrote on Feb 10, 2007 3:09 PM:

" Why don't we just pass a law prohibiting the deer from procreating? "

Young Murph, Iowa City wrote on Feb 11, 2007 4:07 AM:

" They just need to abolish all of this 'abstinence-only' sex education. An informed deer is a safer deer. "

Call the ACLU wrote on Feb 11, 2007 8:14 AM:

" I think this violates the civil rights of the deer. Better call Jesse Jackson so we can have a rally. "

bambi wrote on Feb 11, 2007 12:47 PM:

" As one of nature's creatures I am only doing what comes naturally. DON'T BLAME ME!Hey- if it feels good- DO IT! But there is a bothersome buck that keeps trying to get something going wit me, I wish one of you would take him out! "

Anthony wrote on Feb 12, 2007 10:10 AM:

" You know, the scary thing about this is that I actually know people that think that this is a good idea. They think hunting deer is cruel. I tell them that cruelty is NOT hunting them and having them die from malnourishment and disease because they are so over populated. I remember 25-30 years ago when it was common for people to shoot deer over 200 pounds, now it is a rarity. "

Brian B. wrote on Feb 14, 2007 1:55 AM:

" What's scary is that Iowa, near the top in all the reports of education level, can't figure out what Alabama, always near the bottom, has. If you have too many deer, let the hunters thin them out. Duh. "

GODBODY wrote on Feb 14, 2007 11:22 PM:

" How did jesse jacksons name come up in a deer story??? You mock strong men that fight for the weak. Jesus fought for the weak, who's your god? For those that advocate killing the deer, you remind me of the beastman. You will kill for sport, lust and greed. You are the harvenger of death and should be shunned! Birth control as an alternative to killing is always good. "

Anthony wrote on Feb 15, 2007 11:12 AM:

" Godbody, do some research on conservation before you comment. I hunt and fish and guarantee that I do more for conservation than you can comprehend. You find me a deer hunter in Iowa that hunts for sport. We do it for food. See if you can tell me how many deer were donated to the HUSH (Help us Stop Hunger) program last year and how many meals were provided. You tell me that we are not serving the less fortunate. Deer over population is bad in many ways. Too many deer means less forage which in turn means malnourished deer which means they are weak and sick. How many accidents have you seen caused by deer? They destroy crops. The deer herd in Iowa is way to huge and it is a problem. Some overpriced contraception problem is not a solution. If we are willing to thin that herd and put more food into the food banks, why do you have a problem with that. have you ever made a donation to HUSH, or any food bank for that matter? I've done my part, have you? "

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