Now that the shotgun seasons are over in Iowa, some hunters may have been disappointed with the turnout of deer.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeremy King says that a big part of this is because of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or Blue Tongue, that has been affecting the local population in recent years. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that there is a silver lining with this though, as there are with many diseases.

“Some of these deer, we were told that they’ll eventually basically breed themselves, through immunity, out of this. It’s gonna take 20 to 25 years, is what I was told by biologists. So these deer that are surviving this Blue Tongue bout since the last couple of years, they might have the genetics to help pass on to the other deer to help get through this disease a little quicker.”

King mentions that another way that hunters might be able to help the deer population to grow in coming years is to only shoot and harvest mature bucks. He adds that by taking the older bucks, it allows the mature does to remain and still produce offspring, allowing for more deer to be born.