House File 2627 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2627 BY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2038) A BILL FOR An Act relating to deer depredation. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 5055HV (2) 91 sb/js
H.F. 2627 Section 1. Section 481C.2, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2026, 1 are amended to read as follows: 2 1. The director of the department of natural resources shall 3 enter into a memorandum of agreement with the United States 4 department of agriculture, animal damage control division. 5 The wild animal depredation unit shall serve and act as the 6 liaison to the department for the producers in the state who 7 suffer crop, horticultural product, tree, or nursery damage an 8 economic loss to agriculture, horticulture, or silviculture 9 operations due to wild animals. 10 2. The department shall issue depredation permits and 11 deer shooting permits to any landowner or tenant, as defined 12 under section 483A.24, subsection 2, upon receiving written 13 approval from the landowner, who incurs crop, horticultural 14 product, tree, or nursery damage suffers an economic loss of 15 one thousand dollars or more to agriculture, horticulture, or 16 silviculture operations due to wild animals. The department 17 shall allow any conservation officer to issue permits pursuant 18 to this chapter. 19 Sec. 2. Section 481C.2A, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 20 2026, is amended to read as follows: 21 a. Deer shooting permits shall be available for issuance 22 to landowners or tenants, as defined under section 483A.24, 23 subsection 2, upon receiving written approval from the 24 landowner, who incur crop, horticultural product, tree, 25 or nursery damage suffer an economic loss to agriculture, 26 horticulture, or silviculture operations as provided in section 27 481C.2 and shall be available for issuance for use on areas 28 where public safety may be an issue. 29 EXPLANATION 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 31 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 32 This bill relates to deer depredation. Under current law, 33 eligibility for the wild animal depredation program requires a 34 producer to have suffered “crop, horticultural product, tree, 35 -1- LSB 5055HV (2) 91 sb/js 1/ 2
H.F. 2627 or nursery damage due to wild animals”. The bill changes this 1 eligibility requirement to cover a producer who has suffered 2 “economic loss to agriculture, horticulture, or silviculture 3 operations due to wild animals”. 4 The bill authorizes any conservation officer to issue 5 depredation permits or deer shooting permits (permits). In 6 addition to landowners as currently allowed, the bill allows 7 tenants to receive permits with written approval from the 8 landlord. 9 -2- LSB 5055HV (2) 91 sb/js 2/ 2