OSKALOOSA – The city of Oskaloosa is preparing for the upcoming 2022/2023 Urban Deer Hunting season, being held within the Oskaloosa City limits. The 2022/2023 hunting season will run from September 17, 2022, through January 10, 2023. During this season, qualified hunters will be allowed to harvest deer within the city limits using bows and arrows.
Bow hunters interested in participating in this hunting season must pass an archery proficiency test consisting of 5 shots made from 20 yards. Hunters must score at least 80% accuracy within an 8-inch circle target to qualify for this hunt. Hunters are allowed two attempts to pass this test.
There has been one date set up for qualifications for this upcoming season. This testing will be held at the Gateway Church of the Nazarene in the southeastern portion of the parking lot. The Gateway Church of the Nazarene is located at 140 Gateway Drive in Oskaloosa. The date and time for testing is set for Saturday, August 27, from 8am-10am. Any hunter interested in participating in this hunting season must attend, and pass, this proficiency test. Hunters need to bring a current form of identification and their current/valid Iowa hunting license to this testing. 23 hunters qualified to participate in last year’s deer hunt.
**CROSSBOW QUALIFIERS** – Crossbow hunters will need to schedule a time with a member of the Oskaloosa Police Department to qualify using their crossbow target. If the crossbow hunter would like to qualify at the set times at the Gateway Church of the Nazarene, the crossbow hunter shall bring their crossbow and target to utilize for qualifications.
The Oskaloosa Urban Deer Management Program has an established set of rules, which each hunter must follow to participate in this program. A copy of these rules can be found on the city website. It will also be available to anyone attending the proficiency testing at the Gateway Church of the Nazarene on the provided date.
A special note for the dates for proficiency testing: all hunters wishing to participate in the 2022/2023 Oskaloosa Urban Deer Hunting season MUST appear and shoot on the provided date and time. Absolutely no alternate dates or times will be arranged for proficiency testing. Failure to test on the provided date and time will disqualify anyone from participating in the 2022/2023 Oskaloosa Urban Deer season, except for crossbow qualifiers.
During last year’s deer hunting season, hunters harvested 17 deer within the Oskaloosa city limits. This was a 15% decrease from the 2020/2021 season when 20 deer were harvested.
Anyone with questions regarding this program is encouraged to contact Officer Alexander Sirovy of the Oskaloosa Police Department by calling (641)-672-2557 or by email at ASirovy@oskaloosaiowa.org.
