A proposed deer hunt in the Fort Dodge city limits next year was again advanced by the City Council Monday.

The council approved the second reading of a measure establishing the archery hunt on a 5-2 vote. Councilmembers Kim Alstott, Dave Flattery, Quennel McCaleb, Cameron Nelson and Lydia Schuur voted yes. Councilman Neven Conrad and Terry Moehnke voted no.

Conrad voted in favor of the measure when it came before the council on July 25 for its first reading. It advanced on a 6-1 vote at that time, with Moehnke casting the lone no vote. But Conrad voted no Monday. He said he has questions about how the success of the hunt would be determined.

Three people addressed the council before it voted Monday.

“I believe it is unnecessary, unethical and ineffective,” said Jason Beckman, who lives on North 14th Street.

Beckman said the city lacks “deer density data” that would indicate if there really is an overpopulation of deer in Fort Dodge. Without that data, he said, the proposed hunt amounts to “just killing deer for the sake of killing deer.”

Beckman said the principal complaint that seems to come up about deer is that they eat plants and flowers. He noted that other animals eat plants, too.

“What’s next — an urban bow hunt for rabbits?” he asked.

The proposed hunt would be limited to about 3,200 acres on the northern, eastern and western edges of the city, but Beckman said there is nothing to prevent dead and dying deer from ending up in people’s yards.

“The gruesome reality is that wounded deer can run 200 to 300 yards,” he said. “What do we do when wounded deer end up in yards?”

Beckman was also critical of the increased responsibilities the deer hunt would place on the Police Department.

“I would much rather have our fine Fort Dodge police officers work a gun case or a drug case than testing the competency of archers,” he said.

The work related to the hunt would be done by the new community services officer and would not take certified law enforcement officers away from their duties, according to Assistant City Manager Ryan Maehl.

Steve and Judith Rozek, of Elizabeth Avenue, spoke in favor of doing something about the deer population.

Steven Rozek said 10 trees on their property have been lost to deer damage. He added that deer sleep in their yard.

“They even look in the windows at night,” he said.

Judith Rozek said the deer may attract coyotes to Fort Dodge.

Alstott said after the July 25 council meeting, he went home to find a buck across the street from his North Seventh Street house. He added that he has fed wild birds for years, but stopped doing so about three years ago because deer came into his yard and ate the bird seed.

“The DNR (Iowa Department of Natural Resources) said bow hunting does work,” Alstott said. “It does bring down the deer population.”

Moehnke said there is no numerical proof that Fort Dodge has a deer overpopulation problem.

“We’ve never been able to verify how many deer there are,” he said.

The deer hunt measure must be approved once more by the City Council.

Then the hunt must be approved by the Iowa Natural Resources Commission, a panel that gives the DNR guidance on outdoor matters. Then the DNR and the Police Department will put in place all the rules for the hunt.

Once all that is done, the first in-town deer hunt would begin Sept. 16, 2023, and end Jan. 7, 2024.