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Habitat planning for bad weather is key to supporting pheasant populations

Habitat planning for bad weather is key to supporting pheasant populations

  • 12/10/2024 12:21:00 PM
  • View Count 1910
The first snow of the season is a popular event with pheasant hunters because it often sends the birds to cover where hunters expect to find them. And while a little snow is good, too much snow can be bad, burying waste grains that are an important food source and collapsing marginal habitat.
Iowa’s pheasant hunting Thanksgiving tradition

Iowa’s pheasant hunting Thanksgiving tradition

  • 11/26/2024 11:52:00 AM
  • View Count 3449
Pheasant hunting has been as much a part of the Thanksgiving holiday for generations of Iowans, as cranberries and stuffing. And with a weather forecast that will likely put birds in cover, this would be a good year to continue that tradition and get back to the fields.
2024 Iowa deer hunting off to a good start

2024 Iowa deer hunting off to a good start

  • 10/15/2024 1:13:00 PM
  • View Count 7637
Despite warm weather persisting in much of the state, roughly 6,000 deer have been registered so far through the youth and disabled hunter seasons, and the opening of the archery and early muzzleloader seasons, which is slightly higher than both last year and the five-year average.
Iowa’s much anticipated pheasant season opens Oct. 26

Iowa’s much anticipated pheasant season opens Oct. 26

  • 10/15/2024 1:11:00 PM
  • View Count 6160
Success during the 2023 pheasant season has Iowa hunters eagerly awaiting this year’s opening day and with bird population estimates similar to two years ago, hunters are expecting another great fall afield.
Iowa’s statewide teal only season begins Sept. 1

Iowa’s statewide teal only season begins Sept. 1

  • 8/20/2024 3:39:00 PM
  • View Count 5095
“Teal are often abundant this time of year and not wary, they will come in to decoys and be accessible to hunters,” said Orrin Jones, state waterfowl biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Iowa’s dove season begins Sept. 1

Iowa’s dove season begins Sept. 1

  • 8/20/2024 3:34:00 PM
  • View Count 6743
Iowa’s sunflower and wheat fields will be popular places on Sept. 1, when thousands of hunters slip into the standing flowers and field edges in the early morning darkness for the opening day of dove hunting season.
2023 saw Iowa’s best pheasant harvest in 16 years

2023 saw Iowa’s best pheasant harvest in 16 years

  • 8/20/2024 3:28:00 PM
  • View Count 5171
Iowa’s pheasant hunters bagged more than 590,000 roosters last fall, the most since 2007. The 62 percent increase in harvest was due to a strong population of pheasants and to a 32 percent increase in the number of pheasant hunters.
Iowa pheasant population survey begins Aug. 1

Iowa pheasant population survey begins Aug. 1

  • 7/30/2024 1:57:00 PM
  • View Count 6041
Pheasant hunters across the northern half of Iowa had an excellent season last year, and many are looking forward to what 2024 has in store.
Changes to note ahead of Iowa's hunting seasons

Changes to note ahead of Iowa's hunting seasons

  • 6/24/2024 4:08:00 PM
  • View Count 14655
Hunters will notice a few regulation changes for the upcoming 2024-2025 hunting seasons. These changes could impact deer hunters, waterfowl hunters and furharvesters.
2024 spring turkey season was one for the record books

2024 spring turkey season was one for the record books

  • 5/14/2024 12:21:00 PM
  • View Count 2727
The final segment of Iowa’s spring turkey hunting season closed Sunday, ending the spring season with a record harvest of 16,059 birds reported, surpassing the 2023 record harvest of 14,843.
Last chance to hunt deer until fall

Last chance to hunt deer until fall

  • 1/11/2024 5:02:00 PM
  • View Count 4185
Iowa’s final deer seasons are now open - the Population Management January Antlerless Season and the Excess Tag January Antlerless Season.
Outdoor Notes

Outdoor Notes

  • 1/2/2024 12:01:00 PM
  • View Count 3415
Hunting seasons will begin closing soon in early January. Pheasant, archery turkey and deer seasons, and late muzzleloader deer season close on Jan. 10. Goose seasons start closing first in the north zone on Jan. 13, followed by the central zone on Jan. 20, and the south zone on Jan. 27.
Hunters encouraged to discuss hunting plan, safety after weekend hunting incidents

Hunters encouraged to discuss hunting plan, safety after weekend hunting incidents

  • 12/12/2023 11:57:00 AM
  • View Count 4222
The opening weekend of Iowa’s second gun deer season saw another 50,000-plus hunters’ enjoying time in the timber in pursuit of legendary whitetails. Unfortunately, there were three hunting incidents that serve as a reminder for hunters to review safety measures before heading out.
First of Iowa’s popular gun deer hunting seasons opens Dec. 2

First of Iowa’s popular gun deer hunting seasons opens Dec. 2

  • 11/21/2023 11:45:00 AM
  • View Count 8190
Iowa’s most popular hunting seasons are less than two weeks away when more than 100,000 blaze orange clad hunters will be walking, posting, sitting and standing in Iowa’s timber and field edges hoping to tag an Iowa deer. The first deer gun season is Dec. 2-6; the second deer gun season is Dec. 9-17.
Iowa’s furharvest season began Nov. 4

Iowa’s furharvest season began Nov. 4

  • 11/7/2023 11:54:00 AM
  • View Count 4820
Iowa trappers can expect to find good numbers of furbearers statewide during the 2023-24 season, that began on Nov. 4.
Anticipation is high for Iowa’s 2023 pheasant season

Anticipation is high for Iowa’s 2023 pheasant season

  • 10/24/2023 1:24:00 PM
  • View Count 9936
Iowa’s pheasant population is up, the crop harvest is advancing quickly and the weekend weather forecast is setting up for an excellent opening weekend for Iowa’s pheasant season.
Think safety before opening day

Think safety before opening day

  • 10/24/2023 1:23:00 PM
  • View Count 5037
Hunters heading to the field for the opening weekend of pheasant season are encouraged to review safe hunting practices before they head out.
Learn to Hunt program opens registration for rabbit workshop

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for rabbit workshop

  • 9/5/2023 1:09:00 PM
  • View Count 5148
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook rabbits to youth and adults who have little to no small game hunting experience.
Iowa’s rabbit, squirrel season opens Sept. 2

Iowa’s rabbit, squirrel season opens Sept. 2

  • 8/29/2023 2:23:00 PM
  • View Count 4124
The good news for Iowa’s cottontail rabbit hunters is that Iowa has an abundant rabbit population, with the south-central part of the state seeing the best overall numbers. The better news for hunters is Iowa’s cottontail rabbit season begins Sept. 2 statewide.
Iowa’s dove season begins Sept. 1

Iowa’s dove season begins Sept. 1

  • 8/29/2023 2:11:00 PM
  • View Count 4902
Iowa’s sunflower and wheat fields will be popular places on Sept. 1, when thousands of hunters slip into the standing flowers and field edges in the early morning darkness for the opening day of dove hunting season.
Iowa’s teal-only hunting season opens Sept. 1

Iowa’s teal-only hunting season opens Sept. 1

  • 8/29/2023 2:02:00 PM
  • View Count 4364
Iowa’s 16-day teal only hunting season begins statewide Sept. 1, offering hunters an opportunity to enjoy Iowa’s wetlands and shallow lakes during the mild late summer weather.
Big Creek Wildlife Area is hidden in plain sight

Big Creek Wildlife Area is hidden in plain sight

  • 8/9/2023 7:30:00 AM
  • View Count 4445
Often overlooked for its similarly named state park or mistaken for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sprawling Saylorville Wildlife Area, Big Creek Wildlife Area is roughly 3,100-acre, one stop outdoor shop just 10 minutes from Ankeny.
Iowa’s spring turkey season is one for the books

Iowa’s spring turkey season is one for the books

  • 5/16/2023 1:47:00 PM
  • View Count 3579
Despite a rainy cold closing weekend across much of state, Iowa’s wild turkey hunters reported harvesting more than 14,800 birds through the mandatory registration system, an increase of nearly 3,000 versus the 2022 harvest.
New veterans hunting, fishing licenses available April 12

New veterans hunting, fishing licenses available April 12

  • 4/12/2023 1:24:00 PM
  • View Count 17606
The new Armed Forces Hunting and Fishing licenses are now available to residents of Iowa who served in the armed forces of the United States on federal active duty. The new annual fishing license, or hunting and fishing combo license, is $5, with a $2 processing fee.
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