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Get ready for a successful dove season

Get ready for a successful dove season

  • 8/30/2017 10:26:00 AM
  • View Count 6853
Iowa's dove season opens on Sept. 1, a week from today. Doves provide a lot of excitement for hunters of all skill levels and are a great way to bring in new or young hunters.
Tieville Bend Wildlife Area is western Iowa’s secret hunting hot spot

Tieville Bend Wildlife Area is western Iowa’s secret hunting hot spot

  • 8/29/2017 1:08:00 PM
  • View Count 10506
The parking lot of the Super 8 at I-29 and Hwy. 175 fills each fall with trucks pulling boats covered with duck blinds. For hunters, the bread and butter at Tieville Bend is the fall duck migration and if you want to know how the hunting is, go to Onawa and stop in Dave’s World Truck Stop and Restaurant, Suds and Jugs, or Millers Kitchen.
Mount Ayr Wildlife Area is southern Iowa’s rugged retreat

Mount Ayr Wildlife Area is southern Iowa’s rugged retreat

  • 8/22/2017 12:00:00 PM
  • View Count 10163
Mount Ayr, Iowa – The Mount Ayr Wildlife Area is a 1,500-acre outdoor playground on the way to nowhere. While travelers are not likely to stumble upon it, hunters would be wise to know its location.
Squirrel season begins September 2

Squirrel season begins September 2

  • 8/22/2017 11:58:00 AM
  • View Count 6392
Squirrel hunters should expect to find an average to above average squirrel population over most of the state, with higher squirrel numbers in areas with quality oak and hickory trees. Squirrel season opens Sept. 2.
Iowa’s dove hunting season opens statewide September 1

Iowa’s dove hunting season opens statewide September 1

  • 8/15/2017 12:02:00 PM
  • View Count 17702
Iowa’s dove hunting season is just around the corner and hunters getting ready to pursue the country’s most popular game bird are encouraged to visit the areas they plan to hunt before opening day. 
Deer licenses on sale Aug. 15

Deer licenses on sale Aug. 15

  • 8/15/2017 11:59:00 AM
  • View Count 20342
Licenses to pursue Iowa’s world class deer herd go on sale Aug. 15 at more than 700 license sales agents statewide and online.
North Raccoon Wildlife Area is building a recreation reputation

North Raccoon Wildlife Area is building a recreation reputation

  • 8/1/2017 11:44:00 AM
  • View Count 4507
The North Raccoon Wildlife Area just might be the biggest playground in Greene County. But rather than teeter-totters and swings, this playground offers excellent deer hunting, turkey, dove and rabbit hunting, river access and sandbar camping, bird watching, hiking and more.
Red Rock’s wild side

Red Rock’s wild side

  • 7/3/2017 11:23:00 AM
  • View Count 8916
The evidence was easy to see that hunters had found the recently mowed 10-acre sunflower field at the Red Rock Wildlife Area on the first day of dove season – 25-30 vehicles were parked along the road whose drivers had abandoned their bucket seats for real buckets set few rows deep in the remaining sunflowers waiting for the nation’s most popular game bird to come rocketing through.
Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

  • 7/3/2017 11:18:00 AM
  • View Count 4523
Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam.
Now available: Iowa deer hunting draw results

Now available: Iowa deer hunting draw results

  • 6/26/2017 8:34:00 AM
  • View Count 14531
Hunters who applied for the 2017 draw can now view results online by logging into the DNR purchasing system and choosing "View Application Status." 
Nonresident Hunting Update

Nonresident Hunting Update

  • 6/2/2017 1:07:00 PM
  • View Count 8210
Last chance: Iowa nonresident deer application closes Sunday The 2017 Iowa nonresident deer application period closes at midnight on Sunday, June 4. Applications and preference point purchases will not be accepted after that date and time.
Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

  • 5/9/2017 3:02:00 PM
  • View Count 4591
Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam.
Bishop to lead DNR Wildlife Bureau

Bishop to lead DNR Wildlife Bureau

  • 4/25/2017 12:21:00 PM
  • View Count 5801
DES MOINES –Todd Bishop has been hired as the head of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Bureau on April 12, replacing Dale Garner who was promoted to the administrator for the Conservation and Recreation Division in February.
Spring turkey hunting? Stay at a state park cabin

Spring turkey hunting? Stay at a state park cabin

  • 4/5/2017 1:33:00 PM
  • View Count 10248
Several Iowa state parks have cabins near some of the state's best wildlife management areas for turkey hunting. As you make your spring plans, consider one of these options for a convenient, comfortable place to stay: 
Include safety as part of the spring turkey hunting preparation

Include safety as part of the spring turkey hunting preparation

  • 3/28/2017 12:05:00 PM
  • View Count 4386
Spring turkey hunting success and safety comes down to the same thing – proper planning.  Preseason scouting can put hunters in the right position when turkeys come off the roost, increasing their chance for success.
2017 Spring turkey seasons

2017 Spring turkey seasons

  • 3/28/2017 12:03:00 PM
  • View Count 26836
Iowa’s 2017 spring season begins April 8 with an Iowa youth only hunting season that covers two weekends and allows hunters younger than 16 when they buy the turkey license to participate.  The reason for the season is to concentrate on the development of future hunters.  They must hunt one on one with a mentor age 18 or older at all times and the mentor must have a valid turkey hunting license for one of the spring seasons. 
Iowa spring turkey season is right around the corner

Iowa spring turkey season is right around the corner

  • 3/14/2017 11:41:00 AM
  • View Count 9958
Hunters will be going through their equipment, patterning their guns and securing vacation days to pursue the elusive Eastern wild turkey as Iowa’s premier spring hunting season is almost here.
2016 Iowa deer harvest tops 100,000

2016 Iowa deer harvest tops 100,000

  • 2/28/2017 12:49:00 PM
  • View Count 10088
Deer hunters reported harvesting 101,397 deer during the 2016 Iowa deer hunting season, which is about 3,000 fewer than were reported in 2015, but nearly identical to the 2014 harvest.
Hunters turning attention to the wily coyote

Hunters turning attention to the wily coyote

  • 1/10/2017 11:58:00 AM
  • View Count 42423
An expected 15,000 Iowa hunters will turn their attention to pursuing the state’s top predator after January 10. That’s when most of Iowa’s hunting seasons close, and coyote hunting begins in earnest.
Hunting seasons starting to close

Hunting seasons starting to close

  • 1/3/2017 12:18:00 PM
  • View Count 4949
Iowa’s pheasant, late muzzleloader and archery deer, and archery fall turkey seasons close on Jan. 10.  Furbearer seasons, squirrel, quail, partridge and grouse remain open until Jan. 31.
Deer Season Notes

Deer Season Notes

  • 12/7/2016 10:11:00 AM
  • View Count 10663
Iowa hunters have reported harvesting nearly 54,000 deer through the first weekend of the first shotgun season. First shotgun deer season ends on Dec. 7.
Waterfowl refuges closed to any access until duck seasons end

Waterfowl refuges closed to any access until duck seasons end

  • 12/2/2016 10:16:00 AM
  • View Count 5426
Iowa waterfowl refuges are closed to all access until the day after duck season closes. This year the duck season closes later than previous years and the later season dates may impact some deer hunters who have hunted the areas in the past. 
Basic firearm rules are important for a safe hunt

Basic firearm rules are important for a safe hunt

  • 11/29/2016 11:35:00 AM
  • View Count 5123
The first of Iowa’s two shotgun deer seasons opens on Dec. 3, and while optimism for a successful hunt is the primary focus, hunters are encouraged to brush up on safe hunting practices.
Register your harvest

Register your harvest

  • 11/22/2016 1:59:00 PM
  • View Count 14082
Your deer is down, tagged and on its way to the truck. Your harvest is not complete, though, until you register it; online, over the phone or at a license vendor.
Hunters use popular program to donate deer meat to Food Bank of Iowa

Hunters use popular program to donate deer meat to Food Bank of Iowa

  • 11/22/2016 1:57:00 PM
  • View Count 12884
Have an extra deer at the end of the hunt? Maybe you bought an extra tag, to hunt longer? Consider donating to Iowa’s HUSH program. HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger) works with 81 participating lockers to provide high quality meat to needy Iowans, through the Food Bank of Iowa. 
Hunter compliance slipping on reported deer harvest requirement

Hunter compliance slipping on reported deer harvest requirement

  • 11/15/2016 12:36:00 PM
  • View Count 4805
Hunters play a large role in managing Iowa’s world class deer herd by working with landowners and neighbors to reduce doe numbers, providing tissue samples to monitor for chronic wasting disease and by reporting successful hunts to the harvest reporting system.
Hunter education classes filling quickly

Hunter education classes filling quickly

  • 11/8/2016 1:43:00 PM
  • View Count 5303
Hunters who need to satisfy the hunter education requirement need to act quickly – a few seats for the classroom courses are still available in November, but students will need to travel to participate.
Review gear before shotgun deer seasons begin

Review gear before shotgun deer seasons begin

  • 11/8/2016 1:42:00 PM
  • View Count 4099
The first of Iowa’s shotgun deer seasons begin December 3 giving hunters ample time to get their gun, cleaned, oiled and patterned before heading to the timber.
Iowa furbearer season begins November 5

Iowa furbearer season begins November 5

  • 10/25/2016 12:28:00 PM
  • View Count 12451
Iowa fur harvesters will find good numbers of raccoons, muskrats, beaver, coyotes, bobcats, river otters and mink when the furbearer trapping and hunting season opens on Nov. 5.
Denison man suffers self inflicted injury on his way to hunt deer

Denison man suffers self inflicted injury on his way to hunt deer

  • 10/18/2016 3:24:00 PM
  • View Count 4295
A Denison man suffered a self inflicted gunshot wound to his thigh from a pistol he was carrying in his waistband shortly after he began walking to the field to hunt deer with his muzzleloader.  The injury occurred around 5 p.m. on October 17, in southern Crawford County.
Pheasant hunting: The perfect day

Pheasant hunting: The perfect day

  • 10/18/2016 1:49:00 PM
  • View Count 15240
For a lot of hunters, there is one special time among all of your hunting trips that stands out as having been perfect, a day of pure bliss when all the stars line up just right and everything connects at just the right time and in just the right place.
Think safety before opening day

Think safety before opening day

  • 10/18/2016 12:21:00 PM
  • View Count 7172
Hunters heading to the field for the opening weekend of pheasant season are encouraged to review safe hunting practices before they head out.
Iowa’s pheasant season begins October 29

Iowa’s pheasant season begins October 29

  • 10/18/2016 12:16:00 PM
  • View Count 14242
Iowa’s pheasant hunting tradition will begin another chapter on October 29, when nearly 60,000 hunters will pursue ringnecks during the season opening weekend in fields across the state.
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