DES MOINES - The Edible Outdoors Des Moines program is offering river fishing and introduction to archery in August.
River Fishing, Walnut Woods State Park, 3155 Walnut Woods Dr., West Des Moines, 8 a.m. on Aug. 6-7.
Participants will meet Catfish Getters Pro Staff and Iowa DNR angler educator Barb Gigar on Saturday morning to learn about catfishing on the Raccoon River, what a diddy pole is and then set them along the riverbanks. They will meet again Sunday morning to check the lines and enjoy the harvest. A $10 workshop fee will be collected on site. Registration deadline is July 30.
Intro to Archery, Archery Field and Sports, 3725 East 56th Street, Altoona, 6-8 p.m., on Aug. 16.
Iowa DNR archery coordinator Donise Petersen and Archery Field and Sports’ Mark Wagner will be teaching the 11 steps of archery success, shooting techniques and answering questions. A $10 workshop fee will be collected on site. Registration deadline is Aug. 5.
Edible Outdoors is a program reaching out to outdoor folks who normally don’t hunt, fish or forage. Participants will learn different skills such as archery, pan fishing, woodland foraging, hunting basics, upland game 101 and wild edibles. Sessions are held monthly, ending with an optional mentored deer hunt and harvest dinner in November.
Participants may become a member of Edible Outdoors for $50 and that allows them first choice of sessions, a cookbook, and covers most, but not all, of the fees associated with the sessions. Participants are not required to become members but there will be a fee for each session.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources in partnering with the Polk County Conservation Board, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Iowa Hunter Education Instructor Association, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the City of Des Moines.
Contact Rachel Ladd with questions or to sign up for a session at 515-729-6037 or Rachel.ladd@dnr.iowa.gov.