DNR News Releases

Duck season begins Oct. 1 in Iowa’s north zone

9/30/2022 2:31:00 PM
View Count 3558

Waterfowlers have waited all year for this: for the next three weekends in Iowa, there will be an opening day for duck and goose hunting. The north zone opens on Oct. 1, the central zone opens on Oct. 8 and the south zone opens on Oct. 15. Each zone is open seven days, then close for seven days, before re-opening.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for dove hunting for beginner’s webinar

6/14/2022 2:30:00 PM
View Count 2364

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook mourning doves to individuals who have little to no dove hunting experience.

Pheasant, quail, rabbit, dove and partridge harvest all down in 2019

8/25/2020 1:21:00 PM
View Count 3215

Pheasant hunters harvested nearly 284,000 roosters in Iowa during the 2019 season, which was the second highest harvest in the last decade. In 2018, hunters harvested an estimated 320,000 roosters.

Red Rock’s wild side

7/3/2017 11:23:00 AM
View Count 8704

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.

Dove Hunting in Iowa Opens September 1

8/22/2016 1:18:00 PM
View Count 6016

Iowa's sunflower fields will be a little busier this fall as hunters take part in the dove hunting season starting Sept. 1. Dove hunting is a great way to introduce young or new hunters to the sport since weather is nice and hunting requires only simple equipment.