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DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: huntReturn

Iowa DNR cancels public meetings in Ventura, Algona and Okoboji due to weather

• 2/22/2023 12:33:00 PM
• View Count 4963

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is cancelling public meetings planned tonight in Ventura, Algona and Okoboji due to inclement weather. The meetings will not be rescheduled.

DNR annual public meetings recapping hunting, trapping seasons, and possible rule changes begin next week

• 2/17/2023 9:05:00 AM
• View Count 6355

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes, and address other topics as requested.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for wild turkey workshop

• 2/14/2023 12:01:00 PM
• View Count 5941

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

2022 hunting, fishing license sales

• 2/7/2023 8:13:00 PM
• View Count 7657

In 2022, Iowa residents purchased…

DNR finalizes public meeting locations to recap hunting, trapping seasons, discuss possible rule changes

• 2/7/2023 8:04:00 PM
• View Count 6332

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes, and address other topics as requested.

Iowa DNR accepting comments on proposed new armed forces fishing licenses

• 12/20/2022 11:58:00 AM
• View Count 9238

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting comments on the proposed new armed forces fishing licenses, through Jan. 24.

Iowa’s late muzzleloader deer season is underway; hunters provide 4,600 deer samples for chronic wasting disease testing

• 12/20/2022 11:55:00 AM
• View Count 10901

With Iowa’s shotgun deer seasons in the rearview mirror, hunting deer returns to a more solidary experience with late muzzleloader season and the reopening of the archery season.

2023 hunting, fishing licenses on sale Dec. 15

• 12/6/2022 9:14:00 PM
• View Count 9470

Iowans can begin buying 2023 resident hunting, fishing and other licenses on Dec. 15.  Licenses purchased for 2022 expire on Jan. 10, 2023.

Conservation officers push safety, target ID messages during first shotgun deer season

• 12/6/2022 9:01:00 PM
• View Count 5591

Hunter safety and target identification were the top messages by Iowa’s state conservation officers over the weekend during the first shotgun deer season.

Four states partner in Operation Early Birds waterfowl hunting enforcement project

• 11/22/2022 11:36:00 AM
• View Count 4743

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) joined its fellow agencies in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska on a joint project to check waterfowl regulations compliance over a 36-hour period from the evening on Nov. 4 to the morning on Nov. 6.

Revive the Thanksgiving pheasant hunting tradition this year

• 11/22/2022 11:34:00 AM
• View Count 5012

Iowa’s 2022 pheasant season has produced some of the best hunting in the past decade and peak hunting may be just starting.

Safety first, during the shotgun seasons

• 11/15/2022 11:42:00 AM
• View Count 4540

The long wait is almost over. For an expected 100,000 deer hunters, the shotgun deer seasons are right around the corner and before they head to the timber, it’s important that everyone go through their gear to make sure everything still fits and still works and takes time to review their hunting safety plan.

For Iowa’s deer hunters, the wait is nearly over, shotgun deer seasons begin Dec. 3

• 11/15/2022 11:37:00 AM
• View Count 9619

Iowa’s most popular deer hunting seasons are just around the corner, when roughly 100,000 blaze orange clad hunters take to the timber and wildlife experts are forecasting another good year.

Iowa’s pheasant opener was busy, with lots of hunter success

• 11/1/2022 1:43:00 PM
• View Count 4865

Hunters are home, the dogs are resting and Iowa’s opening weekend of pheasant season is in the rearview mirror. Reports from across the state varied from excellent up north to good in central and southwest Iowa, with the consensus that hunting will continue to improve once all the corn is harvested.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for women’s upland bird hunting workshop and mentored hunt

• 10/11/2022 12:04:00 PM
• View Count 3676

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a comprehensive program to teach skills needed to hunt upland game. This program is geared towards women 18 years of age and older who have had little to no upland bird hunting experience. The workshop is also an excellent opportunity for women looking to return to the field and build a network of female upland hunters.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for upland bird virtual Q & A panel discussion

• 10/5/2022 7:02:00 AM
• View Count 3213

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a virtual program to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook upland birds to those with little or no upland bird hunting experience.

Duck hunters encouraged to use safe boating practices while on the water

• 9/30/2022 2:39:00 PM
• View Count 3381

Duck hunters who hunt from a boat are encouraged to include boating safety as part of their hunting plan. Waterfowl hunters use boats on some of the coldest days of the year.

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.

Bowhunters encouraged to practice the ABCs of tree stand safety

• 9/27/2022 2:14:00 PM
• View Count 3043

Tree stand incidents can happen to deer hunters regardless of skill level or experience and result in serious injury or even death. Unfortunately, in nearly every case, these incidents were preventable.

Iowa’s rabbit, squirrel season opens Sept. 3

• 8/30/2022 1:39:00 PM
• View Count 8548

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. 3 statewide.

Pheasant survey predicts a repeat of last year’s excellent hunting for most of Iowa

• 8/30/2022 1:02:00 PM
• View Count 12299

Results of Iowa’s 2022 pheasant population survey are in and the results were nearly identical to that of 2021, when hunters harvested the highest number of roosters in more than a decade.

Banner and Olofson Shooting Ranges offer programs this fall

• 8/23/2022 12:10:00 PM
• View Count 3579

The Banner and Olofson Shooting Ranges have classes, leagues and events scheduled this fall for shooters of all skill levels.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for beginner furharvesting workshops

• 8/23/2022 12:08:00 PM
• View Count 4606

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to trap furbearers to anyone who has little to no trapping experience.

Iowa’s dove season begins Sept. 1

• 8/16/2022 1:17:00 PM
• View Count 5396

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

• 8/16/2022 1:12:00 PM
• View Count 4365

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.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for waterfowl course

• 8/9/2022 2:26:00 PM
• View Count 4243

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

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for youth waterfowl workshop

• 8/2/2022 12:11:00 PM
• View Count 3275

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook waterfowl to youth who have little to no waterfowl hunting experience on Aug. 27, at the Olofson Shooting Range, near Polk City.

Martens Lake not open to boat traffic for hunting this fall

• 7/26/2022 12:49:00 PM
• View Count 4212

Tripoli, Iowa - Waterfowl hunters scouting shallow lakes and marshes ahead of the season should be aware that Martens Lake on the Sweet Marsh Wildlife Area is in the process of a dike repair and channel excavation project and will not be open to boat traffic for hunting this fall.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for Small Game Workshop

• 7/19/2022 12:25:00 PM
• View Count 3329

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook small game, such as rabbits and squirrels, to adults who have little to no small game hunting experience.

July 17 is Outdoors Day at the Ballpark, presented by Outdoors Dan Radio Show

• 7/13/2022 7:40:00 AM
• View Count 3861

Des Moines - Show your support for the outdoors while enjoying a day at the ballpark watching the Iowa Cubs vs the Buffalo Bison this Sunday at 1 p.m.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for dove hunting and wingshooting workshop

• 7/5/2022 1:26:00 PM
• View Count 3463

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.

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.

Spring turkey season ends on a high note

• 5/31/2022 3:31:00 PM
• View Count 2810

Despite some challenging weather conditions, Iowa’s wild turkey hunters reported harvesting nearly 12,000 birds through the mandatory registration system. While similar to 2021, the 300 additional birds registered represented and overall state increase in harvest of around two percent.

Apply now for Iowa nonresident deer tags

• 5/23/2022 3:17:00 PM
• View Count 3654

The Iowa nonresident deer hunting application period is currently open. Applications close June 5 at midnight, so there's still plenty of time to apply.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for Field to Fork archery deer hunting program

• 5/10/2022 1:55:00 PM
• View Count 2825

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a six-month workshop to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook white-tailed deer to individuals who have little to no archery hunting experience.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for wild turkey virtual Q & A panel discussion

• 3/8/2022 1:45:00 PM
• View Count 1253

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a virtual program to teach the introductory skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook wild turkey.

Learn to Hunt program opens registration for wild turkey workshop

• 2/22/2022 11:36:00 AM
• View Count 1632

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

DNR finalizes public meeting locations to recap hunting, trapping seasons, discuss possible rule changes

• 2/8/2022 12:44:00 PM
• View Count 2060

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested.

2021 hunting, fishing license sales

• 1/25/2022 3:40:00 PM
• View Count 3322

In 2021, nonresidents purchased…

DNR finalizes public meeting locations to recap hunting, trapping seasons, discuss possible rule changes

• 1/20/2022 1:38:00 PM
• View Count 2950

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested.

Outdoor Notes

• 12/28/2021 1:15:00 PM
• View Count 1891

Hunting seasons will begin closing in early January. Pheasant, archery turkey and deer seasons, and late muzzleloader deer season close on Jan. 10.

2022 hunting, fishing license on sale Dec. 15; duck, goose and dove hunters now required to register with HIP

• 12/8/2021 2:20:00 PM
• View Count 7670

Resident hunting, fishing and other licenses for 2022 are available beginning Dec. 15. The menu of license options includes the popular Outdoor Combo annual resident hunting/fishing/habitat combo license for $55; the Angler’s Special three-year fishing license for $62; and the Hunter’s Special three-year hunting license with habitat included for $101.

Iowa DNR stresses safety after weekend hunting incidents

• 12/7/2021 1:45:00 PM
• View Count 7155

Officers with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responded to four deer hunting incidents over the weekend – one related to property damage, one minor injury, one serious injury and one fatality - and one related to pheasant hunting.

Iowa DNR releases name of hunting incident fatality in Marion County

• 12/5/2021 5:02:00 PM
• View Count 1553

MARION COUNTY, Iowa – Authorities have identified 37-year-old Nathan Allen Sharpnack, of Winterset, as the victim in a fatal hunting incident that occurred in Marion County on Saturday. 

DNR investigates fatal hunting incident in Marion County

• 12/4/2021 5:05:00 PM
• View Count 1572

MARION COUNTY, Iowa – Iowa DNR conservation officers responded to a fatal hunting incident on Saturday, December 4, 2021 around 2:45 pm near Lake Red Rock in Marion County.

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