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6 Reasons You’re Not Catching Fish

6 Reasons You’re Not Catching Fish

  • 7/14/2015 8:58:00 AM
  • View Count 86370
Are you struggling to catch fish? Don’t get discouraged – you are not alone. Here are some common reasons why you aren’t catching fish and tips for being more successful.
11 Energy Saving Ideas for Summer Heat

11 Energy Saving Ideas for Summer Heat

  • 7/14/2015 6:50:00 AM
  • View Count 8395
Although this summer has been mild overall so far, the usual July weather has officially arrived with its rising temperatures. Check out these money- and energy-saving tips so you can be prepared to beat the heat.
Explore This Iowan Urban Sanctuary

Explore This Iowan Urban Sanctuary

  • 7/10/2015 10:51:00 AM
  • View Count 8060
By Jennifer Wilson From the July/August 2014 issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine Ask park manager Lori Eberhard what George Wyth Memorial State Park has to offer travelers, and you’d better settle in for a long answer.
6 Nature Foolers: Can You Tell the Difference?

6 Nature Foolers: Can You Tell the Difference?

  • 7/10/2015 8:54:00 AM
  • View Count 20546
Mimicry is about more than flattery for these Iowa organisms. Looking similar to a dangerous model helps the mimics of these pairs avoid confrontation, predation and disturbance, particularly from animals that learn to pick a meal based on what its prey looks like. Can you tell the difference?
Tips and Tricks for Avoiding and Removing Ticks

Tips and Tricks for Avoiding and Removing Ticks

  • 7/9/2015 11:19:00 AM
  • View Count 60676
Not everybody likes bugs and spiders, but even fewer people like a parasite. But don’t let these little critters keep you from enjoying the outdoors this summer. With some preventative actions, you can help keep ticks at bay.
Quick Weekend Cabin Getaways Available

Quick Weekend Cabin Getaways Available

  • 7/8/2015 9:30:00 AM
  • View Count 9247
Currently, Lacey-Keosauqua State Park has five family studio cabins available this weekend for a two-day minimum stay, $50 per day each.
Fishing the Thermocline for Better Summer Success

Fishing the Thermocline for Better Summer Success

  • 7/8/2015 6:57:00 AM
  • View Count 23911
Back in early May, the air was warm and the water was churning in Iowa lakes. Crappies were in tight to shore, ready to drop their life-giving bundle of eggs, and bluegills were just a cast away waiting for their turn. It was spring, the spawn was on and panfish were taking just about anything hook, line and sinker. Anyone could catch fish.
Must-Have Summer Fishing Tips

Must-Have Summer Fishing Tips

  • 7/1/2015 6:18:00 AM
  • View Count 10225
Making plans for summer outings with family and friends this summer? Add fishing to your list. Whether it’s part of your camping trip or just a day trip, schedule time to go fishing. Try these simple tips to get you started.
21 Outdoor Experiences Every Iowa Kid Needs to Try

21 Outdoor Experiences Every Iowa Kid Needs to Try

  • 7/1/2015 5:24:00 AM
  • View Count 30892
From something as simple as chasing fireflies or hiking a trail to bigger adventures like camping and skiing, there are lots of ways to get kids outdoors in Iowa. Use this as a checklist through the rest of the year to guide your outdoor explorations! Be sure, too, to help your kids make a connection between the activity and protecting Iowa’s natural resources. For example, explain how clean water helps the fish when you’re angling. Talk about habitat when chasing butterflies or frogs. Creating these connections ...
6 Tips for Foraging Wild Raspberries and Strawberries

6 Tips for Foraging Wild Raspberries and Strawberries

  • 7/1/2015 4:03:00 AM
  • View Count 35198
Ripe berries taste like a pop of sunshine, even out of a grocery store box. But in Iowa, anybody can go find the real wild thing, and the taste is incredible. The only hard parts are identifying the berries and finding them before wildlife and other foragers do. Use these tips to collect your share of wild berries!
7 Tips to Prevent Drowning

7 Tips to Prevent Drowning

  • 6/26/2015 5:43:00 AM
  • View Count 31098
Each year, drownings affect a wide swath of outdoor users, from people swimming in lakes and rivers, standing on docks and wading in rivers to warm-weather anglers, ice anglers and boaters. As hotter summers push more Iowans toward water, drownings can increase. Luckily, many of these deaths are preventable.
7 Things To Do in Iowa's Outdoors This Week

7 Things To Do in Iowa's Outdoors This Week

  • 6/26/2015 4:21:00 AM
  • View Count 7287
If you’re looking for some new or different ideas to explore Iowa’s outdoors, we have a suggestion for each day of the holiday week:
Leave It As You Found It: 6 Camping Tips

Leave It As You Found It: 6 Camping Tips

  • 6/26/2015 3:47:00 AM
  • View Count 14235
A weekend camping in the woods is a great way to reconnect with the outdoors. Thank your host - Mother Nature - by leaving your campsite as you found it or even better than it was when you set up camp with these tips.
Wildlife Rehabbers: What it Takes

Wildlife Rehabbers: What it Takes

  • 6/19/2015 11:07:00 AM
  • View Count 24864
A summer storm. A crack of lightning. A thick tree limb crashes to the ground. From a cavity, once 20 feet above ground, high pitched “chirring” and scratching can be heard. A couple whiskered noses poke out, just ahead of the oh-so-familiar black masks. A litter of raccoons is displaced. Now what?
Paddle Up To These Secluded Campsites

Paddle Up To These Secluded Campsites

  • 6/19/2015 11:02:00 AM
  • View Count 57921
The self-reliant can take advantage of several remote paddle-in primitive campsites, get surrounded by nature and leave other humans behind. The locations make for a Boundary Waters-like experience in Iowa.
Learn How to Fish By Depth

Learn How to Fish By Depth

  • 6/19/2015 9:09:00 AM
  • View Count 134169
Ever wonder why you're not catching a certain fish? You might be trying at the wrong time of day at the wrong depth. Check out our infographic below to make the right call.
Father's Day Fishing Coupons

Father's Day Fishing Coupons

  • 6/17/2015 4:11:00 AM
  • View Count 9271
Print off these fishing coupons for a quick, easy and fun gift for Dad this Father's Day! (Be sure, though, that Dad has his fishing license before he goes.)
Go Afloat with the Corps of Discovery: Lewis and Clark State Park

Go Afloat with the Corps of Discovery: Lewis and Clark State Park

  • 6/10/2015 9:51:00 AM
  • View Count 11806
“Cast away! Cast away!” With that resounding command, bellowed stem to stern o’er land and water, the stunning 55-foot reproduction of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s Missouri-wending keelboat, Discovery, gingerly takes leave of the shores at which the explorers’ expedition arrived on Aug. 10, 1804.
7 Iowa Fish With Open State Records: How to Catch a Record Fish

7 Iowa Fish With Open State Records: How to Catch a Record Fish

  • 6/9/2015 10:51:00 AM
  • View Count 12753
Put your name as the first entry in the history books by catching one of these seven fish species we added to the eligible State Record Fish species list in 2013. With no records for these fish currently,you can be the first to set the record! Try these tips to help you catch a record fish.
Rediscover the Joy of Creek Walking

Rediscover the Joy of Creek Walking

  • 6/3/2015 4:55:00 AM
  • View Count 21464
The pair of soft, blue eyes peered deep into the gin-clear depths of the tiny pool, straining to make out anything that wasn’t rock or rubble. Not even a decade old, those eyes were young and fresh and untested—yet the vibrant, cheeky 10-year-old worked them like a hawk eyeing its next meal. And with a quick thrust of her net into the knee-deep water, she brought up her “treasures” from the deep.
A Walk on the Wild Side: Preparation Canyon and Iowa's Loess Hills

A Walk on the Wild Side: Preparation Canyon and Iowa's Loess Hills

  • 6/3/2015 4:34:00 AM
  • View Count 16395
Visiting western Iowa’s razor-ridged Loess Hills on a hot, breezy summer afternoon that eventually succumbs to the ruling grandeur of a moonlit night is surely as intense an experience today as it was for renowned naturalist and University of Iowa professor Bohumil Shimek as he describes it in a section of the 1909 Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report.
7 Ideas to Celebrate Great Outdoors Month in Iowa

7 Ideas to Celebrate Great Outdoors Month in Iowa

  • 6/3/2015 4:01:00 AM
  • View Count 8278
Grab the kids or your friends, and get the bike, kayak or fishing pole - June is Great Outdoors Month! Throw the tent in the car and explore some Iowa state parks this month – and if you need a few ideas, here are some great activities and events going on in Iowa state parks this month. For more ideas, visit the DNR events calendar.
Free Fishing Weekend: What to Know Before You Head Out

Free Fishing Weekend: What to Know Before You Head Out

  • 6/2/2015 11:11:00 AM
  • View Count 8238
Free Fishing Weekend (June 5, 6 and 7, 2015) is the perfect time to take kids fishing or introduce someone to fishing. DNR staff will be at popular fishing spots across the state to assist with setting up fishing poles and distribute free fishing packets to kids that include tips for fishing, bobbers and right-sized hooks for best catching success.
Avoid These Top Tree Killing Practices

Avoid These Top Tree Killing Practices

  • 6/2/2015 10:47:00 AM
  • View Count 13786
Trees add beauty, increase property value, clean the air, provide shade and create habitat. Get the most from your leafy wonders with these simple steps to ensure your trees avert an early demise.
Three Off-The-Beaten-Path Places to Camp in Iowa

Three Off-The-Beaten-Path Places to Camp in Iowa

  • 6/2/2015 10:14:00 AM
  • View Count 72374
Iowa’s state parks and forests offer many beautiful and relaxing campgrounds, but if you’re looking to feel like you’re escaping civilization for a while, here are some top places to rough it in Iowa.
 9 Tips for Training Hunting Dogs

 9 Tips for Training Hunting Dogs

  • 5/27/2015 10:49:00 AM
  • View Count 122571
If you’ve brought home a new puppy this year or want to teach some new skills to your hunting companion, check out these tips on training dogs for hunting.
How to Build a Campfire [Tutorial]

How to Build a Campfire [Tutorial]

  • 5/27/2015 10:39:00 AM
  • View Count 14465
It’s just not a campout without a crackling fire (and the s’mores and hot dogs to roast over it). If building a solid campfire has always eluded you, here are some simple tips to make sure your next campfire keeps blazing bright.
Build Rain Gardens to Hold Water, Beautify Yards, Help Wildlife [Tutorial]

Build Rain Gardens to Hold Water, Beautify Yards, Help Wildlife [Tutorial]

  • 5/22/2015 10:54:00 AM
  • View Count 14450
While rain storms are natural, storm water runoff is not. Flowing from rooftops and surging out downspouts, across the yard, into the street and down the storm sewer untreated, rainfall is routed to the nearest stream or lake. Runoff is often polluted. In its rough and tumble downhill journey, rain picks up heavy metals, oils, fertilizers, soils, sediment, and pesticides.
Why We Camp

Why We Camp

  • 5/22/2015 9:11:00 AM
  • View Count 9939
Struggling to set up his fold-down camper, my brother-in-law asks, “Tell me again why we do this?”
Great Escapes: 7 of Iowa’s Best Hikes

Great Escapes: 7 of Iowa’s Best Hikes

  • 5/22/2015 7:55:00 AM
  • View Count 107093
Whether you’re looking to get away from civilization for a weekend or just take in some beautiful scenery for an hour or two with the family, Iowa – yes, Iowa – offers some incredible hikes in our state parks and forests.
Prepping Your Boat for Summer: Four Tips

Prepping Your Boat for Summer: Four Tips

  • 5/15/2015 10:03:00 AM
  • View Count 6474
As many Iowa boaters get ready to take to the water for the first time this year this coming weekend, be sure to brush up on these basic boating safety and maintenance tips.
7 Things To Do in Iowa's Outdoors This Week

7 Things To Do in Iowa's Outdoors This Week

  • 5/15/2015 10:01:00 AM
  • View Count 7477
While the cool weather forecasted for this week doesn’t seem to herald in the unofficial start of summer, it’s still a great time to get outside. If you’re looking for some new or different ideas to explore Iowa’s outdoors, we have a suggestion for each day of the holiday week:
Tutorial: Learn How to Compost at Home

Tutorial: Learn How to Compost at Home

  • 5/13/2015 5:54:00 AM
  • View Count 20560
Yard waste is the second major waste generated in cities and towns – and since it’s illegal to place yard waste in the trash in Iowa, it needs to be composted. While you can send off yard waste for municipal composting, it’s also easy to do in your own backyard, saving you money and helping your yard and garden. Use this tutorial from DNR staffer Karen Grimes to start your own compost heap at home.
6 Great Iowa State Parks for Spring Fishing

6 Great Iowa State Parks for Spring Fishing

  • 5/12/2015 11:41:00 AM
  • View Count 19621
Spring is a great time to head out fishing, so grab a buddy, call up Dad or Mom, or load the kids into the car and get out there. Plan a day trip or spend the entire weekend at one of Iowa’s great state parks. Enjoy the beautiful weather and “hook” some memories that will last a lifetime.
7 Native, Easy to Care For Plants for Your Yard

7 Native, Easy to Care For Plants for Your Yard

  • 5/12/2015 11:15:00 AM
  • View Count 26452
Natives are resilient and pest resistant, take less watering and care, and will reward you with an April through October blooming season. With some 250 native prairie plants (translate prairie as “sun-loving”) to choose from, which plants are the must-haves for the average garden?
8 Surprising Memorial Day Camping Getaways

8 Surprising Memorial Day Camping Getaways

  • 5/1/2015 10:22:00 AM
  • View Count 20376
Not all hope is lost when it comes to finding a place to camp this Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25. For those who like a little more quiet, don’t mind more primitive camping or are willing to take a chance on a first-come, first-served or “walk-in” campsite, here are some nice possibilities. Try kicking off the summer season with one of these lesser-known state parks:
5 Awesome Tips for Spring Panfish Fishing

5 Awesome Tips for Spring Panfish Fishing

  • 5/1/2015 8:54:00 AM
  • View Count 22133
Crappies and bluegills are biting in small ponds and lakes across Iowa. Spring panfish fishing is a great opportunity to introduce beginners of all ages to fishing. Panfish can be caught easily and are excellent to eat. Grab your fishing pole and tackle box and try these simple tips for a fun and successful spring fishing season.
14 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

14 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

  • 5/1/2015 8:28:00 AM
  • View Count 21137
Paper, sure. Plastic, cardboard, of course. But before you toss those old shingles or paint, or dump a box of Styrofoam packing peanuts in the trash, you’ll want to look up where you can recycle them.
Five Awesome Outdoorsy Spring Recipes

Five Awesome Outdoorsy Spring Recipes

  • 5/1/2015 5:34:00 AM
  • View Count 18895
Set the table, because spring in Iowa is a great time to fill the frying pan and warm up the grill for the best of Iowa's outdoors, from crappie and turkey to morels and wild asparagus.
Top Spots to Hunt Turkey This Spring

Top Spots to Hunt Turkey This Spring

  • 5/1/2015 5:10:00 AM
  • View Count 13507
While we’re not about to give away anybody’s prized hunting spot, there are areas better than others when it comes to turkey hunting. Use these tips to scout out your own site this year, And don’t forget to brush up on your basic turkey hunting safety tips:
6 Water Trails to Explore This Spring

6 Water Trails to Explore This Spring

  • 4/30/2015 10:36:00 AM
  • View Count 23996
If you’re looking to blaze a new trail this spring, consider hitting the water for something different. Iowa boasts a number of water trails, which offer a unique perspective on Iowa in spring.
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