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Review safe hunting practices ahead of spring turkey season

Review safe hunting practices ahead of spring turkey season

  • 3/26/2024 11:38:00 AM
  • View Count 295
Roughly 35,000 camo-covered hunters in stealth mode will be heading to the timber in the next few weeks for Iowa’s spring turkey season. And, just as important as contacting the landowner, checking the shell supply and finding the decoys, part of every hunt prep is to review safe hunting practices.
Iowa’s spring turkey season is right around the corner

Iowa’s spring turkey season is right around the corner

  • 3/26/2024 11:36:00 AM
  • View Count 319
Coming off record harvests in 2020 and again in 2023, Iowa’s spring turkey hunters could be living in the “good ol’ days.” And with three straight years of good hatches across much of the state, roughly 35,000 hunters are ready to hit the woods.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

  • 3/12/2024 2:40:00 PM
  • View Count 620
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Black Hawk Wildlife Unit and Waterfowl Production Areas managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sac, Calhoun, Crawford, Buena Vista and Pocahontas counties.Areas scheduled for burns are Black Hawk Marsh Complex, Burrows Pond Complex, Tomahawk Marsh, Whitehorse Complex and Kiowa Marsh Complex in Sac County; South Twin Lake and Towhead Lake in Calhoun County; Schrad...
USDA announces Conservation Reserve Program general signup for 2024

USDA announces Conservation Reserve Program general signup for 2024

  • 3/5/2024 12:02:00 PM
  • View Count 1496
DES MOINES, Iowa – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting March 4 and running through March 29, 2024.
Land donors honored during reception in Des Moines

Land donors honored during reception in Des Moines

  • 2/27/2024 3:42:00 PM
  • View Count 1839
DES MOINES, Iowa – More than 950 acres of Iowa land in 14 counties with an estimated value of more than $3.9 million was permanently protected through donations for conservation.  
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

  • 2/23/2024 9:05:00 AM
  • View Count 2323
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Prairie Lakes Wildlife Unit in Clay, Palo Alto, Emmet and Kossuth counties.
Stay safe on the ice this winter

Stay safe on the ice this winter

  • 1/16/2024 3:10:00 PM
  • View Count 3390
With cold weather finally arriving in Iowa and freezing over lakes and ponds, ice fishing activity has begun at certain northern lakes.
Last chance to hunt deer until fall

Last chance to hunt deer until fall

  • 1/11/2024 5:02:00 PM
  • View Count 3688
Iowa’s final deer seasons are now open - the Population Management January Antlerless Season and the Excess Tag January Antlerless Season.
Researchers looking for insight into wild turkey population decline

Researchers looking for insight into wild turkey population decline

  • 1/9/2024 3:29:00 PM
  • View Count 4394
The reintroduction of wild turkeys to Iowa’s landscape has been celebrated as a conservation success story for the past 25 years. But Iowa’s turkey population is showing troubling signs: the numbers are down, nests are failing and fewer poults are surviving. And it’s not just an Iowa problem – turkey populations are declining in all states in the Midwest and across the eastern half of the United States.
Outdoor Notes

Outdoor Notes

  • 1/2/2024 12:01:00 PM
  • View Count 3087
Hunting seasons will begin closing soon in early January. Pheasant, archery turkey and deer seasons, and late muzzleloader deer season close on Jan. 10. Goose seasons start closing first in the north zone on Jan. 13, followed by the central zone on Jan. 20, and the south zone on Jan. 27.
DNR to host an open house on the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area

DNR to host an open house on the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area

  • 12/14/2023 2:07:00 PM
  • View Count 4666
Fonda, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house on Jan. 4, 2024, from 4 - 7 p.m. to discuss the habitat management, recreation use, wildlife populations and other topics of interest for the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area.
Stay safe as Iowa lakes freeze over

Stay safe as Iowa lakes freeze over

  • 12/12/2023 11:59:00 AM
  • View Count 3709
The recent blast of arctic air is growing ice on lakes and ponds across the northern two-thirds of Iowa. Anglers are ready to get out for the popular early ice fishing season.
Hunters encouraged to discuss hunting plan, safety after weekend hunting incidents

Hunters encouraged to discuss hunting plan, safety after weekend hunting incidents

  • 12/12/2023 11:57:00 AM
  • View Count 3816
The opening weekend of Iowa’s second gun deer season saw another 50,000-plus hunters’ enjoying time in the timber in pursuit of legendary whitetails. Unfortunately, there were three hunting incidents that serve as a reminder for hunters to review safety measures before heading out.
Natural Resource Commission to meet Dec. 14

Natural Resource Commission to meet Dec. 14

  • 12/8/2023 1:48:00 PM
  • View Count 3599
Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet at 9:30 a.m., Dec. 14, in the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines. The meeting is open to the public.
Donated deer hides benefit disabled veterans

Donated deer hides benefit disabled veterans

  • 11/21/2023 11:56:00 AM
  • View Count 4898
Hunters donated more than 4,500 deer hides to Elks Lodges across Iowa last year, which was an increase of nearly 600 hides from the 2022 season. The deer hides are used by the Veterans Leather Program to make professionally-crafted leather gloves for veterans in wheelchairs and also turned into leather used for therapy programs for recovering veterans.
Safety first, during the gun deer seasons

Safety first, during the gun deer seasons

  • 11/21/2023 11:54:00 AM
  • View Count 5512
The long wait is almost over. For an expected 100,000-plus deer hunters, the gun 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.
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease

  • 11/21/2023 11:52:00 AM
  • View Count 6280
Iowa is experiencing the third worst outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), behind only the outbreaks in 2012 and 2019 in severity. The disease appears to have hit southeastern Iowa the hardest, but has been reported in 74 counties, which is the highest number of counties to report the disease in one year.
DNR continues to monitor for Chronic Wasting Disease

DNR continues to monitor for Chronic Wasting Disease

  • 11/21/2023 11:51:00 AM
  • View Count 5753
The Iowa DNR will be working with hunters again this gun season to collect deer tissue samples to test for chronic wasting disease. So far this year, tissue samples from eight individual deer are suspected positive for the always fatal disease.
First of Iowa’s popular gun deer hunting seasons opens Dec. 2

First of Iowa’s popular gun deer hunting seasons opens Dec. 2

  • 11/21/2023 11:45:00 AM
  • View Count 6968
Iowa’s most popular hunting seasons are less than two weeks away when more than 100,000 blaze orange clad hunters will be walking, posting, sitting and standing in Iowa’s timber and field edges hoping to tag an Iowa deer. The first deer gun season is Dec. 2-6; the second deer gun season is Dec. 9-17.
Iowa’s furharvest season began Nov. 4

Iowa’s furharvest season began Nov. 4

  • 11/7/2023 11:54:00 AM
  • View Count 4289
Iowa trappers can expect to find good numbers of furbearers statewide during the 2023-24 season, that began on Nov. 4.
Natural Resource Commission to meet Nov. 9

Natural Resource Commission to meet Nov. 9

  • 11/3/2023 3:16:00 PM
  • View Count 3817
Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet at 9:30 a.m., Nov. 9, in Des Moines.
Anticipation is high for Iowa’s 2023 pheasant season

Anticipation is high for Iowa’s 2023 pheasant season

  • 10/24/2023 1:24:00 PM
  • View Count 7874
Iowa’s pheasant population is up, the crop harvest is advancing quickly and the weekend weather forecast is setting up for an excellent opening weekend for Iowa’s pheasant season.
Think safety before opening day

Think safety before opening day

  • 10/24/2023 1:23:00 PM
  • View Count 4651
Hunters heading to the field for the opening weekend of pheasant season are encouraged to review safe hunting practices before they head out.
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