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Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

  • 7/3/2017 11:18:00 AM
  • View Count 4247
Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam.
Now available: Iowa deer hunting draw results

Now available: Iowa deer hunting draw results

  • 6/26/2017 8:34:00 AM
  • View Count 14065
Hunters who applied for the 2017 draw can now view results online by logging into the DNR purchasing system and choosing "View Application Status." 
Nonresident Hunting Update

Nonresident Hunting Update

  • 6/2/2017 1:07:00 PM
  • View Count 7891
Last chance: Iowa nonresident deer application closes Sunday The 2017 Iowa nonresident deer application period closes at midnight on Sunday, June 4. Applications and preference point purchases will not be accepted after that date and time.
Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

  • 5/9/2017 3:02:00 PM
  • View Count 4318
Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam.
Bishop to lead DNR Wildlife Bureau

Bishop to lead DNR Wildlife Bureau

  • 4/25/2017 12:21:00 PM
  • View Count 5372
DES MOINES –Todd Bishop has been hired as the head of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Bureau on April 12, replacing Dale Garner who was promoted to the administrator for the Conservation and Recreation Division in February.
Spring turkey hunting? Stay at a state park cabin

Spring turkey hunting? Stay at a state park cabin

  • 4/5/2017 1:33:00 PM
  • View Count 9363
Several Iowa state parks have cabins near some of the state's best wildlife management areas for turkey hunting. As you make your spring plans, consider one of these options for a convenient, comfortable place to stay: 
Include safety as part of the spring turkey hunting preparation

Include safety as part of the spring turkey hunting preparation

  • 3/28/2017 12:05:00 PM
  • View Count 4079
Spring turkey hunting success and safety comes down to the same thing – proper planning.  Preseason scouting can put hunters in the right position when turkeys come off the roost, increasing their chance for success.
2017 Spring turkey seasons

2017 Spring turkey seasons

  • 3/28/2017 12:03:00 PM
  • View Count 26461
Iowa’s 2017 spring season begins April 8 with an Iowa youth only hunting season that covers two weekends and allows hunters younger than 16 when they buy the turkey license to participate.  The reason for the season is to concentrate on the development of future hunters.  They must hunt one on one with a mentor age 18 or older at all times and the mentor must have a valid turkey hunting license for one of the spring seasons. 
Iowa spring turkey season is right around the corner

Iowa spring turkey season is right around the corner

  • 3/14/2017 11:41:00 AM
  • View Count 9690
Hunters will be going through their equipment, patterning their guns and securing vacation days to pursue the elusive Eastern wild turkey as Iowa’s premier spring hunting season is almost here.
2016 Iowa deer harvest tops 100,000

2016 Iowa deer harvest tops 100,000

  • 2/28/2017 12:49:00 PM
  • View Count 9852
Deer hunters reported harvesting 101,397 deer during the 2016 Iowa deer hunting season, which is about 3,000 fewer than were reported in 2015, but nearly identical to the 2014 harvest.
Hunters turning attention to the wily coyote

Hunters turning attention to the wily coyote

  • 1/10/2017 11:58:00 AM
  • View Count 40579
An expected 15,000 Iowa hunters will turn their attention to pursuing the state’s top predator after January 10. That’s when most of Iowa’s hunting seasons close, and coyote hunting begins in earnest.
Hunting seasons starting to close

Hunting seasons starting to close

  • 1/3/2017 12:18:00 PM
  • View Count 4700
Iowa’s pheasant, late muzzleloader and archery deer, and archery fall turkey seasons close on Jan. 10.  Furbearer seasons, squirrel, quail, partridge and grouse remain open until Jan. 31.
Deer Season Notes

Deer Season Notes

  • 12/7/2016 10:11:00 AM
  • View Count 10355
Iowa hunters have reported harvesting nearly 54,000 deer through the first weekend of the first shotgun season. First shotgun deer season ends on Dec. 7.
Waterfowl refuges closed to any access until duck seasons end

Waterfowl refuges closed to any access until duck seasons end

  • 12/2/2016 10:16:00 AM
  • View Count 4986
Iowa waterfowl refuges are closed to all access until the day after duck season closes. This year the duck season closes later than previous years and the later season dates may impact some deer hunters who have hunted the areas in the past. 
Basic firearm rules are important for a safe hunt

Basic firearm rules are important for a safe hunt

  • 11/29/2016 11:35:00 AM
  • View Count 4807
The first of Iowa’s two shotgun deer seasons opens on Dec. 3, and while optimism for a successful hunt is the primary focus, hunters are encouraged to brush up on safe hunting practices.
Register your harvest

Register your harvest

  • 11/22/2016 1:59:00 PM
  • View Count 12779
Your deer is down, tagged and on its way to the truck. Your harvest is not complete, though, until you register it; online, over the phone or at a license vendor.
Hunters use popular program to donate deer meat to Food Bank of Iowa

Hunters use popular program to donate deer meat to Food Bank of Iowa

  • 11/22/2016 1:57:00 PM
  • View Count 12600
Have an extra deer at the end of the hunt? Maybe you bought an extra tag, to hunt longer? Consider donating to Iowa’s HUSH program. HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger) works with 81 participating lockers to provide high quality meat to needy Iowans, through the Food Bank of Iowa. 
Hunter compliance slipping on reported deer harvest requirement

Hunter compliance slipping on reported deer harvest requirement

  • 11/15/2016 12:36:00 PM
  • View Count 4476
Hunters play a large role in managing Iowa’s world class deer herd by working with landowners and neighbors to reduce doe numbers, providing tissue samples to monitor for chronic wasting disease and by reporting successful hunts to the harvest reporting system.
Hunter education classes filling quickly

Hunter education classes filling quickly

  • 11/8/2016 1:43:00 PM
  • View Count 5052
Hunters who need to satisfy the hunter education requirement need to act quickly – a few seats for the classroom courses are still available in November, but students will need to travel to participate.
Review gear before shotgun deer seasons begin

Review gear before shotgun deer seasons begin

  • 11/8/2016 1:42:00 PM
  • View Count 3830
The first of Iowa’s shotgun deer seasons begin December 3 giving hunters ample time to get their gun, cleaned, oiled and patterned before heading to the timber.
Iowa furbearer season begins November 5

Iowa furbearer season begins November 5

  • 10/25/2016 12:28:00 PM
  • View Count 12099
Iowa fur harvesters will find good numbers of raccoons, muskrats, beaver, coyotes, bobcats, river otters and mink when the furbearer trapping and hunting season opens on Nov. 5.
Denison man suffers self inflicted injury on his way to hunt deer

Denison man suffers self inflicted injury on his way to hunt deer

  • 10/18/2016 3:24:00 PM
  • View Count 4020
A Denison man suffered a self inflicted gunshot wound to his thigh from a pistol he was carrying in his waistband shortly after he began walking to the field to hunt deer with his muzzleloader.  The injury occurred around 5 p.m. on October 17, in southern Crawford County.
Pheasant hunting: The perfect day

Pheasant hunting: The perfect day

  • 10/18/2016 1:49:00 PM
  • View Count 14160
For a lot of hunters, there is one special time among all of your hunting trips that stands out as having been perfect, a day of pure bliss when all the stars line up just right and everything connects at just the right time and in just the right place.
Think safety before opening day

Think safety before opening day

  • 10/18/2016 12:21:00 PM
  • View Count 6918
Hunters heading to the field for the opening weekend of pheasant season are encouraged to review safe hunting practices before they head out.
Iowa’s pheasant season begins October 29

Iowa’s pheasant season begins October 29

  • 10/18/2016 12:16:00 PM
  • View Count 13482
Iowa’s pheasant hunting tradition will begin another chapter on October 29, when nearly 60,000 hunters will pursue ringnecks during the season opening weekend in fields across the state.
7 ways to prep for fall hunting in Iowa

7 ways to prep for fall hunting in Iowa

  • 10/14/2016 2:52:00 PM
  • View Count 8972
Are you ready for some hunting? Iowa's most popular hunting seasons are just around the corner! Here are tips and resources to help you get ready.
Quail on the rise in Iowa

Quail on the rise in Iowa

  • 10/13/2016 8:52:00 AM
  • View Count 24196
Loren Zaruba looked on in excitement—it was the wildlife identification section of the annual Youth Hunter Education Challenge. He and his wife, Ellen, had spent the last three months working with a handful of young competitors, so when the speaker played a familiar “bob-white” call, Loren beamed. But as the teenagers’ faces turned blank and unsure, he realized that question wasn’t easy anymore—hunter or not, none of the youngsters had seen or heard a bobwhite quail.
Iowa’s archery deer hunting season opens October 1

Iowa’s archery deer hunting season opens October 1

  • 9/27/2016 2:12:00 PM
  • View Count 12369
The days are getting shorter, nights are getting cooler and treestands are being moved into place. For bow hunters, the long wait is nearly over. Iowa’s archery deer season begins Oct. 1.
Flooding in northern Iowa impacts some public areas and raises baiting questions

Flooding in northern Iowa impacts some public areas and raises baiting questions

  • 9/23/2016 3:19:00 PM
  • View Count 4286
DES MOINES - It will not be a run-of-the-mill type of opener for many waterfowl hunters in northern portions of the state on Saturday. Extensive flooding has impacted some of the more popular public areas and also raises questions on when hunting flooded fields might be considered baiting.
Six Tips for a Successful Dove Season

Six Tips for a Successful Dove Season

  • 9/20/2016 10:15:00 AM
  • View Count 8676
Whether this is your first dove season or you're a seasoned veteran, be sure to brush up on these basics of hunting doves in Iowa.
Tree Stand Safety Focus of Awareness Campaign

Tree Stand Safety Focus of Awareness Campaign

  • 9/6/2016 1:31:00 PM
  • View Count 5036
A campaign is underway by tree stand manufacturers, retailers, media, natural resource agencies and deer hunters to reduce and eliminate tree stand accidents by raising awareness of this issue and providing education about safe tree stand hunting best practices.
Iowa's Youth Deer Season Begins September 17

Iowa's Youth Deer Season Begins September 17

  • 9/6/2016 1:27:00 PM
  • View Count 14061
The Iowa deer hunting tradition will be passed on to about 10,000 youths who are participating in the youth deer hunting season, which opens on Sept. 17. This season provides an opportunity to teach deer hunting, wildlife behavior, and safe hunting practices to resident youths while they are under the watchful eye of a licensed adult. 
Find Public Hunting on Private Land with IHAP

Find Public Hunting on Private Land with IHAP

  • 9/1/2016 4:01:00 PM
  • View Count 17186
Hunting can be a great family activity or a solo adventure. Stroll through tall grass, hear the explosive rising cackle of pheasants, thrill at the thunderous gobble of a male wild turkey, see a few majestic deer—and maybe get the chance to take one home. That opportunity already exists on scores of acres near you, thanks in part to landowners who open their property through the Iowa Habitat and Access Program, or IHAP.
Flooding Impacts Aldo Leopold Wildlife Area Ahead of Dove Hunting Season

Flooding Impacts Aldo Leopold Wildlife Area Ahead of Dove Hunting Season

  • 8/30/2016 1:53:00 PM
  • View Count 4305
The 1,350-acre Aldo Leopold Wildlife Area in southeast Bremer County has experienced significant flooding from storms that rolled through northeast Iowa last week. The area is popular with dove hunters and with the season opening on Thursday, hunters who were planning to hunt the area are advised to scout it again before heading out.
Iowa Pheasant Population Similar to 2015, Quail Highest in 27 Years

Iowa Pheasant Population Similar to 2015, Quail Highest in 27 Years

  • 8/30/2016 11:34:00 AM
  • View Count 53703
State officials covered more than 6,000 miles of county roads counting upland game during the first two weeks of August and after all the species were counted, data compiled and numbers crunched, what can Iowa pheasant hunters expect to find this fall?
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