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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 7, 2021
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.
- An individual was shot in the midsection by a member of his party who was shooting at a running deer in southern Muscatine County. He was transported to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The investigation is ongoing.
- An individual was treated and released from the hospital in Waukon after a slug grazed his right hand and forearm during a deer drive near Lansing, in Allamakee County.
- A house was struck by an unknown shooter near the Howard County town of Elma.
- A hunter was killed after being struck in the torso while hunting the Red Rock Wildlife Area in Marion County. It’s the first hunting related fatality of 2021. The incident remains under investigation.
- A pheasant hunter received four pellets to the neck and face area while hunting in Calhoun County. He was transported to the hospital in Sac City where he was treated and released.
The first of Iowa’s two shotgun deer hunting seasons will end on Dec. 8. Second shotgun deer season runs from Dec. 11-19. An estimated 120,000 hunters are expected to participate in one of the two seasons.
Jamie Cook, hunter education coordinator for the Iowa DNR, said these incidents underscore the importance of putting together a hunting plan that identifies the role and location of each member of the hunting party and then following the plan when in the field.
“The hunting plan is a step by step playbook for how the hunt will unfold that includes reviewing safe hunting practices, avoid target fixation, and drives home the point of not just identifying the deer, but what is beyond the deer, before taking the shot. It’s the most essential part of every hunt,” Cook said.
He also stressed the importance of wearing more than the minimum amount of blaze orange than is required for the deer gun seasons. Iowa law requires one of the following pieces of external clothing of solid blaze orange: vest, jacket, coat, sweatshirt, sweater, shirt or coveralls. “You can’t have too much blaze orange on. If the color has started to fade, it’s time to replace it. You want to be seen from all sides,” he said.
Cook said it’s also each hunter’s responsibility to know and understand their limitations as a hunter and the firearms capability and to stay within those.
“This is especially true when utilizing a rifle for the first time during the shotgun season. Hunter’s need to exercise good judgment when taking a shot and remember that when using a higher capacity magazine that they could be shooting over a longer period of time and possibly covering a larger area so they need to be even more aware of what’s going on around them and not get fixated on the target,” he said.
Media Contact: Jamie Cook, Hunter Education Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515- 350-8091; or Mick Klemesrud, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-490-5690.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking people who enjoy the outdoors, camping and meeting new people, to consider becoming volunteer campground hosts for the upcoming recreation season.
Volunteer campground hosts live in state parks from one to five months assisting DNR staff with light maintenance duties, checking in campers, and being a resource for visitors enjoying state parks and forests.
Campground hosts are provided a free campsite while they are actively hosting during the camping season. Hosts volunteer 20 – 40 hours per week, including weekends and holidays, while living on site in their own camper.
Campground hosts general duties include greeting visitors, assisting campers checking in and with reservations, cleaning bathrooms, light maintenance and administrative duties, acting as a liaison between campers and DNR staff and answering questions and disseminating information to campers.
Host positions are available at:
- Backbone
- Beeds Lake
- Clear Lake
- Geode
- Honey Creek
- Lake Darling
- Lewis and Clark
- Springbrook
- Stephens Forest
- Walnut Woods
- Yellow River Forest
Information about campgrounds and state parks is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/stateparks. To discuss the host position, contact the state park directly, or call 515-443-2533.
Iowa anglers can buy the Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish license and tags starting Dec. 15 through Jan. 7.
Buy your special paddlefish license and tags on the Iowa DNR online licenses sales website at https://gooutdoorsiowa.com. A resident license sells for $25.50 and a nonresident license is $49. You must also have a valid Iowa fishing license.
You can buy up to two tags – one from Dec. 15 to Dec. 31 and an additional tag from Jan. 1 to Jan. 7, or two tags if you didn’t buy one in December. A limited number of paddlefish licenses are available - 950 resident and 50 nonresident.
The license, harvest tag(s), and regulations will be mailed to purchasers in mid-January. Purchasers will be asked to complete an electronic survey to help the Iowa DNR evaluate the success of the paddlefish season. Please complete the survey whether you harvested a paddlefish or not. The Iowa DNR is always working to improve the paddlefish season for anglers; any input provided is considered and is greatly appreciated.
The Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish season opens Feb. 1 and runs through April 30.
For more information about Iowa’s special paddlefish season, visit the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/paddlefish.
Media Contact: Chris Larson, Western Iowa & Missouri River Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-769-2587.
The Iowa Legislature appropriated $250,000 of state infrastructure funds to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the community-based tree-planting program to help recover from the derecho.
The Derecho Community Forestry Grant Program awarded funds for 66 projects across the 27 counties included in the Governor’s Derecho Disaster Proclamation. An estimated 2,524 trees were planted on public lands in 46 derecho impacted communities. All $250,000 available funds were awarded.
Award recipients were required to provide a dollar-for-dollar cash match for purchase of trees and materials from Iowa businesses. The DNR thanks the following organizations for providing cash match dollars to award recipients: BCLUW Schools Parent Educator Partnership; Bettendorf PPEL Funding; Carol Donovan Beautification Fund; Cedar County Conservation; City of Altoona; City of Ames; City of Ankeny; City of Bondurant; City of Cedar Rapids ReLeaf; City of Colfax; City of Coralville; City of Des Moines; City of Grimes; City of Grinnell; City of Huxley; City of Iowa City; City of Johnston; City of Low Moor; City of Madrid; City of Marion; City of Nevada; City of Newton; City of North Liberty; City of Pleasant Hill; City of Springville; City of Tipton; City of Urbandale; City of Van Horne; City of Washington; City of Washington Betterment Foundation; City of Washington Tree Board; City of Waukee; City of West Des Moines; Clinton Conservation Foundation; Grinnell 1000 Trees; Grundy County Conservation Trust Fund; Hardin County Conservation; Jones County Conservation; Linn County Conservation; Marshall County Conservation; North Polk Community School District; Prairie City Monroe Community School District; Poweshiek County Conservation Trust Fund; Residents of Dysart; Rotary Club of Boone Welcome Train Fund; Trees Forever Planting Hope; Trees Forever and Alliant Energy Branching Out; Trees Forever and Black Hills Energy Power of Trees; University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.
Thank you to Alliant Energy and the MidAmerican Foundation for funding concurrent planting projects.
Media Contact: Gabriele Edwards, Urban Forestry Program Specialist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-822-1031.
More than $289,000 in 50 percent cost-share grants have recently been awarded to 115 of Iowa’s rural fire departments to aid their efforts in protecting Iowan’s and their property from wildfires. The grants offer valuable funding assistance for wildfire suppression, personal protective and communications equipment.
The following fire departments will receive 2021 VFA grants: Adair, Alta Vista, Amana, Anita, Anthon, Aplington, Ashton, Belle Plaine, Blencoe, Britt, Centralia/Peosta, Chariton, Charter Oak, Clarinda, Clermont, Cresco, Creston, Dayton, De Soto, Delhi, Delmar, Deloit, Denmark, Denver, Dike, Dow City, Duncombe, Dundee, Edgewood, Elk Horn, Estherville, Farmersburg, Farragut, Forest City, Frederika, Garber, Glenwood, Grant, Greene, Griswold, Harlan, Harpers Ferry, Hazelton, Humeston, Ida Grove, Independence, Indiana Township, Inwood, Ionia, Janesville, Jefferson-Monroe, Jesup, Kingsley, La Motte, Lawton, Lehigh, Lenox, Lime Springs, Little Sioux, Logan, Lost Nation, Manly, Manson, Marcus, McGregor, Melbourne, Melcher-Dallas, Menlo, Meriden, Minburn, Mondamin, Montour, Moulton, Mount Vernon, Moville, New Hampton, New London, Nora Springs, North English, Oak Township, Onawa, Ossian, Oxford, Persia, Peterson, Pleasantville, Prescott, Princeton, Readlyn, Ridgeway, Rockwell City, Royal, Saint Olaf, Searsboro, Shell Rock, Shenandoah, Sibley, Solo/Tri-Township, Stacyville, State Center, Stratford, Stuart, Tiffin, Toledo, Tripoli, Ute, Wallingford, Walnut, Wapello, Waukon, West Point, West Union, Williamsburg, Wyoming and Yale.
The grants are made possible through Iowa DNR Forestry, in cooperation with US Forest Service - State and Private Forestry.
Gail Kantak, fire supervisor with DNR Forestry, reminds all fire departments of the importance of submitting Wildland Fire Reports whenever they respond to a wildland fire or provide assistance to a prescribed or controlled wildland fire. Wildland fire reporting forms are available at www.iowadnr.gov/fire.
Departments returning these reports receive priority points when the Volunteer Fire Assistance grant applications are scored. These wildland fire reports are compiled locally and nationally and are reported to Congress.
Media Contact: Gail Kantak, state wildland fire supervisor, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-689-0083.
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