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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2023
 The 2023 Iowa Archery in the Schools Program season culminated with nearly 2,200 students competing in the state tournament for scholarships and awards in bullseye targets and in 3D targets, March 4-5, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.
DES MOINES, Iowa - The 2023 Iowa Archery in the Schools Program season culminated with the state tournament March 4-5 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where nearly 1,800 archers competed for scholarships and awards in bullseye targets and 780 archers competed for scholarships and awards 3D targets.
State tournament results
Nationals Competition
Male and female archers that placed in the top 10 within their division as individuals, receive a guaranteed spot to participate in one of the national tournaments. Information on nationals qualification can be found at NASPschools.org.
Senior Scholarships
Haney Family Foundation Senior Scholarship (Essay Based)
- $1,000 - Emmet Long (East Union High School)
- $1,000 - Lauren Miller (Independence High School)
- $1,000 - Peyton Peck (Mid-Prairie High School)
Chuck "Coach" Hallier Memorial Senior Scholarship (Essay Based)
- $1,000 - Samantha Hledik (Central Dewitt High School)
- $1,000 -Evan Robertson (Springville High School)
3D State Tournament Top Performers
Female Elementary Champion: Kenli Pommrehn (West Fork Elementary) 274
Female Middle School Champion: Hailey Ries (West Fork Middle School) 286
Female High School Champion: Eastyn Petersen (West Fork High School) 291
Male Elementary Champion: Connor Bradley (South Tama Elementary) 268
Male Middle School Champion: Wyatt Swartz (Chariton Middle School) 283
Male High School Champion: Trenton Abel (Alburnett High School) 292
Bullseye State Tournament Top Performers
Female Elementary Champion: Sophia Mormann (Anamosa Elementary) 275
Female Middle School Champion: Remingtyn Petersen (West Fork Middle School) 293
Female High School Champion: Brooklyn Kelchen (East Buchanan High School) 293
Male Elementary Champion: Jackson Gunsolley (Diagonal Elementary) 276
Male Middle School Champion: Evan Burns (Alburnett Middle School) 290
Male High School Champion: Wyatt Fickbohm (Woodbury Central High School) 294
High All-Around (3D/Bullseye Combined State Tournament Scores)
Lauren Miller, Independence High School, was the female high all-around champion.
Trenton Abel, Alburnett High School, was the male high all-around champion.
Both archers received a $1,250 scholarship.
3D All-State Team (Highest League Score Combined with State Tournament Score)
Girls All-State
- Lauren Miller, Independence Schools
- Eastyn Petersen – West Fork Schools
- Remingtyn Petersen – West Fork Schools
- Shayla McDaniel – Prairie Schools
- Erin Helmich – Spencer Schools
- Sydney Nelson – Prairie Schools
Boys All-State
- Trenton Abel- Alburnett Schools
- Timm Chandonia – South Tama County Schools
- Carson Bright – Anamosa Schools
- Oliver Hansen – Spencer Schools
- Grant Petty – Atlantic Schools
- Cade Elsenbast – Spencer Schools
Bullseye All-State Team (Highest League Score Combined with State Tournament Score)
Girls All-State
- Lauren Miller, Independence Schools
- Skye Murillo – Prairie Schools
- Prseley Thatcher – North Linn Schools
- Eastyn Petersen – West Fork Schools
- Remingtyn Petersen – West Fork Schools
- Blair Baych – Jesup Schools
Boys All-State
- Timm Chandonia – South Tama County Schools
- Lucas Hledik- Central Dewitt Schools
- Evan Burns – Alburnett Schools
- Aiden Willier – West Fork Schools
- Trenton Abel- Alburnett Schools
- Cade Elsenbast – Spencer Schools
Complete Tournament Results
Bullseye: NASP Tournaments
3D: NASP Tournaments
State Archery Tournament Participation
1,800 Bullseye archers representing 125 schools.
780 3D archers representing 91 schools.
The state tournament was sponsored by the Iowa Bowhunters Association, Ducks Unlimited, Whitetails Unlimited, Safari Club International, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Media Contact: Zach Benttine, Archery Education and Outreach Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-205-8709.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), through a partnership with Alliant Energy and the USDA Forest Service, is offering a mixture of hardwoods, low-growing ornamental and evergreen tree species for $25 each.
Alliant Energy customers can purchase up to two trees to be picked up at the following locations:
- April 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Pinicon Ridge Park (4729 Horseshoe Falls Road, Central City)
- April 27, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Calkins Nature Area (18335 135th St, Iowa Falls)
- May 4, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Q Pond City Park (1111 West Clay St, Osceola)
- May 25, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Lime Creek Nature Center (3501 Lime Creek Rd, Mason City)
All Iowa residents can purchase up to two trees to be picked up at Harrah's Casino, (1 Harrah's Blvd., Council Bluffs) on April 29, from 8 to 11 a.m.
Submit an order form, available online at www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Urban-Forestry/Residential-Tree-Programs, to reserve your trees.
Media Contact: Shaila Claibourn, Urban and Community Forestry Technician, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-381-8876 or shaila.claibourn@dnr.iowa.gov.
The popular trout stream stocking season starts on April 3. Find a list of stocked trout streams on the DNR trout stream map or the DNR trout fishing webpage.
The DNR Trout Program offers Iowa anglers a variety of trout fishing opportunities, including catchable stockings, fingerling stockings, wild trout, streams with restrictive regulations, easy universal access areas and remote streams with difficult access.
About 320,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout, 30,000 fingerling brook trout, and 5,000 fingerling brown trout will be stocked into hundreds of miles of northeast Iowa streams from the beginning of April through the end of October. Funding to support the trout stocking program comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and trout fees. About 50,000 Iowans and 5,000 nonresidents go trout fishing in Iowa each year.
Iowa’s trout streams are open year-round and meander through some of the most scenic areas of the state. Get the most out of your trout fishing trip with information about each stream's location, qualities, and other fun facts on the Iowa trout streams webpage.
Media Contact: Mike Steuck, Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Northeast Iowa, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 563-927-3276.
 From mid-March through the end of May, male prairie chickens meet at the booming grounds every morning to display, spar and fight with other males trying to catch the eye of the females watching nearby. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.
Kellerton, Iowa - The first rhythmic and haunting cooing begins as the night sky fades and sunrise begins. The short grass prairie booming grounds prepares for a display found nowhere else in Iowa.
This is prairie chicken country and April 1 will be Prairie Chicken Day at the Kellerton Wildlife Management Area, in Ringgold County. Activities originate from the viewing platform on 300th Avenue, southwest of Kellerton.
The bird's annual ritual begins as early as mid-March and lasts through April. Male prairie chickens meet at the booming grounds every morning to display, spar and fight with other males trying to catch the eye of the females watching nearby.
“They will be out there until 8 in the morning or so, when they begin to slow down,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Diversity Program.
Prairie chickens will display each morning regardless of the weather. The area has an elevated viewing platform to help see all the action.
“Some mornings you can hear them and some you can’t. They are out there every day, but are less active if it’s raining or really cloudy,” Shepherd said. While there will be some spotting scopes available to use, attendees are encouraged to bring their own or a set of binoculars.
The prairie chicken population at Kellerton has benefited from a collaboration between the states of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, and the Nature Conservancy, Blank Park Zoo and the Ringgold County Conservation Board. The collaboration extended to area producers who help to manage 30 percent of the grasslands through grazing.
Some of the partners captured and relocated prairie chickens from Nebraska to the Kellerton area and the Dunn Ranch in northern Missouri to increase bird numbers and introduce new genetics to the population. While others worked to reestablish the rolling grasslands in the area.
“There has been a lot of collaboration to improve the landscape across the state line to recreate 160,000 acres of rolling hills of grass with few trees,” Shepherd said. “This partnership benefits not only the prairie chicken, but other grassland species as well.”
This year, in addition to prairie-chicken viewing, the Iowa Ornithologist's Union will lead a birding field trip, starting at 8 a.m. All birding experience levels are welcome and the plan will be to bird around Kellerton, Ringgold and Mount Ayr wildlife areas. Target birds include northern bobwhite, red-shouldered hawk, loggerhead shrike and northern mockingbird. Participants can meet field trip leaders at the prairie chicken viewing platform area at 8 a.m. and can direct any questions to Dennis Thompson at cndthomps@gmail.com.
Channel catfish move close to shore and are eager to bite in many lakes and the large reservoirs across Iowa just after the ice is gone. The bite starts sooner in southern Iowa impoundments since they lose ice a week or two before northwest Iowa natural lakes.
After eating light during the winter, channel catfish put the feed bag on in early spring cleaning up small fish that died over the winter. Search for actively feeding fish on windblown shorelines and points where dead fish are piled up and the shallow water warms quickly. Keep the wind in your face and move often until you find actively feeding fish.
Use cut bait or shad sides fished on the bottom. To keep the bait on the hook, try using a 1/0 to 3/0 bait holder hook and enough weight (3/8- to 1/2-ounce) to cast into the wind. Bring along disposable latex gloves to handle the bait and help keep the smell off your hands.
Ice-out catfishing can be good in any lake that has an abundant catfish population. Iowa’s flood control reservoirs, Rathbun, Red Rock, Coralville and Saylorville usually offer the best action. Try catfishing in the natural lakes, like Storm Lake, North Twin, Tuttle, East Okoboji, Little Wall Lake, or Black Hawk Lake in northwest Iowa soon after the ice is gone. Small impoundments, like Don Williams, Big Creek, Volga Lake, Diamond Lake, Mormon Trail Lake, Greenfield City Reservoir, or Lake Icaria, also offer good early spring catfishing.
Catfish can be found in almost every body of water across Iowa. Check the weekly fishing report to find out where catfish are biting.
Media Contact: Bryan Hayes, Fisheries Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-769-2587.
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