Any Iowa hunters? Have a few questions...

warpig602

warpig602

Active member
My company is moving me from Phoenix to Cedar Rapids at the end of the month and after reading the DNR regulations im more confused than when I started. Was hoping someone can give me a brief overview of deer and varmint hunting. Specifically, the different deer seasons(seems like you guys have about 5 or 6!) lawful taking methods(look like shotgun or archery mainly :/) what type of endorsements would I need on my hunting permit? Can I get a resident permit immediately or do I have to wait 6 months like some places? IS there a draw system or are Deer tags just bought over the counter? Thanks for any and all help.
 
I dont live in Iowa, but I wish I did! From my understanding I think they have maybe two weeks of shotgun season and the rest is bow only. Now like I said I dont live there so someone please correct me if im wrong. If you need a nice bow setup let me know!
 
Welcome!

I think I can condense the DNR legalese for you a little.

You need a general hunting license (~$25) and a resident bow (~$25) and/or muzzleloader (~$25) and/or shotgun tag (~$25) to hunt deer. Rifles are only legal in southern Iowa and for antlerless only. There is no drawing for residents and you can buy tags over the counter at Walmart or online. You need a hunter education certificate. I don't know that there's any wait period though as long as you can prove you are a resident. Getting a Iowa driver's license would help greatly.

You can only get 1 any-sex license per year. So for instance last year I did early muzzleloader as my buck tag. I could only buy a doe tag for shotgun season then. You can buy as many doe tags as you want until they run out. Certain handguns are legal during the two shotgun seasons. Shotgun means shooting slugs from a bird barrel or rifled barrel. Baiting is not allowed. A lot of folks party hunt during shotgun season but stand hunting works too.

As far as varmints: coyote has a continuous open season. Red fox are making a comeback but they're only legal in the winter. There are groundhogs but I've found it tough to find them.

You might check out iowasportsman.com. They have a lot of info there and they have a list of the hunting seasons.
 
I went to a hunt(coon)in Albia Iowa back in 1990.

My only memories was hearing alot of Yotes and meeting some of the nicest people.

Seems like a great place to move.

Best of luck.
 
Originally Posted By: mearle

You can only get 1 any-sex license per year.


Good info mearle, but this one needs to be clarified a little better. You can only shoot one buck per year with a gun, regardless of choice, but you can also shoot one during archery season as well.

Warpig, I am sure you will like Cedar Rapids compared to Phoenix, unless you are really into huge cities and hot weather!

You will find the coyote hunting in Iowa to be much tougher than in Arizona, but I bet you will enjoy hunting them in the snow. Red fox are an option as well in much of the state. Cedar Rapids is in a pretty flat part of the state and the land is broken into mostly mile by mile sections. It will take some getting used to if you're used to hunting large public areas, thats for sure.

Getting deer hunting permission will be your challenge. Not much in the way of good public land hunting in Iowa, so start working your new co-workers for a place to go as soon as you figure out the ones you would like to hunt with.

If you end up having to hunt public land, I would recommend the early muzzleloader season as a way to avoid the orange army crowds, but you may not be here in time to get one before the tags run out, as these tags sell out relatively fast. Shotgun tags can be bought over the counter the day before the season if you like.

Permission to hunt places should be your first hunting priority. Who knows, you may find that you really enjoy hunting ducks, geese, squirrels, pheasants, coon, etc... I reckon those weren't options in Arizona.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your time in Iowa!

Brian
 
Welcome to Iowa! Your about a stones throw away. The advice above is spot on. If I were in your shoes, my priorites would be
1.)Find some buddies with access to private ground
2.)Buy a bow and take up bow-hunting, Iowa caters to bowhunters hard-core
3.)Get an accurate muzzleloader and consider early or late muzzleloading season, I use mine for shotgun as well as it's deadly out to 200 yards

Good luck!
 
As for the "hunter education certificate". That is only required if you were born after a certain year. Sorry I don't recall what year that is either? IDNR could tell you for sure.

For a [resident license] you need to be an actual resident of Iowa. As in, living here. Otherwise you would be non-resident status.

As for hunting fox or coyote. Best I can advise is go out & meet the farmers face to face. Most are receptive to coyote hunters. However a [few] farmers like seeing & having the fox around.
 
Welcome to Iowa, plenty of public hunting through out the counties. Make sure you grab an Iowa Sportsman Atlas, comes in handy for public hunting and other things!

And hunting coyotes here is going to be even more a challenge then AZ, good luck to ya!
 
Thanks for all the replies. Look like I have my work cut out for me. I am indeed looking forward to duck and racoon hunting. Also seems like I will have to invest in some differetn camo as Brown jjsty wont cut it all year out here.
 


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