Outdoors

Walleyes will respond to a number of different lure types under the ice, but they especially like to eat spoons. There are a bunch of different types of spoons available to walleye anglers. Although they may look similar, there are some differences, and there are a few things you should consider when you’re deciding what spoon to tie onto the end of your line. Here are some of those considerations.

The first of many test results for per- and polyflyouroalkyl chemicals are expected to start coming in soon. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances include a large group of humanmade chemicals that have been used for decades. The DNR began sampling for these chemicals in October as part of a comprehensive plan to better understand PFAS levels in Iowa’s drinking water. The DNR focused on public drinking water supplies because drinking water is the primary path for people to be exposed to PFAS.

Information is reported to the Turn in Poachers system all year long, with a noticeable increase from September to January as part of the fall and winter hunting seasons. Regardless of the time of year or day of the week, the most important factor for the public in using the TIP system is timeliness.

The long wait is almost over. For an expected 55,000 to 60,000 deer hunters, the shotgun 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...

Hurry, hurry, hurry … there is no doubt that our lives today are busier than ever, and no matter what we do we seem to always be in a hurry. Even in our fishing and hunting, when we should be taking the time to “smell the roses,” we always seem to be in a hurry. When it comes to hunting pheasants, however, being in a hurry is probably the worst thing we can do. I encourage us to all slow down.

Information is reported to the Turn in Poachers system all year long, with a noticeable increase from September to January as part of the fall and winter hunting seasons. Regardless of the time of year or day of the week, the most important factor for the public in using the TIP system is timeliness. “Our officers work odd hours and weekends so if you wait until Monday to report what happened over the weekend, the evidence can be gone or destroyed and the poacher is nowhere to be found,” said Matt Burner, district supervisor with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau for north-central Iowa.

How quickly time flies, especially at my age! This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, and I think that the word thanksgiving says it all. I hope that you are able to spend meaningful time with family and friends. For generations, Thanksgiving has been a national holiday that celebrates the harvest and other blessings over the course of that year...

The first of Iowa’s two shotgun deer seasons begins Dec. 4, when an expected 55,000 to 60,000 blaze orange-clad hunters head to the timber for the annual late fall tradition. The good news is that Iowa’s deer population is similar to last year statewide, and is continuing its slow upward trend in north-central and northwest Iowa that has been the goal of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources since 2014.

There was a cover of white on the ground this morning. Having seen several decades of first snows, I didn’t need to be reminded that winter is getting closer by the day. The snow was gone by noon, but it was a wakeup call to get my stuff ready to go ice fishing. Here’s what I do to prepare for ice fishing. First, and most importantly, do all you can to verify that the ice is safe. If there’s already someone out there, that doesn’t mean that the ice is safe. If there are a bunch of people out there and some four-wheelers, you’re probably OK. If someone drove their pickup on the ice, go for it. However, if you’re not sure, you shouldn’t go out. But if you do decide to give it a shot, drill holes as you go to measure ice depth.

In the movie “Field of Dreams,” a famous line is often quoted: “Build it, and he will come.” Toward the end of the movie, actor James Earl Jones (Terrence Mann) says to Kevin Costner (Ray Kinsella) as he encourages Costner to build the Field of Dreams with an outfield “fence” of an Iowa cornfield, “Ray, people will come, Ray!” The movie has become so famous that the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox met this past summer for a major league game commemorating that movie...

“Backyard burning” of common household trash and garbage emits substantial amounts of poisons and toxins into our environment. The smoke is a known health and environmental hazard. EPA emission tests show one burn barrel emits up to 80 times more pollution and up to 11 times the dioxin per pound of garbage burned than a municipal waste incinerator that serves tens of thousands of homes. Residential trash burning is now the nation’s largest source of dioxin emissions.

Lizard Lake Wildlife Management Area in Pocahontas County has received a massive facelift over the past 10 years, turning what was once a shallow lake full of rough fish that suffered from severely degraded water quality to a healthy functioning ecosystem with some of the best water quality in the state. This process of change is slated to continue this fall when the trees that surround the northern fringe of Lizard Lake will be removed.

For many people across the Midwest who like to fish, we’re in that “in-between” season. Although open water fishing can still be very good, many anglers don’t participate in it. And there’s no ice, or no safe ice yet, so we’re in between our fishing seasons. During this in between season, I like to try to plan my first ice fishing trip of the year. Here’s what I’m thinking for this year.

For this angler, unless an unexpected fishing opportunity presents itself, the open water season for 2021 is over. From personal experiences and conversations with other anglers, it was another very good fishing season. Fishing in many places continues to improve, for several reasons: • Due to aggressive fisheries management ― in many bodies of water there are more fish and bigger fish;

This October ranked as one of the top 10 wettest Octobers on record, with rainfall significantly improving drought conditions, according to the latest Water Summary Update. Iowa received nearly 5 inches of rain in October, almost double the normal rainfall for the month. The U.S. Drought Monitor has eliminated the Severe Drought rating from the state for the first time since July 2020.

One of the enjoyable fishing experiences I have in the fall, winter and spring is to travel over to Scharnberg Pond southeast of Everly to catch rainbow trout. Scharnberg is part of the Iowa DNR’s urban trout stocking program held in the fall and again later in the winter. A total of 18 community trout stocking locations are part of the trout stockings. Anywhere between 1,000 to 2,000 trout are stocked at each stocking.

When you catch a walleye in Iowa, there’s a good chance that the fish got its start in one of Iowa’s walleye hatcheries. Since walleye often don’t reproduce naturally in the state’s inland rivers and lakes, their populations must be maintained through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' stocking program. The hundreds of millions of eggs needed annually to keep populations healthy are predominantly collected from wild broodstock populations in Big Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes, Storm Lake and Clear Lake.

The ice fishing season gets closer every day. Many of us are going through our ice fishing equipment to see what we need or want to go fishing through the ice when the ice returns. I was looking at my ice rods and realized there were a couple of actions that needed to be added to my arsenal...

It’s not too late to plant some varieties of shade trees before winter sets in. Fall is an ideal time to plant new trees with mild temperatures and adequate ground moisture. “Properly planted trees will have a better opportunity for a long healthy life,” said Mark Vitosh, district forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources...

Tree stand incidents can happen to deer hunters regardless of skill level or experience and result in serious injury or even death. Unfortunately, in nearly every case, these incidents were preventable. To help prevent injuries, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with Tree Stand Safety Awareness, is encouraging hunters to practice the ABCDs of tree stand safety:...

They are bigger than better than ever … the Midwest’s November/December ice fishing expos. After a year in which the pandemic disrupted so many things across the country, they’re back, starting with the Dakota Angler Ice Institute Friday through Sunday, Nov. 12-14, and the St. Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show presented by CLAM on Friday, Dec. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 5...

State wildlife experts are on the lookout for a new virus impacting native rabbit and hare populations. Following an initial outbreak in New Mexico in March 2020, the virus causing rabbit hemorrhagic disease is considered stable-endemic in Arizona, Colorado, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wyoming...

The autumn season offers many outdoor activities. Some folks like to go hunting, and others know that ice-fishing is not far away. But there are some, probably more than you would think, that look forward to this time of year for open water fishing. They know that right now, in rivers throughout the Midwest, there are lots of opportunities to catch walleyes.

The Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club will be holding its annual fall DNR night on Thursday, Nov. 11, at Oak Hill Outdoor (2188 Highway 86 in Milford). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The main focus of the evening will be presentations by local Department of Natural Resources personnel on law enforcement updates, area projects and also a special presentation/discussion on the proposed changes to the walleye slot limit on the Iowa Great Lakes.

SPIRIT LAKE — Access to the Hales Slough boat ramp area on Big Spirit Lake will be closed to all uses beginning Oct. 25 as part of the ongoing Anglers Bay shoreline and associated oak savanna restoration effort to benefit the highly diverse aquatic terrestrial plant beds present near shore.

Here we are moving toward the first week of November and just getting into the pheasant season, and we already have ice anglers getting excited for their season on the ice. With this anticipation comes all kinds of ice fishing expos. Here in the Iowa Great Lakes area, we have three different ice fishing expo opportunities. ...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, through a grant with the U.S. Forest Service, has been awarding communities in counties that have confirmed emerald ash borer infestations up to 200 free seedlings from the Iowa DNR’s State Forest Nursery. Seedlings have been awarded to more than 200 Iowa communities since spring of 2019...

There is a lot of hype about the Oct. 30 pheasant opener, but to me, there’s an even more important one set for the weekend of Oct. 23-24. That’s the residents-only youth pheasant season. These youngsters are the future of hunting in the state of Iowa, and it behooves adult hunters and organizations such as Pheasants Forever to give youngsters a positive introduction to hunting in Iowa. ...

I was going to go fishing today, but the weather is blustery and the forecast is for it to remain blustery. A few years ago blustery weather wouldn’t have stopped me, but today, I am going to stay home. The current weather conditions remind me of a similar day a few years ago when the weather wasn’t so nice, but we went fishing anyway. ...

A couple of weeks ago, my weekly column analyzed the results of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ annual August roadside count. The bottom line: The northern part of the Hawkeye State’s pheasant forecast shows a positive hunting forecast.