Iowa’s Spring Turkey Seasons Begin April 10

               Preseason Scouting Can Pave The Road to Hunter Success

Iowa’s five-part spring turkey seasons begin April 10 with a special, two-day youth hunt.  The final segment of this year’s four-part regular season concludes May 17.   

With local woodlands already rocking with the staccato rattle of fired up spring gobblers, it’s no wonder that turkey hunting enthusiasts are currently pacing the floor in anticipation.  The sight and sound of a loud-mouthed, wing draggin’, tail fanned gobbler strutting in to the sound of your call, is one the outdoors most exhilarating moments.  It’s unfortunate that most hunters will not experience that thrill.  Depending on the year, only one in four or one in five enthusiasts will succeed in bring home a wild turkey. 

I’ve learned over time that preseason scouting can give a turkey hunter a significant boost on the road to success.  Although wild turkey flocks are nonmigratory, they are highly mobile.    Individual flocks may exhibit dramatic shifts in habitat use from year to year.  Timbers where turkeys were found in abundance last spring may have few or no turkeys this year and vise versa.    Having the most up to date intel on the gobblers you plan to hunt is priceless.

During recent years, preseason scouting has gained even greater importance as Iowa turkey populations have shifted and, in some cases, have shown mysterious declines – especially in the extreme southern portions of the state.    But overall, Iowa turkey populations remain abundant and widespread, and the state’s woodlands continue to provide some of the nation’s finest turkey hunting.   

During the 2025 spring seasons, the IDNR issued more than 50,000 turkey hunting licenses [many hunters purchase a second tag] and hunters harvested a total of 15,350 birds – well above the national hunter success average and a notable increase over Iowa’s average harvest of 12,500 spring turkeys.