Not All Wildlife Encounters End in Warm Fuzzies  Nothing compares to a day spent in the great out-of-doors. Depending on individual interests, outdoor fun may include hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, biking or birding. The list is virtually endless. But hidden among all that outdoor fun are potential dangers; many of which may take us by complete
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  The Fourth of July parades and picnics may be past; but for this North Iowa gobbler the celebration continues.  In spite of the calendar date and return of mid-summer heat, I spotted this gobbler proudly strutting his stuff in a Cerro Gordo County hay field.  Assuming he began displaying [like most gobblers did] sometime in
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  GOOSE RODEO AIDS IN WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT VENTURA -- The trap was set. The noose was tightening. With canoes, kayak, and DNR patrol boat drawing ever closer; the retreating goose flock had little chance for escape. With adult geese rendered temporarily flightless by the summer molt and this year's crop of youngsters not yet capable of taking
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Moving from one home to another is never an easy task, especially if you’re a mother with eight growing kids to look after. That’s the Moving Day scene that unfolded when I caught a glimpse of a female opossum busily engaged in relocating her youngsters from their den in Clear Lake’s McIntosh Woods State Park
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  Iowa turkey hunters harvested 12,173 gobblers during this year’s five-part spring hunting season which ended May 22. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the harvest represents the largest number of spring turkeys bagged since hunters were first required to report their harvest beginning in 2007. Nearly 51,000 licenses were issued for the 2016
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                The spring migration of blue-winged teal through Iowa is one of my favorite outdoor events.  Teal are rarely at rest during spring migration; courtship flights occur from dawn to dusk as hens lead parties of colorful drakes in dramatic low level, high speed chases that twist and turn across the marsh.  Whenever flocks touch down the show
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  A nearly impenetrable fortress of mature oak, wild grape, and dense gooseberry has helped to keep Bill’s pond a well-kept secret. Small but mighty, the shallow wetland is barely twenty yards in width and is well punctuated with a mix of emerging sedges, river bulrush, and floating duckweed. For nesting wood ducks, Bill’s pond is
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  Although the peak of this year's morel mushroom crop is past, the hunt is not over.  A mix of generally favorable temperatures and ample moisture is sustaining the harvest for hunters scouring the peaks and valleys of Iowa's Upper Mississippi River bluff country.  While turkey hunting in Clayton County this week, I've managed to stumble into enough fresh 'shrooms for some
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  Biologists, duck hunters, birders, and wildlife enthusiasts in general have long debated the question of whether or not drake wood ducks enter nesting cavities as pairs prospect for potential nest sites. Some say it occurs frequently, others say rarely, while still others claim it never happens at all. I know for sure that we can throw
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  The possibility of hearing and seeing wild turkeys is one of the best excuses I know for making predawn visits to the spring woodlands.  If you happen to carrying a valid turkey tag, well then so much the better.  The daily shows begin at the first hint of light as eager gobblers sound off from the roost.  As the chorus
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  By the time sun appeared on the eastern horizon, I had counted a total of 15 trumpeter swans sitting in an open area of the marsh. It was the largest number of trumpeters I’ve ever seen there, a vivid reminder of the ongoing success of Iowa’s swan recovery. With snow white plumage, weights exceeding 30 pounds,
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  Spring has arrived; and beautiful yellow dandelions are beginning to bloom. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the event. For friends that I categorize as ultra-urbanized lawn care fanatics, the annual appearance of the yellow flowers is anything but welcome. Some acquaintances even go so far as to intentionally poison the colorful plants. But for
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