It’s that time of year again.  Iowa’s Baby Bird & Bunny season is officially underway.  For me, each new sighting of a brand new, spindly-legged fawn; brood of Canada geese or fledgling robin is cause for celebration – a vivid portrayal of the annual renewal of life.  White-tailed fawn – An hours’ old, white-tailed fawn becomes
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Hunting wild turkeys with primitive [handmade] archery equipment is one of my favorite outdoor pastimes.  It is also the most challenging.  For me, no other pursuit of fish or game is more difficult than bagging a gobbler with bow and arrow.  This year was no exception.  Moving into the final segment of the spring season,
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The latter half of May is a time that no Iowa birding enthusiast would willingly choose to miss.  The annual spring migration is moving forward at full throttle and bird numbers are approaching their peak.      After spending the winter months in the sun-drenched habitats of the Caribbean, Central America and South America, millions of neotropical
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Blue-winged Teal Steal the Show During Spring Migration For Iowa wildlife enthusiasts, the spring waterfowl migration represents a major highlight of the annual outdoor calendar.  Bedecked in their finest nuptial plumage, the birds are never more beautiful than as they head north to ancestral nesting grounds.  No matter how many times you may observe the spring
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       Youth Turkey Hunt Provides Lifetime Memories The first of Iowa’s five-part spring turkey seasons opened Friday, April 7, with the annual mentored youth hunt.  My son Matt had some work activities scheduled [bad for him] which opened the opportunity for Grandad [good for me] to act as a substitute mentor for my nine-year-old granddaughter, Riley. Riley
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Luring flocks of wild ducks and geese into a well-placed spread of decoys – or at least making the attempt -- is one of my favorite outdoor pastimes.  Doesn’t really matter if it’s spring or fall; or whether I’m armed with a digital camera or loaded shotgun.  It’s being there that counts.  For me, there
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With its four-foot height, six-foot wingspan, ear piercing call, and penetrating stare; the crimson-capped sandhill crane is about as charismatic as a wild bird can get.  During spring courtship, crane pairs conduct flamboyant rituals with birds engaging in unison calling while simultaneously conducting graceful wing extensions before leaping into the air in a dramatic and
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The first of Iowa’s five-part 2023 Spring Turkey hunting seasons begins with a special three-day mentored youth hunt running April 7 – 9.  The youth turkey hunt is followed on April 10 with the opening of the first of four regular spring seasons.  The spring turkey season’s fourth and final segment concludes on May 14. 
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In case you haven’t heard, we’re sitting smack in the path of a fast moving, widespread spring blizzard.  Scheduled to arrive any day now, the event will far exceed anything the mid-west has witnessed so far this season.  But don’t reach for your shovel just yet.  You’ll be glad to learn that this storm doesn’t
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The first of the 2023 Iowa deer seasons is up and running.  Differing from all other deer seasons, the current hunt has no beginning or closing dates, no shooting hours, and doesn’t involve the use of bows or guns.  The activity is known as Shed Hunting.  Simply defined, shed hunting is the art of seeking
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This year’s pheasant season closed on January 10.  Although gone, the past season is certainly not forgotten.  For many -- and perhaps the majority -- of Iowa’s 64,000 pheasant hunting enthusiasts, this year’s success was the best in recent years.  Although roosters were plentiful across much of the state, nowhere did hunters encounter greater ringneck
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For many Iowans, late season snowfalls and frigid winds make it seem as if winter will never end.  But in reality, the impending change of season could be just around the corner.  Temperatures will eventually rise and ponds and marshes will become ice free.  When that happens, the Iowa landscape will suddenly erupt in spring
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