August Iowa DNR News

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NONRESIDENTS CAN STILL PURCHASE DEER LICENSES

DES MOINES – Nonresidents can still purchase antlerless-only deer licenses by calling 1-800-367-1188. The any sex nonresident deer license drawing is complete but a handful of licenses are still available. The nonresident licenses are available on a first come, first served basis until the quota is filled or the last day of the season, whichever comes first.

DNR OFFERS MANY NEW EXHIBITS AT THE STATE FAIR

DES MOINES – Visitors to the DNR building at the Iowa State Fair will notice a number of new features this year including a new outdoor amphitheater where the DNR will be hosting a variety of outdoor programs, and a converted semi-trailer featuring interactive energy and waste management exhibits.

"It’s almost like a new DNR building," said Ross Harrison, chief of the DNR’s communications bureau. "There is a lot of exciting new features added to what traditionally has been our big draw – the fish tanks, the duck pond and the law enforcement booth."

The first thing people will notice are all the maps hanging from the ceiling. The maps show land use in Iowa, sites where waste tires have been removed, where the DNR has completed lake restoration projects, and where the DNR has tested deer for tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. There is also a map showing all the watersheds in the state.

The Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program is featured on the west side of the fish tanks. The display shows what types of projects receive REAP funding and where the money is spent.

The state parks booth at the back of the building showcases the 18 state parks included in the Explore Iowa Parks promotion. Visitors to the state parks booth area can also vote for their favorite park.

State forestry experts will be available each day at the southeast corner of the building to discuss growing trees and Iowa’s state forests.

As always, the booth at the front of the DNR building will offer the Iowa Conservationist magazine for sale. A special state fair offer is a one-year subscription for $6.

The DNR building is near the Grand Avenue entrance and open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during the fair.

 

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Become a "Woman of the Wild"

GUTHRIE CENTER - Time is running out for women to answer their "call of the wild" by participating in the 9th annual Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop Sept. 6-8. The workshop is aimed primarily at women, but is an opportunity for anyone 18 years or older to learn outdoor skills usually associated with hunting and fishing, but useful for many outdoor pursuits. The workshop is held at Springbrook Conservation Education Center in Guthrie County.

"There is still a good selection of classes open for this year’s workshop," said Julie Sparks, DNR Becoming an Outdoors-Woman coordinator. "We have a wonderful group of instructors, our class sizes are kept small and the setting at Springbrook is beautiful, particularly in the fall. The BOW workshop is an excellent opportunity for women to try a wide variety of activities they may never have had the chance to experience."

Workshop topics include basic fishing, muzzleloading, fly fishing, birdwatching, archery, nature photography, beginning shotgun shooting, basic motor boat skills, orienteering and map reading, canoeing, camping, Dutch oven cooking, dog handling, backpacking and much more. The cost is $135 and covers food, lodging and materials for the weekend workshop. The registration fee will go to $165 after Aug. 23.

Brochures and registration forms for this year’s workshop are available by contacting Julie Sparks, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, Iowa DNR, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0034; phone 515-281-6159 or email at [email protected].

 

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HUNTERS ENCOURAGED TO BRUSH UP ON SKILLS, SAFETY

DES MOINES – Iowa hunting seasons are just around the corner and now is the time when hunters should be working on their shooting skills and brushing up on hunting safety.

"Opening day should not be the first day for hunters to pick up their gun," said Rod Slings, recreational safety program supervisor for the DNR. "Hunters should get out before the seasons start and work with their gun, practice shooting at clay targets, check over the gear, make sure the gun is in good working condition and brush up on safety skills."

Slings said the majority of hunting related accidents each year occur during the first week of pheasant season.

"Hunters think they can just pick up where they left off from last year and that isn’t the case," Slings said. "Get out the safety information and review it. If not for your sake, for the sake of those you’re hunting with – your friends and family."

Hunters have about two weeks until rabbit and squirrel season begins Sept. 1. Other seasons open throughout the fall including the big one – pheasant season – on Oct. 26.

"Wearing blaze orange is not required for hunting upland game, but we encourage it because it makes good safety sense. You want to be seen out there," he said.

Information on hunting safely is covered in the hunter education courses offered all across Iowa. Anyone born after Jan. 1, 1967 is required to have successfully completed a hunter education course to buy a hunting license in Iowa.

"I get calls every year from people wanting to take a hunter education course late in the season. November is not the time to think about taking a hunter education class – that time is now," Slings said.

The courses last 10 hours and are taught by volunteers. Students can expect to learn firearm safety, hunter responsibility, wildlife identification, game care and wildlife conservation and management.

For information on hunter education classes, call the local county conservation board or conservation officer. A complete listing of places and dates are on the DNR’s website at www.state.ia.us/dnr. Click on the fish and wildlife link, then on law enforcement and recreation safety, then click on recreation safety/education programs and finally on 2002 Hunter Safety Programs. The classes are listed alphabetically by county.

 

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Hunting and Conservation Camp

By Joe Wilkinson
DNR Information Specialist

Kyle Dawson wants to give turkey hunting a try. Mark Bickal knows how hard it can be to train a dog. As summer ends and they head back to school, they have also learned about bird banding, muzzle loading rifles, archery and what can be seen and heard on an Iowa prairie after dark.

For them, summer camp didn’t involve sitting around the campfire, weaving lanyards. Among the 150+ boys at two Hunting and Conservation Camp sessions, they picked up outdoor skills ranging from nighttime sights and sounds to cleaning game. "My favorite was probably muzzle loading," recalls Dawson, of Clarence. "I had never shot one before. We learned how to load it; how much powder to put in; the different types of balls they take (and) I did pretty good shooting at the target."

The purpose is to offer outdoor skills to boys; aged 12 through 15. It is similar to ‘Outdoor Journey’, in which girls of the same age learn more about outdoor activities and careers in natural resources. "We keep it fun and educational; pretty much from seven in the morning until ten at night," says training officer A. J. Winter. Pheasants Forever chapters from across Iowa pay the $75/session cost for each boy. Many of the presenters and chaperones at the three-day camp are volunteers.

Some of the boys come into the camp with limited outdoor exposure. Others hunt and fish with parents and other family members. But each camper comes away with fresh skills and a desire to try something new. "I kind of want to try turkey hunting, now," admits Bickal, from Marengo. "Trapping was interesting, too. I knew a little about it. The whole camp was pretty good."

The wide range of activities means that even kids with years of experience in the field will run into unfamiliar territory. In bird banding, presenters Anne Riordan and Angie Reiter had the boys out of their seats, studying various mounted birds, looking for distinguishing characteristics. A mist net outside the picture window yielded live specimen. Adam Gerhrts, from Aurelia, was the first to identify the ‘mystery bird’ as a female American goldfinch, before it was fitted with a tiny aluminum band and released, outside.

With three Labrador retrievers, Dave Sedivec of New Hampton had the closest thing to a circus act. They mostly held tight on his one, two or multi-whistle commands and hand signals, though occasionally the crowd and confusion would distract one from the task at hand. The kids learned how a well-trained dog spells success in the marsh or field, when other hunters are frustrated at not seeing or finding birds. "That was probably the hardest," admitted Bickal. "There are a lot of different things you do to get them to sit, stay and come. It went well (for him) until the dogs tried to bring back a (retrieving) dummy."

Getting the kids out of the classrooms and into the prairie, the shooting range or the ponds edge is the whole point. "Kids don’t want to hear a lecture," stresses Winter. "We want them doing things. That’s the whole attraction; having fun while they do it. In the turkey hunting segment, for instance, if they want to pick up a box call or a slate call and try it, they do it."

Winter says the shooting sessions are usually the most popular; with the chance to handle muzzleloaders, often for the first time or to break clay targets on the shotgun range. "I learned how much easier it is to hit your target when you leave both eyes open," acknowledged Bickal. "I had never done (clay target shooting) before; not knowing where it was going to pop up or where it was going to go. I caught on fairly early, though."

 

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WEST NILE VIRUS POSES CONTINUING THREAT TO IOWA WILDLIFE

By Lowell Washburn, DNR

DES MOINES-- Because of the West Nile virus' link to wild birds, the National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI has played a crucial role in mapping the spread of the disease. So far, the numbers and species of infected birds continue to escalate. West Nile virus has been documented in more than 80 bird species in more than 20 states.

Susceptibility may vary widely among species. In American crows and blue jays, mortality from West Nile virus appears high. Certain raptors such as eagles, kestrels, and red-tailed hawks also exhibit high vulnerability. In Ohio, more than 125 owls were collected during a seven-day period. In Iowa, DNR conservation officers are currently fielding an abnormally large number of reports regarding dead or dying raptors. Most calls involve kestrels, red-tailed hawks, and owls.

In extreme northern Iowa, there have been reports of more limited die-offs involving giant Canada geese and mallard ducks. Unfortunately, no viable samples of dead waterfowl have been obtained for testing. However, in northwest Iowa's Dickinson County, 6 wild geese from a captive collection succumbed to West Nile virus earlier this month.

In other states, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, ring-necked pheasants, and swans have tested positive for the virus.

"Right now, the public interest in West Nile virus is simply overwhelming," said Dr. Kathryn Converse, spokesperson for the National Wildlife Health Center.

"Two of the basic concerns are -- is it safe for hunters to eat wild game birds, and how is West Nile virus going to affect populations of wild birds. Unfortunately, we don't have the definitive answer to either of those questions.

"What we do know is that things like heat and light destroy virus. As far as hunters are concerned, it's certainly O.K. to eat cooked wild game. However, I do suggest that hunters wear [rubber] gloves when cleaning that game. Preventing bone punctures or protecting open cuts is just good common sense. We still don't know how a lot of bird species are reacting to this virus. Until we do, we are being 'overly cautious' when it comes to handling birds.

"In reality, the probability of a hunter bagging an infected bird is extremely low. Sick birds tend to isolate themselves and are usually not seen. Bagged birds generally represent the healthy segment of a population. The greatest health risk to humans is the mosquito. Hunters should be far less concerned about handling bagged birds than with having good mosquito protection," said Converse.

One of the fundamental problems, says Converse, is that the spread of West Nile virus is occurring so rapidly that health workers are having trouble "just keeping their heads above water." Last week, the National Health Center received over 1,000 dead birds for testing. Some doctors fielded up to 200 West Nile telephone calls per day.

At this point, wild birds are mainly being viewed by health agencies as "sentinels for human risk." And although WNV is currently regarded as a significant wildlife health risk, it may be years before those risks are seriously assessed.

"Right now, the emphasis is being placed on humans and horses," said Converse. "When you have outbreaks or people dealing with human cases, it's pretty hard to generate interest for things like wild turkeys or geese. There is some concern for endangered species such as whooping cranes, and I think research will eventually come but it's going to be a while. Right now, for every question we can answer concerning West Nile virus, three more seem to pop up."

While most of the high number of human infections are coming from the southern U.S., Illinois, has documented 26 human cases so far this year. In Iowa, there has been one documented human case, and around two dozen cases of infected horses.

Although no one can say how the spread of West Nile virus will effect future bird populations, some scientists speculate that Midwestern states are currently experiencing the 'Big Wave' and that future outbreaks will have reduced impacts.

"What we're all really hoping is that this thing will burn itself out, and that we'll be dealing with a very different set of circumstances in the future," said Converse. "Right now we are dealing with a virus that is in a new country and is infecting a whole new set of bird species. Dramatic outbreaks are what we would expect to be happening. I think the good news is that we aren't seeing any clustering or massive die-offs in one spot. Although a lot of birds are dying, they seem to be random -- one here and one there. In the future, we're hoping the outbreaks become more regional or will occur in isolated pockets. For now, we'll just have to wait and see," said Converse.

"Of course, in the meantime, hunters still want to know if it's 'safe' to be out there, and birders ask if they should stop feeding birds," she added. "At this point, I don't see a reason to discontinue either of those activities."