Questions, First Time Hunting Iowa

dgrunloh

New member
My nephew has a new job just outside of Davenport, and we are wanting to make a hunting trip to Iowa. Can anybody recommend a region to get us started? We are not afraid to put the miles on the truck or the boots to find birds. Is it best to wait until after shotgun deer season or can I find public ground to hunt on early season?

Thanks for all the help.
 
Can't attest to Iowa hunting these day's as it's been very poor for several years.

Back in the day...Carroll to Atlantic and areas in between were good hunting. This is back in the 70's and early 80's.

Suggest waiting for the DNR Bird survey and make plans based on population; of course others will make decisions based on these surveys, so you will have lots of company.

South Dakota publishes a hunter harvest...perhaps Iowa does likewise. This could give you an idea how the 2017 season went and what areas produced.

They also publish chick roadside counts in August that could be helpful...

Good Luck!
 
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Definitely head west, as you’re on the far eastern side of the state, where bird numbers are lower. Anywhere west of I-35 and north of I-80 should produce birds.
 
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