While many forms of entertainment and recreation are cancelled due to COVID-19, hunting and fishing regulations remain the same.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeremy King says no changes are planned to the state’s fishing and hunting regulations due to COVID-19. King says he’s had several people ask him recently whether fishing or hunting license expirations would be waived similar to drivers licenses and registration, but he affirms all regulations and prices remain the same to ensure the long-term sustainability of wildlife populations. He explains how his job of law enforcement has modified, “Now we’re being smart and not putting ourselves in high-risk scenarios, where I’m not walking down a bank and checking 30 fishermen and grabbing everybody’s licenses and looking at them going ‘Next person,’ where I could possibly infect myself or other people unknowingly. We’ve changed our patrol techniques, people are still out there, we’re still working, we’re still more than willing to write tickets for people violating the law.”

As many public offices and businesses are closed at this time, King reminds anglers and hunters that they can apply for licenses, purchase habitat fees and game tags, and more with the “Go Outdoors IA” mobile app from the DNR.