September is just getting started, and so have several small game hunting seasons.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer for Guthrie County Jeremy King says that on September 1st, two hunting seasons opened up for residents to enjoy. He explains that one season is for doves, and gives the tip to watch bodies of water in the evening to try and find some, as they’ll be preparing to go to sleep for the night. King tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the second season that opened earlier corresponds with waterfowl.

“Teal season started September 1st and runs through the 16th of September. And that is for blue wing and green wing teal, and cinnamon. We typically don’t see cinnamon teal here in the state of Iowa, but that’s another opportunity for people to kind of get out there.”

King advises that hunting hours for teal begin at sunrise, and continue throughout the day to sunset. He mentions that usually for waterfowl, hunting hours start half an hour before sunrise, but since this season is just for teal, the require the later start time to help hunters be better able to identify the birds.

King says that on September 2nd, hunting seasons for rabbits, squirrels, snipes and rails opened up, although squirrels are the most hunted at this time out of that group. He adds that many hunters like to wait until the first or second frost before trying to hunt rabbits, as they become easier to find, and that snipe and rail are fairly uncommon, stating that in the last 20 years, he’s only seen rail harvested a handful of times.