Another hunting season opens this weekend in Iowa. 

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, furbearer hunting and trapping is from November 4th through February 28th. Furbearing animals that can be hunted or trapped include possums, badgers, skunks, and foxes. Other animals that can be trapped include muskrats, and minks, while bobcats can be hunted. Coyotes and raccoons can be hunted or trapped all year. 

DNR Conservation Officer Dustin Emighy talks about one change that the Iowa Legislature made with respect to these seasons.

“It pretty much got extended by another month. So most of them will go to February 28th of 2024, which before it was typically towards the end of January when those closed. We’ve kind of added another extra month for those furbearer sportsmen out there.” 

As for public hunting areas in western Dallas County, Emighy urges hunters to use the DNR Hunting Atlas. 

“And they can pull that hunting atlas up or the fishing atlas and it shows all of the public ground, county ground, federal ground that is listed for public ground (that’s) open to the public. The greatest thing about that feature is you can click on a specific area and it’ll give you specific regulations for each area.”  

Emighy reminds furbearer hunters that they must have a valid fur harvester license with them. Click here to access the hunting atlas.