Iowa Turkey Hunting

Hunts

Administrative

Cost

Obstacles

Overall, Iowa wild turkey hunting is tougher than Kansas or Missouri turkey hunting simply dues to Iowa's smaller flocks and less turkey hunter friendly regulations.

This article presumes the reader has read about MAHA turkey hunting and its do it yourself hunts approach to private hunting land access.

Iowa has a split spring season, limited number of competitive draw tags, the tag costs are higher and overall the turkey population less as the habitat is thinner.

Just to illustrate this distinction amongst our three states as late as 2000, Iowa was trapping and translocating turkeys within the state. Far later than what occurred in Kansas or Missouri as the turkeys in those states expanded on their own at a far greater rate than what occurred in Iowa.

Recurring Success

This do it yourself turkey hunter, Chad H., is pictured several times in the beginning of our turkey hunter success gallery posing with other hunters where both harvested birds together. Here he is pictured with two more of his toms he harvested on MAHA lease land.

Chad probably is not anymore successful than any other member, he just sends in more photos of which we greatly appreciate. While we could show more of his turkey hunting success this is enough to demonstrate it is possible to have recurring success as a tradition within the Association every year for life.

Advantages

For Association self guided wild turkey hunting members wanting to go Iowa they will find next to no pressure on our private leases in Iowa spring turkey zone 4. This will leave plenty of Iowa turkey hunting spots and a chance to break into some new potential deer land.

Another advantage to Association is the ability to cross from Iowa over into northern Missouri and easily hunt two states on one trip. Missouri, as in Kansas, the spring turkey tags are over the counter purchase with two per state available to every hunter.

While Iowa does not have many of the turkey hunting advantages as Kansas or Missouri the opportunity is there for each Association hunter to tag up to 5 toms on one spring season hunting trip. Iowa is also another option for a quick fly-out/rental car turkey hunt as opposed to staying home.

The most common Iowa turkey habitat - the lightly wooded creek bottom, 320 acres, a 1/2 section or 1 by 1/2 mile.

This is the most common Iowa turkey habitat due to the area we lease land in southern Iowa is on the northern fringe of the Grand River watershed which is the second largest sub basin of the three that compose the overall lower Missouri River basin.

This watershed cuts across farm fields with uncountable number of dry and intermittent streams creating the ideal turkey holding cover surrounded by crop fields largely composed of corn and beans due to this regions good rainfall.

Small wood patches typically created by the same tributaries as above cutting into a hill side and rendering the ground unusable to the plow. This (below) is a 1/4 section, 160 acres or a 1/2 by 1/2 mile lease has been a turkey producer for several seasons.

Iowa turkey hunting habitat while not that radically different from that of Kansas or Missouri is on agricultural land and far different from the big woods northern states.

Those from the north or south that take a ridge run, call and gun approach will not be as successful as the setup and decoy turkey hunting approach useful on our open ground.

All who are self guided turkey hunters must be be prepared to trust our recommendations of where to go Iowa turkey hunting. That confidence comes from the fact we are a business with a customer service attitude that strives for return hunter membership renewals. When it come to Iowa turkey hunting such recommendations will be based on our personal boots on the ground experience with that lease. And, all turkey hunting in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri is on wild birds without any manmade enhancements of feeders or cover.

Photo of a mid-March bachelor flock feeding on a winter wheat field.

Green wheat fields are part of the crop rotation in the Midwest. Early in the season turkeys are attracted to wheat fields and very visible for scouting purposes. Once the wheat reaches knee high length, which is usually late April, the turkey patterns change to avoid the moisture on their feathers from the early morning dew. Hunting techniques need to change as well.

Continue this Iowa turkey hunting article

Or, Iowa Hunting Options

Iowa Wild Turkey Hunting

Hunts

Administrative

Obstacles

Advantages