What many think of as the holiday season, is also a busy stretch of hunting seasons that run well into winter.
White-tail deer archery season began in October and continues through December 5th, with a second archery period from December 22nd through January 10th. Two shotgun seasons fall between December 6th–10th and December 13th–21st, followed by muzzleloader and antlerless seasons extending into January. Pheasant runs through January 10th, quail through January 31st, and rabbit through February 28th.
With so many seasons active, awareness and safety are essential. During a recent appearance on the Outdoors in North Iowa program on KLMJ, Butler County Conservation Naturalist Annette Wittrock said the one thing to keep everyone safe, from hunters to non-hunters, is to be courteous.
“It really does non-hunters much good to get mad at someone who’s hunting the way they should and where they should and vice versa for hunters to get mad at someone who’s out on a walking trail where they’re allowed to walk. So peaceful interactions go a long way to keep safety kind of a priority. But for hunters in particular, it’s really important to make sure you have your licenses and tags for what you want to hunt. Wear your blaze orange clothing, which law requires for certain seasons, and stay in designated hunting areas. And then for those non-hunters, know your hunting seasons, know what properties are open to hunting, and do your best to just stay out of them if you can.”
Wittrock adds that if you are out walking in or near these areas, be sure to wear bright colors and to protect your pets the same way.
“Stick to the marked trails and keep your pet on the leash. Those help as well. And it may help as well to make a little noise while you’re walking to alert the hunters that you’re there and you’re not an animal they might want to hunt.”
Wittrock says Butler County has more than 25 public hunting areas available to residents and visitors. If you would like more information on areas open for hunting, particularly in Butler County, you can visit mycountyparks.com.
