The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will host a public meeting in Ventura this spring on proposed nonresident small game season options being considered for the 2027 hunting seasons.
The local meeting will be held at 6 p.m. May 19 at the Ventura Community Center, 4 Weimer St. The meeting is open to the public.
Small game includes pheasants, quail, partridge, doves, rabbits and squirrels.
The DNR says the proposal comes after discussions with hunters during its 2025 and 2026 winter public meetings. Todd Bishop, chief of the DNR’s Wildlife Bureau, says hunters indicated support for a nonresident season structure that would limit conflicts during peak fall hunting activity.
Similar nonresident season structures are already in place in South Dakota and North Dakota.
The Iowa DNR plans to present a draft rule at the August Natural Resource Commission meeting. Public comments will be accepted in the fall as part of the rule-making process.
