Iowa Outdoors Forums

Site News :: Re: Site Will Be Down Today At 1:15pm

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:49:07 -0500

By: kenhump

Counting down. :D

General Hunting :: Re: DNR Jerk

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:32:24 -0500

By: kenhump

HUMMMM DNR mall cops? :mrgreen:

Reloading :: Re: Help locating Winchester AA super handicap powder

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:14:22 -0500

By: deaddogwalkin

My buddy down in Az has a boy that shoots competitive trap and sporting clays. The figured out with the time that they would have to put into reloading for practice and meets that it would be easier to just buy a flat of shells when needed. They got hooked up with a farm and home store down there and were able to get the flats cheaper than ordering them on line and the store has them in-stock all year. They also allow them to buy more than one flat at a time.

Deer Hunting :: Public Knowledge Maps & Land owner info

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:11:03 -0500

By: easchmitz

As I'm sure most of us are in the same boat I want to pass some info forward kind of like paying it forward. I recently came across an app for mobile devices that shows you the public land, county land, plat books, zones, and many more things that I have yet to explore. I've tried in past years to get plat books from our court house, but for some odd reason they NEVER order enough and I'm always stuck without one. For $30 you can get all that info in one app compared to buying a plat book for $45 for EACH county. Highly recommend it for any hunter out there to download the "onX Hunt" app. I think this is a game changer for myself when it comes to public land and private land permission.

General Hunting :: Re: DNR Jerk

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:30:37 -0500

By: Bung

Ive had good experiences with COs - last one - we were fishing Raccoon river at night and apparently we were too close to a park at too late of an hour so we got ran off. Everyone was polite about it though.

I emailed his supervisor and told him I appreciated the officers candor but then inquired as to if it was possible to change the regulations relating to the park.

Canoes, Kayaks, Paddling :: Re: Calling all kayak fishermen/women

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:29:41 -0500

By: Maverick

I would be in, just wish I lived closer. We should start a Des Moines chapter as well!

General Hunting :: Re: DNR Jerk

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:19:55 -0500

By: skunkboy

Sounds like he's just a hired worked employed by the DNR to work at that facility. Maybe he was just looking out for their property. Maybe they've had some problems with vandalism or theft. Maybe he is just tired of people not observing the posted signs around the park...like speed limits, no littering and parking/no parking areas. Not making excuses for the guy because it does sound like his panties were in a bunch, but we've all been there before. I think you did all the right things...even though you didn't have to cooperate as much as you did.

I think we'll all be watching for someone employed by the DNR wearing a name tag that says Kevin though.

Have a better day...Ken

COME ON ICE OUT 2015!!!!!!!

General Hunting :: Re: DNR Jerk

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:12:53 -0500

By: speng5

Heinrix I have had an experience that almost matches yours to a T. It was at Hawkeye WMA which is one of the largest both in terms of area and in terms of numbers of hunters there on a daily basis (right between Iowa City and CR just off Interstate 380).

Like your story stated, there are areas of Hawkeye that have pole buildings, sheds, access drives, etc. Some of these areas are very near spots that get hunted frequently.

I know the DNR folks at Hawkeye deal with a lot, illegal camping, high school kids partying, people BSing around the Greencastle Bridge until they're too drunk to stand, dumping litter, etc. Most of them are suspicious of ANYONE, and if I worked their job, I probably would be too.

BUT. If I am out there minding my own business, ALONE (which I was), obviously not intoxicated or on drugs, not blocking anything, staying on the road, and am without a gun, there is no reason to hassle me. Like you, it was not a CO but some employee of the DNR. I never followed up on it like you did, but sometimes I wish I would have. I was parked early one morning before duck season doing some scouting a couple years ago, I had no gun, was just wearing street clothing (didn't plan on getting out of the truck), and just had a pair of binoculars and my breakfast with me. Some guy comes screaming up and asks what I am hunting, leaning on my door/window like some Barney Fife wannabe. Either he was assuming it is VERY easy to trick poachers or maybe he thought I was going to hunt coyotes or something, but given my location that would have been hard to believe. I told him I wasn't hunting anything. This fellow must not have been a hunter himself because he found it completely preposterous and incredibly suspicious that anyone would scout beforehand, especially so early in the morning. I'm sure any waterfowlers out there have done the same as me. But this guy just was not buying it. He asked for ID and I straight up told him no. He asked why and I got less than diplomatic because at this point I was losing my patience. At first I didn't know if he was DNR or not so I just told him I show ID to cops, sherrifs, and CO's, not county road department mower jockeys. He angrily informed me that he was an employee of the DNR and I just kept repeating I was doing absolutely nothing wrong and suspicion alone does not mean I have to produce ID. I kept repeating if he wanted to get a "real CO" or a "real sheriff" we would have a different talk, but I made it clear I was done talking with him about it. He finally fumed off. Later on that year I was on the Greencastle Bridge and saw the same guy take pictures with his cell phone of mine and my friend's license plates, as our vehicles were parked in the adjacent lot. THAT got my pretty PO'd and I just about went to a superior, but didnt.

I agree with Heinrixs post that 99.99999% of my encounters with COs and the DNR (and for that matter Johnson, Linn, and Washington co Parks employees) have been pleasant, or at the very least, businesslike. But there are Bad apples in every profession it seems. Wish I would have followed up like you did. The supervisors can't change anything if they don't know there are problems with the lower level employees. I guess if it happens again to me, its partially my fault.

Canoes, Kayaks, Paddling :: Kayak fish finders

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:10:47 -0500

By: Soda+Popinski

What do you guys use for your fish finders? How do you mount your transducers? Any experience with mounting in the hull and shooting through the plastic?

General Hunting :: Re: DNR Jerk

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:10:13 -0500

By: TeamAsgrow

If that would have happened to me around here I would have called the County CO (who happens to be a friend)...sounds like a dingle berry with something to prove.

Firearms :: Re: Permit to Carry Renewal?

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:09:34 -0500

By: IAJack

Possibly hold off on the re-training. The suppressor Bill that is going through contains provisions so that no re-training would be required on the first 5 year renewal. Re-training would then only be required every 10 years.

IF this Bill will make it past the Senate or not is still to be seen. There is a lot of support but it is politics. IF it would go through and be signed into law it would go into effect on July 1st of this year.

Also if this would go through then people can spend the re-training fee on hands on instruction or a self defense shooting course instead :D

Reloading :: Re: Help locating Winchester AA super handicap powder

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:09:09 -0500

By: plotman

Already tried the group order deal and there are only a couple kids that reload of about 70 on the team and they have just enough for the season. I am all set up for the super handicap load which duplicates the factory load as it cannot exceed a certain feet per second to comply with rules. After I use up what little I have left may have to work up another load. Sadly they only allow reloaded ammunition for practice and not competition I suppose to avoid someone having an advantage with reloaded ammo. It may be dollar wise to just sell all my hulls and just buy factory ammo once I exhaust my supplies....

Canoes, Kayaks, Paddling :: Re: Calling all kayak fishermen/women

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:08:19 -0500

By: Soda+Popinski

I'm in!

General Hunting :: Re: DNR Jerk

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:00:50 -0500

By: iceking25

Sounds like the real CO needs to put his foot in this guys rear.

Reloading :: Re: brass not getting clean/shiny

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:00:12 -0500

By: novakorp

We have a ultrasonic cleaner at work....and to be perfectly honest, I am not that impressed with its abilities.....Granted, I have never tried my brass in it.... perhaps I got a bad batch of media... In any case, I will try the suggestions provided. Thanks!