Spring turkey hunting season in Washington County is right around the corner. The spring turkey seasons kicks off in Iowa with the first youth season of the year April 5-7. Once the youth season concludes, turkeys are open to all shotgun and bow hunters April 8th until May 12th. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources wants hunters to be aware of safety first and foremost.

Iowa DNR Recreation Safety Officer Jeff Barnes says turkey hunting brings a unique safety risk, “Turkey hunters are skilled in the art of concealment. Don’t shoot at movement, don’t shoot at sound; no turkey’s worth it.” Barnes recommends hunters to only shoot after they see the turkey’s beard.”

The DNR also wants to remind residents to report any harvest collected by midnight of the harvest date. You can report the harvest in person at any DNR vendor location, by calling the phone number on the tag, or online at IowaDNR.gov.