Iowa

Iowa hunters bagged the most pheasants since 2007. What contributed to the high numbers?

Published

1 year ago

August 24, 2024

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Iowa hunters bagged the most pheasants since 2007. What contributed to the high numbers?

Iowa saw a bountiful pheasant hunting season in 2023, bagging more birds than the last 16 years.

An increase in pheasant populations also contributed to an increase in hunters, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

How many pheasants were bagged in Iowa?

More than 590,000 pheasants were bagged last fall. Strong populations accounted for the 62% increase in harvest. This also resulted in a 32% increase in the number of pheasant hunters, according to the DNR. More than 83,600 hunters pursued pheasants in Iowa in comparison to the 63,500 pheasant hunters in 2022.

“We’ve had a pheasant population that could support a harvest of around 600,000 birds for a few years now, but we couldn’t reach that total until our hunter numbers returned to the mid-2000s level,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the DNR. “Last year they did, and our harvest reflected that.”

More: Deer hunting season in Iowa is fast approaching. With new rules, here is what to know:

What contributed to high pheasant numbers?

The drought and mild winters helped ground nesting birds including turkeys and pheasants, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Spring flooding was expected to hinder pheasant populations in 2024 slightly, but the northern half of the state is still expected to have strong numbers, according to the DNR.

When is pheasant hunting season in Iowa?

The pheasant hunting season runs from Oct. 26 to Jan. 10. Hunting can start as early as 8 a.m. and must end by 4:30 p.m.

Pheasant hunting for youth in Iowa hunters is the prior weekend on Oct. 19 to Oct. 20, according to the DNR.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

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Iowa

Iowa man charged in connection to horse-drawn buggy crash that killed teen

Published

3 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Iowa man charged in connection to horse-drawn buggy crash that killed teen

CLARKE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa man was charged Friday in connection to a deadly horse-drawn buggy crash that killed a teenager last month.

Jacob Wright, 41, of Grand River, is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.

The crash happened in Clarke County on November 12. According to the crash report, Wright’s car hit the back of the buggy and ran it into a ditch.

Elmer Borntrager, 16, was thrown from the buggy and died at the scene.

Police found Wright’s damaged vehicle days later about five miles from the crash scene.

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Iowa

How much snow did we get? See Iowa snowfall totals from Thursday.

Published

16 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

How much snow did we get? See Iowa snowfall totals from Thursday.

Another round of snow swept through Iowa, leaving more than 3 inches in some parts of the state.

Flurries began falling in Des Moines around noon on Thursday, Dec. 11, and persisted until late in the evening.

Here’s a look at the highest snowfall totals in Iowa as of 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12, according to the National Weather Service.

What were the highest Iowa snowfall totals?

West Burlington: 4 inches
Parnell: 3.8 inches
Salem: 3.8 inches
Mooar: 3.6 inches
Webster City: 3.5 inches
Muscatine: 3 inches
Yarmouth: 3 inches
Williamstown: 3 inches
New London: 2.8 inches
Riverside: 2.8 inches
Ottumwa: 2.8 inches

How much snow did Des Moines get?

Over an inch of snow fell at the Des Moines International Airport, with the National Weather Service reporting 1.1 inches as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

Grimes reported 1.3 inches of snow and other reports from the Des Moines area were around 1 inch.

Nevada in Story County reported 0.5 inches

How much snow did Iowa City get?

No reports were received from Iowa City, according to the National Weather Service. Nearby University Heights reported 1.5 inches. Oakdale reported 2 inches and North Liberty reported 1.3 inches of snow.

When is the next chance for snowfall in Des Moines?

Another round of snow is expected to begin Friday night and continue into Saturday, Dec. 13, in the afternoon.

Des Moines is projected to receive between 2 and 4 inches of snow during this time. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Des Moines from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The advisory is also in effect in cities spanning from Sioux City to Davenport.

Temperatures are also expected to drop during the weekend, with daytime highs of 9 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, and lows of 10 degrees below zero on Saturday and 1 degree below zero on Sunday.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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Iowa

Iowa women’s wrestling goes on the road to defeat Grand View

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Iowa women’s wrestling goes on the road to defeat Grand View

While Iowa women’s wrestling rolled Grand View, 32-10, on Dec. 11 at Waukee Northwest High School, the Vikings provided a worthy challenge in Central Iowa.

The Hawkeyes and Grand View were the second leg of a doubleheader, with a high school dual between Raccoon River Wrestling and Ankeny, the top two teams at last season’s IGHSAU state meet, happening earlier in the night.

The Hawkeyes won each match that was held, but did not send a wrestler at 160 pounds, while Grand View did not participate at 180, so each team took one forfeit. In the eight matches held, Iowa won all of them and two by bonus points at 131 and 145. A sizeable chunk of Iowa’s top starters didn’t wrestle, but Grand View fought tough nonetheless.

“They’re (Grand View) scrappy and they fight hard,” said Iowa coach Clarissa Chun.

The Hawkeyes opened with four wins by decision from 103 to 124 against top-end wrestlers in the NAIA division. Sterling Dias earned a 3-0 decision over Judy Sandova (No. 2 in NAIA) at 103, followed by an 8-2 victory for Nyla Valencia over Tristan Nitta (No. 5 in NAIA) at 110 and a 9-2 decision for Brianna Gonzalez over Mayangelie Colon (No. 3 in NAIA) at 117.

In one of the best wins of the night, Cali Leng downed Catharine Campbell (No. 3 in NAIA) at 124 by a 9-1 decision. Her front headlocks and control of the hand fight led to her rotating behind Campbell for multiple takedowns.

“She’s got a big gas tank and a big heart,” Chun said. “She found ways to adjust and put points on the board.”

Emily Frost won at 131 pounds as she normally does, locking up a headlock and tossing Maya Davis for a win by fall in the first period. Iowa native Lilly Luft followed that pin with a tough win by decision, trailing by criteria at 6-6, but securing two takedowns late in the second period to defeat Adrienna Turner, 10-6. Before the two forfeits, Cadence Diduch rolled in a 10-0 technical fall of Sofia Delgado at 145 pounds.

In the final bout of the night, Libby Dix gave fans at Waukee Northwest a show. Trailing by criteria at 2-2, Dix scored a late step-out point with just a few seconds remaining to clinch the win. While she hadn’t wrestled a ton of freestyle before her college career, she won with her awareness late to score on the one-point action unique to freestyle.

“She’s a gamer,” Chun said. “She’s competitive. If she wasn’t, she would’ve been hung up on losing the match 2-2, but she wanted to go get one.”

The Hawkeyes have one more test before going off on winter break, traveling to Naperville, Ill. on Dec. 14 for the North Central Open.

Iowa women’s wrestling vs. Grand View box score

103: Sterling Dias (IOWA) over Judy Sandoval (GVU) (Dec 3-0)
110: Nyla Valencia (IOWA) over Tristan Nitta (GVU) (Dec 8-2)
117: Brianna Gonzalez (IOWA) over Mayangelie Colon (GVU) (Dec 9-2)
124: Cali Leng (IOWA) over Catharine Campbell (GVU) (Dec 8-1)
131: Emily Frost (IOWA) over Maya Davis (GVU) (Fall 2:21)
138: Lilly Luft (IOWA) over Adrienna Turner (GVU) (Dec 10-6)
145: Cadence Diduch (IOWA) over Sofia Delgado (GVU) (TF 10-0 2:08)
160: Kami Senlycki (GVU) over (IOWA) (For.)
180: Katja Osteen (IOWA) over (GVU) (For.)
207: Libby Dix (IOWA) over Andjela Prijovic (GVU) (Dec 3-2)

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

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