Trying Something New In Iowa’s Outdoors

Trying Something New In Iowa’s Outdoors

By Troy Hoepker

With promise of a beautiful spring day, I had made plans for an all outdoors St. Patty’s Day a few years back for my 6-year old son Dylan and I. The plan was for us to go coyote calling together and then look for some Indian artifacts and deer antler sheds the rest of the day along with whatever else we could stumble into along the way. After setting off, we found four bald eagles sitting by the road and got in some bird watching with the binoculars and camera for a while. We then stopped by a little pond next to the road and watched some migrating ducks swimming around and playing in the water. After that it was time to get serious about some hunting, so we painted our faces with some camo face paint and headed to a hunting tower overlooking some beautiful country. Dylan ran the remote on the electronic caller as it blared out the sounds of a tormented rabbit in hopes that a coyote would soon be by. It must have been too nice of a day for the coyotes to be interested but Dylan had fun hunting out of the tower.

After another failed attempt to call any coyotes, we stopped the truck near a small little bridge and hopped into a pretty meandering little creek to do some prospecting. After sitting still and quiet for a while this 6-year old needed to burn off some energy! I had wanted to hit this creek for a while in search of some artifacts because it had several nice gravel bars on it and was in an area that I knew was once home to local Indian tribes. We had looked over three or four gravel bars and found a couple of cool looking rocks Dylan wanted to take home when we came around the bend in the river and found a huge collection of rocks along one side. After searching for a while, Dylan and I were crouched down together studying the shapes and sizes among a smaller patch of rocks when I said, “Look at that Dylan!” as I reached over to pick up a triangular shaped piece. “Is it an arrowhead?” he asked. Before answering I gave it a quick look and then said, “Dylan we just found our first point together buddy!”

We were instantly all smiles as the astonishment of actually finding one was sinking in. I’m not sure who was more excited, him or me? After a big high five to each other we each spent time carefully looking over the piece. We continued on finding what could have been a game ball used by the Indians and a couple of stones possibly used as grinding stones. After leaving the creek, we walked back to the truck through some timber and fields shed hunting and were able to pick up a couple of discarded antlers. But that perfect little arrowhead we found remains as a memento to this day for us as a memory of a wonderful day spent outdoors with my son!

At that time Indian artifact hunting was fairly new to us. It still amazes me how many things there are in the Iowa outdoors to do, and see. There’s a new experience around every corner of the state. You just have to jump in and be willing to try something new. Right under our noses lie opportunities to experience things we’ve never done and some of them are unique and only found in Iowa! With spring here, it’s a great time to try one of these outdoor activities that may be new to you!

Native American Artifact Hunting
Maybe you’ve heard about those who hunt artifacts or maybe you’ve seen Indian artifacts and always wondered how to go about finding them yourself? Becoming an artifact hunter is simple, you just need to do a little research, familiarize yourself with the shapes and things to look for and find good areas to look. Be familiar with the shapes of arrowheads, axes, spears, drills, scrapers, game balls, birdy points, grinding stones, etc. Warning………this adventure can get quite addictive!

Iowa’s prairies were home to thousands of Indian tribes for thousands of years and they left a lot behind. Naturally, water sources were of vital importance to Indian tribes and thus our rivers and creeks hold countless hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered. But how do you know which rivers to look in? For starters, do a little research on local Indian tribe history in areas you’d like to begin your search. County history books, Iowa Indian history books, as well as multiple online sources can be attained to gather knowledge on the general areas where local Indian tribes lived for hundreds of years. Talk to landowners, other artifact hunters, and local historians to find areas where Indians lived. Study land features once you’ve narrowed your search. Anywhere where two rivers come together is a good spot. High ridges away from a flood plain above a river are likely good spots to find campsites. Artifacts left behind have washed down from campsites over thousands of years into waterways. Check gravel bars in the rivers closely where rocks and debris collect in mass. Many times some of these artifacts will collect into these gravel bars. Every time we have a heavy downpour the currents of the rivers will change the underwater landscape and move around the rock and sediment uncovering new pieces constantly.

You can also concentrate your searches on campsite locations. Farmers have moved away from the moldboard plow these days so artifacts aren’t unearthed at the pace they once were in fields but they can still be found by looking after recent rains, or after a farmer has turned over the ground by disking, field cultivating or even planting. Erosion alone unearths many artifacts. In fields look for chert and flakes left behind from the tool making Indians did while making their points. If a spot looks like a good place to camp that might have had protection from the winds, and close to a river, then it’s likely the Indians thought it was a good place too. Lastly, be patient and stick to it! Finding your first artifact usually doesn’t come quickly, but the more you get involved in doing it, the better you’ll get and that first artifact will be worth it!

Kayaking
One of the most relaxing, enjoyable activities that many people have never done is kayaking or canoeing down one of Iowa’s many rivers or lakes. Spend a lazy afternoon floating along and seeing the view and discoveries each bend in the river or body of water offers. Gather friends to take a trip along with you or take the family. Kids love moving along the water and discovering all kinds of things along the way. Fishing from a kayak can be a great way to hit some great spots along the river or lake where the bite is on. If you’re into exercise you can turn your kayaking trip into an intensive workout by pushing those paddles as hard as you can. Whether you’re into a peaceful, tranquil float across the water taking in the scenery or hitting some rougher currents and experiencing the rush of moving swiftly across the water, kayaking offers a little bit for everyone and Iowa has plenty of wonderful waterways to explore!

Mushroom Hunting
Even though so many people enjoy eating delicious mushrooms, actually hunting mushrooms in Iowa’s outdoors is an activity that many haven’t tried. More specifically, hunting the morel mushroom. It’s a relaxing way to spend some time in the woods. Study up on mushroom identification so you know which types are safe to consume. When springtime rolls around and the ground temperatures begin to rise it’s time to think about getting out there. When daytime temperatures start getting above 60 and nighttime temperatures are above 45, morels should be on the rise. But they can be fickle and stump you. Seemingly one day they aren’t there and the next they are. Loamy soils are good places to look, but morels can appear anywhere. Morels like to hang around certain types of trees. Elm, hickory, ash, poplar and apple trees are good locations to look around. Try and get out there before the grasses and weeds get tall enough to hide smaller morels. Watch those south and west facing slopes early in the season. This could be the tastiest of all outdoor activities you can do when you have luck!

Geocaching
An ever-increasing outdoor activity is geocaching. It’s become popular with younger generations and offers a good way to experience nature and exercise. What is geocaching you may ask? It’s an outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. The fun is trying to locate the hidden geocache (container) hidden near certain GPS coordinates. It can become quite addictive. Enter a geocaching website and look for a listing of geocaches hidden by those who are active in geocaching. Enter the coordinates into your GPS device or phone and set out to look for it. This activity has become so popular that these hidden caches are all over. State parks, public parks and almost anywhere you can think of could be places to go out and look. You might be surprised how much fun you’ll have once you try it.

Trout Fishing
Trout fishing in Iowa??? Yep, that’s right we have it. You won’t find trout just everywhere but if you’re an avid angler who hasn’t tried trout fishing before, head to one of Iowa’s trout streams to give it a shot! Iowa has three trout hatcheries all in Northeast Iowa at Manchester, Decorah and Big Springs. Iowa trout streams offer rainbow, brown and brook trout both naturally reproducing and stocked. You can find more information about location of trout streams, qualities and when streams will be stocked at the Iowa DNR website.

Searching for Geodes
Millions of years ago a shallow sea over Iowa directly contributed to one of the more productive geode collecting areas in the world and it’s right here in Southeastern Iowa. Known as the “Keokuk geodes” because of Keokuk’s location of being in the heart of geode country, these geodes can be found in specific stream drainages in Lee, Henry and Van Buren counties. Geodes are found in limestone formations and have a hard outer shell. But inside is the treasure. Prize geodes are partially hollow with crystal like formations containing a variety of minerals but quartz and calcite are dominant in most providing a beautiful jeweled interior. Geodes can also be dug out of exposures of rock and earth where they concentrated in certain layers. Rock hounds from all over come to this area for geode hunting. There are resources in the Keokuk area to help you get started as well. A geode you find can make a beautiful showpiece once it’s cut, cleaned and displayed!

Camping
Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve packed up and went camping? Or maybe you never have at all? There’s something fun about grabbing a tent, a sleeping bag, and the other necessities and hitting the great outdoors. A relaxing campfire and sunset can be just what’s needed to get away from the fast lane of life. Iowa’s beautiful state parks offer wonderful campgrounds with plenty of activities to keep you busy!

Hiking
It’s amazing just how big some of our state parks seem to be once you get deep in the heart of them. Hiking can be great exercise and you can go at the pace that you want. Explore the scenic areas, go birding, and check the wild flowers or anything else your heart desires while exploring the trails. I’ve used a good hike as a scouting tool to find good hunting areas hidden within public parks.

Hunt a New Species
So many Iowans deer hunt or perhaps pheasant hunt, but there are so many other game animals here to pursue! Doves, Crows, ducks, geese, quail, coyote and turkeys all offer unique hunting experiences! Maybe it’s time to give a new form of hunting a try for the challenge!