What Iowa Public Land Has to offer

What Iowa Public Land Has to offer

By Gary Faith

Public land is getting more and more attention in the outdoor space lately. At a total of 640 million acres of public land available inside the United States, one can start to understand why it has come to draw so much attention. When thinking of public lands, it’s easy to think of wild, remote places in the western United States that go on for miles.

When one thinks of Iowa, public land certainly is not the first thing that comes to mind. Truth is, Iowa is 97% privately owned leaving only 3% public. While this may be a small number, that 3% still totals up to 715,552 acres according to the Iowa DNR. These 700+ thousand acres are out there for everyone to use and have a multitude of opportunities available on them. When it comes to Iowa public lands, it can get a bit confusing as to all the ins and outs and what is all available. The goal for this article is to give a little clarity to what public lands in Iowa have to offer. To do that, a series of questions will need to be answered. First, what is available for public lands here in Iowa? Next, where can I find these areas? To follow, how can I participate in these public areas? Next, why should I use public lands and why should I care about them? And lastly, how can I help to ensure that these lands stay public and are available for future generations?

To start, what is available for public lands in Iowa? As mentioned before, 715,552 acres of land is public, but it is not all made equal. As good place to start is that there are several different types of public lands. The first is the Public Hunting Areas. These areas are marked with the Green “Public Hunting Area” signs on the boaders and are typically easy to see. A second type of public hunting is Wildlife Management areas and State Forests. These areas are typically marked with signs also. Yet another public hunting area is IHAP, Iowa Habitat and Access Program. This program actually gives incentives to land owners to open up private land to hunting from Sept 1-March 31. The IHAP program has currently 20,000 acres enrolled in it. IHAP land can be difficult to find at times though as some of it is not marked very clearly. One more public area that may be typically overlooked is the Army Corp of Engineer Lands. These lands usually line bodies of water, and are typically much more difficult to locate. A good example of Army Corp land is along the Missouri River, Saylorville Lake, or the Coralville Reservoir. These spots can often require a boat to access, but can be very productive for waterfowl, small game, deer, and turkeys. It would be worth reaching out to your local conservation officer to get some clarity on these areas.

The next question is, where can I find these public areas? Chances are, if you live in Iowa, there is something available within a couple hours of your door step. A great way to find these public lands and waters is to first purchase an Iowa Sportsman’s Hunting and Fishing Atlas. This magazine actually publishes the product and it is a great tool to have in your truck or vehicle.

You can also log onto the Iowa DNR website and use there Hunting Atlas. This Hunting Atlas has all of the land that are available to the public highlighted and color coated. This Atlas will work on your smart phone in the field with GPS capability although a better way to do this would be to download the GoOutdoorsIA app available for free in the app store.

There is a multitude of features on this app, but the Hunting Atlas is one of them. Yet another great option for finding public lands is to use On X. On X is a satellite imagery mapping application for your smart phone. It is also a land ownership map that works as a GPS. The cool part about On X is you can save maps of an area to your phone, then when you in the field you can turn your phone onto airplane mode and it will work as a GPS with no service. I have been using On X for going on 2 years and it works great, although it does cost money for the service. Another good place to double check land ownership is to log into your local county assessors’ website. This resource is generally speaking going to be the most updated on land ownership and borders.

Next is how can we use our Iowa public lands and waters? These areas are a resource that is available to everyone, and it is not limited to just hunting and fishing. Many public areas have mowed hiking trails that go on for miles. I have grown to love the shore fishing that I have discovered on a series of small public ponds within 30 minutes of my door. While fishing there I see numerous people out enjoying the ponds on kayaks and small boats, many with no fishing pole in their hands. During the right times of the year, and with a little education one can get into discovering one of the many types of edible mushrooms, plants, and berries that grow throughout the public forests. Each year here in Western Iowa, a local saddle club puts on a horse ride that goes thru a large piece of public land and has a great turn out. In many instances if you reach out to your local conservation officer or forester, you may even be able to get permission to collect firewood off public land. The point is that these lands are here to be used by us.

The next question is why it is important to not only use, but care about public lands? This is somewhat of a broad sweeping question, but can be answered quite simply. This world is running out of wild places. With recreational land in Iowa being such a hot commodity, it does not take long for land to go from for sale to sold. Public land allows the wild places included on that land to stay that way. This land allows for everyone to have a place to go experience nature on its own terms. This public land keeps development and hunting lease agreements out of the picture, and gives everyone a place to get back into the wild. The truth is that if these lands are not being used or cherished by the general population, they could potentially go away some day. It is important to keep this in mind and be willing to voice ones’ opinion as to how important keeping these wild lands and places just that, wild.

This brings us to the last point. How can we help ensure that these lands stay public? A big part of this is to just keep a conscious mind that these lands are not an infinite resource and are not made to be abused. Treating these areas with respect and doing things such as cleaning up your mess after a camping trip or pulling your tree stands before the required dates are just simple ways to show that you care. It is so important to take care of this resource, and keep its best intentions in mind. If you pull into a parking area and see some trash, take 2 minutes to pick it up. This will make all the difference for the next person pulling into that spot, who may be experiencing this place for the first time. The key is for us as consumers of public land to be conscious of our actions and decisions, and how they may affect others and the land. Taking part in organizations such as Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the Quality Deer Management Association, or Pheasants Forever are a great way to get engaged and stay informed. These groups do a great job of keeping tabs on the major issues that affect our public lands and waters and bringing them to attention.

I hope a big take away from this article is that public land in Iowa, or anywhere in the United States for that matter, are there to be enjoyed by everyone, all year long. Public land and waters offer many opportunities that reach far beyond just hunting and fishing. The key is to get out and discover them for yourself.