By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds is suggesting it was a tip that led state agents to investigate whether there was illegal gambling among male athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

“They did their job. They received inquiries about an issue and they do what they do,” Reynolds said Wednesday in her first public comments about the probe. “They responded to that and I think they were surprised at some of the results that they found.”

The state’s investigation of sports wagering led to misdemeanor charges against several student athletes at Iowa and Iowa State and the NCAA sanctions that followed have sidelined players. During a news conference in Des Moines yesterday, Reynolds said no one in state government “checked in” with her about the investigation. “But I support wholeheartedly the department and the decisions that were made,” Reynolds said. “…They received some concerns. They looked into it, like they do with other issues, and I think they were surprised at some of the results that they actually uncovered.”

On August 15, 2019, it became legal in Iowa to place bets on sporting events, although people originally had to go to one of the 19 state-licensed casinos to register. Since 2021, registration can be done online, but you still must be at least 21 to place sports bets. Reynolds calls the gambling by Iowa and Iowa State athletes that’s been revealed is “a wake up call.

“We just have to do better education, make sure that these kids understand the consequences of doing this. This is preventable,” Reynolds said. “…Just because it’s so available and it’s so easy, we might need to double down on our efforts to make sure they understand the consequences that are involved going forward.”

Under current NCAA rules, college athletes of any age cannot bet on any sport in which the NCAA hosts a championship.

DES MOINES — Iowa’s pheasant population is up, the crop harvest is advancing quickly and the weekend weather forecast is setting up for an excellent opening weekend for Iowa’s pheasant season.

The annual August roadside survey found Iowa’s statewide pheasant population to be nearly 23 birds per route; a 15 percent increase over 2022. The biggest increases were in the southwest, northwest and northeast regions.

“We couldn’t ask for better opening weekend conditions,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Our bird population is highest since 2015, and much of the corn and soybeans will be harvested by the time the season opens. Combine those two factors, plus cooler weekend temperatures, we should see a lot of pheasants taken.”

Based on the August roadside survey, Iowa hunters can expect to harvest 300,000 to 400,000 roosters this year, which is similar to the past two years, when the harvest was the highest in more than a decade.

Bogenschutz estimates around 50,000 hunters will be out this weekend, but there is room for more.

“This would be a great time to invite a friend to spend a weekend in the field to experience pheasant hunting, or to take the kids and pass along our pheasant hunting tradition to the next generation,” he said.

Something to note, he said, is that portions of Iowa impacted by the drought were opened to haying CRP and it would be advised for hunters to scout the area they plan to hunt prior to the season.

Quail season also opens this weekend and fall covey counts indicate the population could be a little better than last year. Quail hunting is primarily across the southern two tiers of counties.

Iowa Pheasant Season

Iowa’s pheasant season is Oct. 28 to Jan. 10, 2024. Shooting hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The daily bag limit is three roosters, with a possession limit of 12.

Iowa’s quail season is Oct. 28 to Jan. 31, 2024. Shooting hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The daily bag limit is eight quail of either sex, with a possession limit of 16.

Hunters are required to wear at least one article of external clothing with at least 50 percent of its surface area solid blaze orange: hat, cap, vest, coat, jacket, sweatshirt, shirt or coveralls. The same blaze orange rule applies while hunting quail, gray partridge and ruffed grouse.

If hunting on public land that requires nontoxic shot, hunters are encouraged to plan ahead to pick up shells.

Online Hunting Atlas offers places to go

Iowa hunters have been using the interactive Iowa hunting atlas to find new places to go hunting. The hunting atlas features more than 680,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. It’s available online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting.

This tool allows hunters to see which zone the public area is in, type of shot allowed, wildlife likely to be found and get an overhead look at the terrain. The mobile version of the atlas will show hunter location on the area if granted permission.

The atlas view from above allows hunters to zoom in on an area, see how to get there, the lay of the land and where one parcel of public hunting land is in relation to others and print off maps.

 Information is updated as public hunting lands are acquired.

The hunting atlas also includes private land enrolled in the Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) where private landowners receive assistance to improve habitat on their land in exchange for opening the property for hunter access.

Site maps are available at www.iowadnr.gov/ihap showing boundaries and which species would be most likely attracted to the habitat. Walk-in public hunting through IHAP is available between September 1 and May 31.

DES MOINES — National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 28th, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Office of Drug Control Policy encourages Iowans to clean out their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of unused and unneeded medications. Local law enforcement agencies and pharmacies are teaming up to collect leftover prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as part of this special one-day event held each spring and fall. The spring collection, held in April, netted over 3,800 pounds of old medicine from Iowans. To date, Iowans have safely disposed of over 98 tons of unused medications at these events.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while educating the public about the potential for the dangerous misuse of opioid pain relievers and other drugs. “All of us can help reduce the risk of drug diversion and misuse, overdose, and even environmental contamination by properly disposing of unneeded medication,” said Susie Sher, Bureau Chief of the Office of Drug Control Policy.

Iowans can take excess medications to one of Iowa’s Prescription Drug Take Back locations, including nearly 400 permanent pharmacy and law enforcement center sites available on a year-round basis. For Iowa Take Back details, including education information and collection sites, visit: https://odcp.iowa.gov/programs/prescription-drug-take-backs.

Sites in Oskaloosa include Mahaska Drug, Hy-Vee Pharmacy, and the Oskaloosa Police Department.

Saturday’s National Prescription Drug Take Back events will operate from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at designated sites across Iowa. As part of the national Prescription Drug Take Back program, the DEA also allows the collection of vaping devices and e-cigarettes from individuals, if batteries are first removed from the devices. For more information or to find a site near you, visit https://www.dea.gov/takebackday.

Iowans needing help for drug using behaviors or mental health can go to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Service’s YourLifeIowa.org.