DES MOINES — The good news for Iowa’s cottontail rabbit hunters is that Iowa’s 2026 rabbit population is unchanged from last year and the 2025 season was the highest in more than a decade. The better news for hunters is Iowa’s cottontail rabbit season begins Sept. 5 statewide.

“It should be a really good year for rabbit hunting not only for experienced hunters, but for young or novice hunters who can learn necessary skills with little competition,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “There are a lot of areas that may not get looked at for other species that would be good options for rabbit hunting. My advice would be to do some scouting and to knock on doors.”

Iowa hunters have harvested around 90,000 cottontail rabbits each year over the past 10 years. Most rabbit hunting occurs after the crop harvest, walking brushy areas with grass next to harvested crop fields with a shotgun in the morning or evening. It can be done individually or with a group of friends.

Rabbit hunting does not require a significant investment or high-tech equipment, just a shotgun or .22 rifle and some shells. Rabbit is a lean, low fat meat and popular table fare considered a delicacy in many culinary circles.

Iowa is a popular state for nonresident rabbit hunters from Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas.

Cottontail rabbit season is Sept. 5 to Feb. 28, 2027. The daily limit is 10 rabbits with a possession limit of 20. Jackrabbit season is closed. While wearing blaze orange clothing is not required to hunt rabbits, it is recommended. Shooting hours for rabbits is sunrise to sunset.

Iowa’s cottontail rabbit population estimates are included in the August roadside survey of upland wildlife species that will be posted at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey by early September.

Squirrels will be found around hickory, oak and walnut trees producing a heavy mast crop. Squirrel hunting is an inexpensive and exciting way to get introduced into hunting. Those new to hunting can gain valuable woodsmanship skills as squirrels will twist and turn hunters through the woodlands. It’s also an opportunity to meet new landowners.

“Squirrel hunting is an opportunity to hone your skills to avoid being seen while in the woods, skills needed to hunt other species, like deer and wild turkey. If you mess up and spook a squirrel, there is usually another one just down the ridge,” said Jim Coffey, forest wildlife biologist for the Iowa DNR. “Get yourself outside chasing squirrels and bring someone new to hunting along. Squirrels are definitely an underutilized resource.”

Be prepared during early squirrel season for mosquitoes and other flying pests, Coffey said, and try and hunt in the early cool mornings as squirrels will be very active before the heat of the day.

Hunters will generally find plenty of squirrels and little competition. This would also be a good opportunity to do some scouting for a spring turkey hunt or to look for whitetail deer rubs before bow season.

“These honed skills will make you an overall better hunter. Many of the skills needed for squirrel hunting are also used for spring turkey hunting,” Coffey said. Common hunting methods include stalking or sitting and calling. Sitting and calling will require good camouflage and minimal movement. Stalking relies on hearing them eating or barking.

Around 20,000 Iowa hunters have harvested about 100,000 squirrels each year over the past decade. Squirrel season is Sept. 5 to Jan. 31, 2027, with a daily bag limit of six total or combination of red fox squirrels or eastern grey squirrels and a possession limit of 12.  Fox squirrels are generally found in more open pasture timber and woodlots whereas grey squirrels tend to be in more mature timber. There is no restriction on shooting hours.

Hunters looking for places to go rabbit or squirrel hunting should use Iowa’s online hunting atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting, with more than 600,000 acres of public land that allows hunting.

Hunters have the opportunity to hunt these species on additional acres of private land enrolled into the popular Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP). The IHAP allows hunters access to the portion of the property covered by the agreement, from Sept. 1 to May 31. Conservation officers will provide assistance and enforcement, if needed.

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The seniors who’ve just started their final year at a public or private high school in Iowa are the first graduating class required to pass a civics test in order to get their diploma.

Governor Kim Reynolds, who proposed the requirement in 2025, said civics education prepares students to be responsible citizens. “We all realize how important it is,” Reynolds said, “and it’s just not been highlighted or really, I think, given the spotlight that it should.”

Students will be required to correctly answer at least 12 of 20 questions from the U.S. Citizenship Test. “At first, you know, with the legislature, they were only wanting them to pass, like, 10 and I’m like: ‘No!’ If you set the expectation here, they will meet it,” Reynolds said. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s a good thing to do.”

Students who don’t reach that 60% threshold will be allowed to take the test again until they pass. In 2015, Arizona was the first state to require high school graduates to pass a civics test modeled after the federal exam for naturalized citizens. There are now 14 states, including Iowa, that have adopted the requirement. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, 31% of 8th graders cannot describe the basic structure of the U.S. government.