(Iowa Capital Dispatch) Spring turkey hunting involves luring in toms — mature male turkeys — and jakes — 1-year-old male turkeys — with calls that mimic the hens they are trying to impress during breeding season.
It can be a tricky process, which is in part why the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is offering a handful of learn-to-hunt workshops around the state in anticipation of the upcoming season.
The spring season begins April 13, or a couple of days earlier for youth, and stretches through May 17.
Jamie Cook, the hunter education coordinator with the department, said turkey hunting can be “humbling,” but a workshop can help instill some confidence in those new to the field.
“If you talk to your experienced turkey hunter, somebody that’s been doing it 5-10 years, they’re going to say that it’s obviously much more than just having that meat in your freezer,” Cook said. “But I think for new turkey hunters, we want that confidence, we want that ability to check that off our list and say that we have been able to do it.”
The classes, some of which have already begun, will be held in Council Bluffs, Indianola, Massena, Marble Rock, Sioux City, Solon and Vinton.
Cook said the classes are designed for people with “little to no hunting experience with turkeys” and cover everything from turkey biology – why the birds behave the way that they do – to firearm safety, field dressing and butchering.
The turkey workshops are one of several learn-to-hunt initiatives DNR leads. Cook said they were initiated after the department, and other state departments across the country, noticed a decline in hunting participation about 15 years ago.
“It’s about capturing a generation that didn’t have someone to take them (hunting),” Cook said.
At most classes, the attendees are around 35-40 years old. Cook said these are adults that are “trying to pick up a new life skill” and many of them are also interested in stocking their freezers with wild protein.
“That’s what we want to capitalize on as the department — we want people out there enjoying the resource and learning to use it wisely and learning all the safety components that go with that,” Cook said.
Cook said the department doesn’t have “substantial evidence” that these classes of 40 or so people at a time are making a huge difference in the number of hunters in the state.
“It’s a tough thing to kind of gauge, but what we do know is that it makes a difference in the lives of the people that do take the class,” Cook said. “They’re much more likely to give it a try and stick with it as a result.”
Location, cost and registration details for the learn to hunt turkey workshops can be found online. The workshops are presented as a partnership between the DNR, the National Wild Turkey Federation and other local partners.
Prepping for spring turkey season
Jim Coffey, the forest wildlife biologist with DNR, said in a news release that the state had a “good turkey hatch” in 2025, following a good hatch in 2024.
“So we should have a good number of jakes and young toms available this spring,” he said.
In 2025 hunters harvested 15,350 spring turkeys, according to the department, which also said the harvest was the second highest since 2006.
Turkeys are a woodland species, but can be found in grasslands and field edges as well. Hunters harvested turkeys in spring 2025 in all 99 counties, with Clayton County claiming the highest number at 609.
Coffey suggests hunters sit as still as possible and with a large tree toward their back while hunting the birds because they can easily sense movement.
Hunters should also avoid wearing red, white or blue, because while patriotic, the colors mimic those found on the heads and waddles of male turkeys. Avoiding these colors and ensuring targets and the space beyond them are identified before shooting are good safety practices.
DNR said as the upcoming season approaches, hunters should go through their gear to make sure it’s functional and practice their turkey calling.
The spring seasons are split into four, connected seasons, to help “spread out” hunting pressure. Hunters must have valid licenses and transportation tags, and are required to report their harvests by midnight on the day that the bird was tagged.
“There are plenty of birds — be mindful of other hunters out there, they’re out there to have fun too,” Coffey said.
