CHAPTER 53
CONTROLLED HUNTING AREAS
[Prior to 12/31/86, Conservation Commission[290] Chs 14 and 15]
571—53.1(481A) Definitions.
“Commission” means the natural resource commission.
“Department” means the department of natural resources.
“Director” means the director of the department of natural resources or a designee.
571—53.2(481A) Waterfowl hunting on Forney Lake and Riverton Area. The following regulations shall be enforced during the waterfowl seasons on Forney Lake and the Riverton Area, both in Fremont County, Iowa.
	53.2(1) Controlled area. Portions of both Forney Lake and the Riverton Area, where posted, shall be designated as controlled site hunting areas. No persons (except department personnel and law enforcement officials in performance of their official duties) shall enter upon these designated controlled areas during the waterfowl hunting seasons unless they possess a valid daily permit.
	a. 	Forney Lake. The entire Forney Lake area north of the east-west county road shall be a controlled area.
	b. 	Riverton Area. The entire Riverton Area lying north of the check station road, where posted, shall be a controlled area.
	53.2(2) Reservations. Persons may reserve blind sites on these controlled areas under the following conditions:
	a. 	Blind reservations will be accepted by the department beginning on the second Monday of September each year. Reservations must be made for Forney Lake at Department of Natural Resources, Forney Lake, Thurman, Iowa, and for the Riverton Area at Department of Natural Resources, Riverton Area, Riverton, Iowa. Reservations will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.
	b. 	Requests for reservations must be accompanied by $10 for each day requested. In addition, each hunter, except for the reservation holder, will be charged $5 when registering to hunt. Application letters shall contain the reservation request(s) of only one individual.
	c. 	Individuals holding reservations must be present at the reservation headquarters at the appropriate area one hour before the start of legal shooting time on the date of the reservation or the reservation will be voided. Reservation fees will not be refunded.
	d. 	Persons without reservations will be accommodated each day on a first-come, first-served basis, if blinds are available, and upon payment of the reservation and other fees.
	e. 	No individual may reserve more than one blind for any given day.
	f. 	Until after the opening date of the goose season each year, no individual may make reservations for more than two days on Saturday, Sunday, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. This restriction shall not apply to any period when the duck season is open but the goose season is closed.
	53.2(3) Blind sites. All hunters will be assigned a hunting blind and must stay in the assigned blind except when going to and from the blind, or when retrieving downed birds.
	a. 	Blinds will be assigned by drawing and the party must hunt from the assigned blind only.
	b. 	Parties may change blinds if blinds are available only by reregistering and paying an additional $5 fee for the party. The party must relinquish the blind which they originally held.
	53.2(4) Permits. Daily permits, designating the blind assignment, will be issued subject to the following:
	a. 	All hunters shall exchange their hunting licenses at the reservation station for a permit. Hunters must return to the reservation station immediately upon leaving the blind and must present all bagged game for inspection before leaving the area. Licenses will be returned when hunters properly check out of the area.
	b. 	Permits will be issued only to bona fide hunters, except nonhunters may be issued permits by paying the required fees when extra space is available. Nonhunters accompanying a permit holder will not be charged the registration fee.
	53.2(5) Ammunition. Nonhunters may not possess shells or firearms on the areas. Hunters shall use or possess only shotshells with steel shot not larger than size BB.
	53.2(6) Area restriction. It shall be unlawful to shoot or carry firearms between the dates of September 15 and December 15 of each year, both dates inclusive, around the perimeter of the entire Forney Lake Refuge within the posted limits of a strip approximately 100 yards wide, and a similar area where so posted on the Riverton Area.
571—53.3(481A) Waterfowl hunting on Lake Odessa. The following regulations shall be in effect during waterfowl seasons on Lake Odessa, Louisa County, Iowa.
	53.3(1) Controlled area. The Lake Odessa public hunting area, where posted, shall be designated as a controlled site hunting area. No person (except department personnel and law enforcement officials in performance of their official duties) shall enter upon this portion of the Lake Odessa area during the period from the opening day of the waterfowl seasons, until the end of the duck seasons each year, unless they possess a valid daily permit, when required, issued for the area in which they wish to hunt. Permits shall be issued, by areas, as follows:
	a. 	Controlled area “A.” Permits for area A will be issued at the Schafer Access check station. A drawing to determine hunting sites will be held 90 minutes before the start of shooting time for waterfowl each day. One person shall fill out a permit with the names of all persons in the hunting party (maximum of six) and present the permit to the check station attendant prior to the drawing time. The nonrefundable daily permit fee to enter the drawing is $5 per party, unless one member of the party has a $50 season permit. If a person’s name appears on more than one permit, the person shall be disqualified from hunting on the area for that day. When a person’s name is on one permit, the person cannot subsequently hunt with any other party prior to 10 a.m. each day. The person who filled out the permit shall draw to determine the sequence of site selection. Permits for area A will be issued for each party, giving the hunters’ individual names and the stake site number which they selected. The party shall hunt only at that site and must stay within 40 yards of the stake except when retrieving game or when going to and from the area. A party at any one site can use no more than two boats. Decoys must be placed within 60 feet of the stake. Hunting and the location of decoys, at double stake sites, is restricted to one of the stake sites.
	b. 	Controlled area “B.” Permits for area B are required only on opening weekends of duck season. Permits for this area will be issued at both the Schafer Access check station and the Sand Run station. Permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis from 90 minutes before, until one hour after, the start of legal shooting time for waterfowl each day. Each boat will be issued, without charge, a permit showing the name of each member of the party. Hunting sites will not be designated. Persons may enter area B without securing a permit beginning one hour after the start of legal shooting time for waterfowl each day.
	53.3(2) Exhibiting permits. Permittees must exhibit permits to law enforcement officers upon request.
	53.3(3) Checkout time. Permittees for area A must check out of the check station where their permit was issued within 30 minutes after vacating their stake site, and must present all game taken at the check station for inspection.
	53.3(4) Leaving the area. All boats, blinds, and decoys must be removed from the controlled areas and permittees for area A checked out of the check station within one hour after the close of legal shooting time for waterfowl each day.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code sections 481A.5, 481A.6, 481A.7, and 481A.48.
[Filed 6/10/75]
[Filed 6/13/77, Notice 5/4/77—published 7/13/77, effective 8/17/77]
[Filed emergency 9/1/77—published 9/21/77, effective 9/1/77]
[Filed 6/8/78, Notice 4/5/78—published 6/28/78, effective 8/2/78]
[Filed 6/5/81, Notice 4/1/81—published 6/24/81, effective 7/29/81]
[Filed emergency after Notice 9/7/84, Notice 3/28/84—published 9/26/84, effective 9/7/84]
[Filed 6/6/85, Notice 3/27/85—published 7/3/85, effective 8/15/85]
[Filed without Notice 12/12/86—published 12/31/86, effective 2/4/87]
[Filed 2/11/94, Notice 8/4/93—published 3/2/94, effective 4/6/94]