CHAPTER 99
WILD TURKEY FALL HUNTING
571—99.1(481A) General. When hunting wild turkey, all hunters must have in possession a fall wild turkey hunting license valid for the current year, the unused transportation tag issued with that license, a hunting license, and evidence of having paid the habitat fee (if normally required to have a hunting license and to pay the habitat fee to hunt). No person shall carry or have in possession a fall wild turkey hunting license or transportation tag issued to another person while hunting wild turkey. No one who is issued a wild turkey hunting license and transportation tag shall allow another person to use or possess that license or transportation tag while turkey hunting or tagging a turkey. Licenses for the fall turkey season will only be issued to Iowa residents except as specified in subrule 99.2(4).
[ARC 8254B, IAB 11/4/09, effective 12/9/09]
571—99.2(481A) Licenses.
	99.2(1) Paid combination shotgun-or-archery licenses. Paid combination shotgun-or-archery licenses shall be valid for taking turkeys of either sex in the zone designated on the license.
	99.2(2) Paid archery-only licenses. Paid archery-only licenses shall be valid statewide for taking turkeys of either sex.
	99.2(3) Number of licenses. No one may apply for or obtain more than two wild turkey fall hunting licenses, whether free or paid. A hunter may obtain no more than two combination shotgun-or-archery licenses, or two archery-only licenses, or one of each. One license of either type may be free to eligible landowners or tenants.
	99.2(4) Special licenses. The commission shall issue licenses in conformance with Iowa Code section 483A.24(12) to nonresidents 21 years of age or younger who have a severe physical disability or who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. A person applying for this license must provide a completed form obtained from the department of natural resources. The application shall be certified by the applicant’s attending physician with an original signature and declare that the applicant has a severe physical disability or a terminal illness using the criteria listed in 571—Chapter 15. A medical statement from the applicant’s attending physician that specifies criteria met shall be on 8½″ × 11″ letterhead stationery. The attending physician shall be a currently practicing doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.
[ARC 7920B, IAB 7/1/09, effective 8/5/09; ARC 8254B, IAB 11/4/09, effective 12/9/09; ARC 3832C, IAB 6/6/18, effective 7/11/18]
571—99.3(481A) Seasons. Wild turkey may be taken only during specified periods as follows:
	99.3(1) Combination shotgun-or-archery season. The dates for the combination shotgun-or-archery season shall be from the Monday following the second Saturday in October through the Friday before the first Saturday in December of the same year.
	99.3(2) Archery-only season. The dates for the fall archery-only wild turkey hunting season shall be the same as the dates for the bow season for deer as defined in 571—Chapter 106.
571—99.4(481A) Zones. Wild turkey may be taken with a combination shotgun-or-archery license only in the following zones:
	99.4(1) Zone 4. Zone 4 is that portion of Iowa bounded on the north by Interstate Highway 80 and on the west by U.S. Highway 59.
	99.4(2) Zone 5. Zone 5 is that portion of Iowa bounded on the east by U.S. Highway 59 and on the north by U.S. Highway 20.
	99.4(3) Zone 6. Zone 6 is that portion of Iowa bounded on the south by Interstate Highway 80 and on the west by U.S. Highway 63.
	99.4(4) Zone 7. Zone 7 is that portion of Iowa bounded on the north by U.S. Highway 20, on the west by U.S. Highway 59, on the south by Interstate Highway 80, and on the east by U.S. Highway 63.
	99.4(5) Zone 8. Zone 8 is that portion of Iowa bounded on the south by U.S. Highway 20, on the east by U.S. Highway 63, and on the west by U.S. Highway 69.
	99.4(6) Zone 9. Zone 9 is that portion of Iowa bounded on the south by U.S. Highway 20 and on the east by U.S. Highway 69.
571—99.5(481A) Quotas.
	99.5(1) Combination shotgun-or-archery licenses. A limited number of paid combination shotgun-or-archery licenses will be issued by zone as follows:
	a. 	Zone 4. 1,500
	b. 	Zone 5. 650
	c. 	Zone 6. 1,400
	d. 	Zone 7. 250
	e. 	Zone 8. 200
	f. 	Zone 9. 200
	99.5(2) Archery-only licenses. The number of archery-only licenses shall not be limited.
	99.5(3) Free landowner-tenant licenses. The number of free licenses shall not be limited.
	99.5(4) Additional licenses. Additional combination shotgun-or-archery licenses may be added to zone quotas if turkey surveys indicate that annual brood production and turkey populations are high enough to warrant additional hunting opportunity. The licenses will be added at the discretion of the natural resource commission upon advice from the wildlife bureau.
[ARC 7920B, IAB 7/1/09, effective 8/5/09; ARC 5065C, IAB 7/1/20, effective 8/5/20]
571—99.6(481A) Daily, season, and possession bag limits. The daily, season, and possession bag limit is one wild turkey per license.
571—99.7(481A) Shooting hours.
	99.7(1) Combination shotgun-or-archery season. Shooting hours shall be from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset each day.
	99.7(2) Archery-only season. Shooting hours shall be from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day.
571—99.8(481A) Means and method of take.
	99.8(1) Permitted weapons. In accordance with the type of license issued, wild turkey may be taken by shotgun and muzzleloading shotgun not smaller than 20-gauge and shooting only shot sizes number 4 through 8 lead or nontoxic shot; and by longbow, recurve, or compound bow shooting broadhead or blunthead (minimum diameter 9/16 inch) arrows only. No person may carry or have in possession shotshells containing shot of any size other than number 4 through 8 lead or nontoxic shot while hunting wild turkey. Arrows with chemical or explosive pods are not permitted.
	99.8(2) Prohibited devices. The use of live decoys, horses, motorized vehicles, aircraft, bait and the use or aid of recorded or electronically amplified bird calls or sounds, or recorded or electronically amplified imitations of bird calls or sounds are prohibited. Paraplegics and single or double amputees of the legs may hunt from any stationary motor-driven land conveyance. “Paraplegic” means an individual afflicted with paralysis of the lower half of the body with the involvement of both legs, usually due to disease of or injury to the spinal cord. “Bait” means grain, fruit, vegetables, nuts or any other natural food materials; commercial products containing natural food materials; or by-products of such materials transported to or placed in an area for the intent of attracting wildlife.
[ARC 3832C, IAB 6/6/18, effective 7/11/18]
571—99.9(481A) Procedures to obtain licenses. All paid and free resident fall turkey hunting licenses must be obtained using the electronic licensing system for Iowa (ELSI). Licenses may be purchased from ELSI license agents or by calling the ELSI telephone ordering system.
	99.9(1) Licenses with quotas. All paid turkey hunting licenses for which a quota is established may be obtained from ELSI agents on a first-come, first-served basis beginning August 15 until the quota fills, or through the last day of the hunting period for which the license is valid.
	99.9(2) Licenses without quotas. All paid and free turkey hunting licenses that have no quota may be obtained from ELSI agents beginning August 15 through the last day of the hunting period for which a license is valid.
	99.9(3) Providing false information. If anyone provides false information when obtaining any fall turkey hunting license, that license and transportation tag and any other fall turkey hunting license and transportation tag obtained during the same year shall be invalid.
571—99.10(481A) Transportation tag. Immediately upon the killing of a wild turkey, the transportation tag issued with the license and bearing the license number of the licensee, year of issuance, and date of kill properly shown shall be visibly attached to one leg of the turkey. The hunter who shot the turkey must use the transportation tag issued to that hunter to tag the turkey. No one may tag a turkey with a transportation tag issued to another hunter. The tag must be attached in such a manner that it cannot be removed without mutilating or destroying the tag. The tag must be attached before the carcass can be moved in any manner from the place of kill. The transportation tag shall remain affixed to the leg of the turkey until the turkey is processed for consumption. The leg that bears the tag must be attached to the carcass of any wild turkey being transported within the state during any wild turkey hunting season. The tag shall be proof of possession of the carcass by the above-mentioned licensee.
571—99.11(481A) Eligibility for free landowner/tenant turkey licenses.
	99.11(1) Who qualifies for free turkey hunting license.
	a. 	Owners and tenants of a farm unit and the spouse or domestic partner as defined by the Iowa department of administrative services and juvenile child of an owner or tenant who reside with the owner or tenant are eligible for free turkey licenses. The owner or tenant does not have to reside on the farm unit but must be actively engaged in farming it. Nonresident landowners do not qualify.
	b. 	“Juvenile child” means a person less than 18 years of age or a person who is 18 or 19 years of age and is in full-time attendance at an accredited school pursuing a course of study leading to a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma. A person 18 years of age or older who has received a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma does not qualify.
	99.11(2) Who qualifies as a tenant. A “tenant” is a person other than the landowner who is actively engaged in the operation of the farm. The tenant may be a member of the landowner’s family, including in some circumstances the landowner’s spouse or child, or a third party who is not a family member. The tenant does not have to reside on the farm unit.
	99.11(3) What “actively engaged in farming” means. Landowners and tenants are “actively engaged in farming” if they personally participate in decisions about farm operations and those decisions, along with external factors such as weather and market prices, determine their profit or loss for the products they produce. Tenants qualify if they farm land owned by another and pay rent in cash or in kind. A farm manager or other third party who operates a farm for a fee or a laborer who works on the farm for a wage and is not a family member does not qualify as a tenant.
	99.11(4) Landowners who qualify as active farmers. These landowners:
	a. 	Are the sole operator of a farm unit (along with immediate family members), or
	b. 	Make all decisions about farm operations, but contract for custom farming or hire labor to do some or all of the work, or
	c. 	Participate annually in decisions about farm operations such as negotiations with federal farm agencies or negotiations about cropping practices on specific fields that are rented to a tenant, or
	d. 	Raise specialty crops from operations such as orchards, nurseries, or tree farms that do not necessarily produce annual income but require annual operating decisions about maintenance or improvements, or
	e. 	May have portions of the farm enrolled in a long-term land retirement program such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) as long as other farm operations occur annually, or
	f. 	Place their entire cropland in the CRP or other long-term land retirement program with no other active farming operation occurring on the farm.
	99.11(5) Landowners who do not qualify. These landowners:
	a. 	Use a farm manager or other third party to operate the farm, or
	b. 	Cash rent the entire farm to a tenant who is responsible for all farm operations including following preapproved operations plans.
	99.11(6) Where free licenses are valid. A free license is valid only on the farm unit of the landowner or tenant. “Farm unit” means all parcels of land that are at least two contiguous acres in size, that are operated as a unit for agricultural purposes, and that are under lawful control of the landowner or tenant regardless of how that land is subdivided for business purposes. Individual parcels of land do not need to be adjacent to one another to be included in the farm unit. “Agricultural purposes” includes but is not limited to field crops, livestock, horticultural crops (e.g., nurseries, orchards, truck farms, or Christmas tree plantations), and land managed for timber production.
	99.11(7) How many free licenses may be obtained. The maximum number of free licenses for the fall turkey season is two per farm unit, one for the landowner (or family member) and one for the tenant (or family member). If there is no tenant, the landowner’s family may obtain only one license. A tenant or the tenant’s family is entitled to only one free license even if the tenant farms land for more than one landowner.
	99.11(8) Registration of landowners and tenants. Landowners and tenants and their eligible family members who want to obtain free fall wild turkey hunting licenses must register with DNR before the free licenses will be issued. Procedures for registering are described in 571—95.2(481A).
571—99.12(481A) Harvest reporting. Each hunter who bags a turkey must report that kill according to procedures described in 571—95.1(481A).
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code sections 481A.38, 481A.39, 481A.48, 483A.7 and 483A.24.
[Filed 5/7/81, Notice 3/4/81—published 5/27/81, effective 7/1/81]
[Filed 5/6/82, Notice 3/3/82—published 5/26/82, effective 7/1/82]
[Filed 5/6/83, Notice 3/30/83—published 5/25/83, effective 7/1/83]
[Filed 5/4/84, Notice 2/29/84—published 5/23/84, effective 7/1/84]
[Filed 5/8/85, Notice 2/27/85—published 6/5/85, effective 7/10/85]
[Filed 5/2/86, Notice 2/26/86—published 5/21/86, effective 7/1/86]
[Filed without Notice 12/12/86—published 12/31/86, effective 2/4/87]
[Filed 5/15/87, Notice 3/11/87—published 6/3/87, effective 7/8/87]
[Filed 5/13/88, Notice 2/24/88—published 6/1/88, effective 7/6/88]
[Filed 5/12/89, Notice 3/8/89—published 5/31/89, effective 7/5/89]
[Filed emergency 8/11/89—published 8/23/89, effective 8/11/89]
[Filed 5/11/90, Notice 3/7/90—published 5/30/90, effective 7/4/90]
[Filed 5/10/91, Notice 3/6/91—published 5/29/91, effective 7/3/91]
[Filed 5/8/92, Notice 3/4/92—published 5/27/92, effective 7/6/92]
[Filed 5/7/93, Notice 3/31/93—published 5/26/93, effective 7/5/93]
[Filed 5/20/94, Notice 3/2/94—published 6/8/94, effective 7/15/94]
[Filed 5/15/95, Notice 3/1/95—published 6/7/95, effective 7/14/95]
[Filed 5/15/96, Notice 2/28/96—published 6/5/96, effective 7/10/96]
[Filed 5/15/97, Notice 3/12/97—published 6/4/97, effective 7/9/97]
[Filed 5/29/98, Notice 3/11/98—published 6/17/98, effective 7/22/98]
[Filed 5/14/99, Notice 3/10/99—published 6/2/99, effective 7/7/99]
[Filed 5/12/00, Notice 3/8/00—published 5/31/00, effective 7/5/00]
[Filed 5/11/01, Notice 3/7/01—published 5/30/01, effective 7/4/01]
[Filed 5/9/02, Notice 3/6/02—published 5/29/02, effective 7/3/02]
[Filed 5/9/03, Notice 3/5/03—published 5/28/03, effective 7/2/03]
[Filed 5/20/04, Notice 3/3/04—published 6/9/04, effective 7/14/04]
[Filed 5/18/05, Notice 3/30/05—published 6/8/05, effective 7/13/05]
[Filed 8/11/06, Notice 6/7/06—published 8/30/06, effective 10/4/06]
[Filed 5/21/07, Notice 3/28/07—published 6/20/07, effective 7/25/07]
[Filed 6/24/08, Notice 4/9/08—published 7/16/08, effective 8/20/08]
[Filed ARC 7920B (Notice ARC 7689B, IAB 4/8/09), IAB 7/1/09, effective 8/5/09]
[Filed ARC 8254B (Notice ARC 8018B, IAB 7/29/09), IAB 11/4/09, effective 12/9/09]
[Filed ARC 3832C (Notice ARC 3729C, IAB 4/11/18), IAB 6/6/18, effective 7/11/18]
[Filed ARC 5065C (Notice ARC 5034C, IAB 5/6/20), IAB 7/1/20, effective 8/5/20]