Does Your Deer Blind Meet Iowa’s Hunting Requirements?

This past weekend my wife and I were driving home from a late-night grocery store run when we saw 3 deer cross a pretty busy street. After this moment, it kind of hit me that, depending on your hunting weapon of choice, deer hunting season is in full force and/or right around the corner for a lot of Iowan deer hunters.

According to the Iowa DNR,  Archery Season (early split) began on Oct 1st and is currently available for Iowa deer hunters until December 1st. Iowa residents who use a muzzleloader to deer hunt had the opportunity to hunt from October 14 through October 22nd. Those who choose to hunt with a shotgun will have to wait until December 2nd for Shotgun Season 1.

Deer hunters in the state of Iowa are required to wear blaze orange while they are out in the field or sitting in a deer stand. This is pretty common knowledge but did you know there is a measurable amount of orange that blinds are required to have in Iowa?

How Much Orange Is Required?

To hunt deer with a firearm in any season, hunters must wear one of the following; "solid blaze orange clothing: vest, jacket, coat, sweatshirt, sweater, shirt, or coveralls. An orange hat alone is not sufficient," according to E Regulations. Obviously, all of these must be visible at all times.

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Hunters who choose to use a deer blind during the regular shotgun season must have blaze-orange markings with a "minimum of 144 square inches visible in all directions." A blind is defined by E Regulations as a not naturally occurring landscape feature or an arrangement of natural or agricultural plant material a hunter uses as concealment. All of the clothing items listed above must also be worn while sitting in the blind as well.

Stay safe and good luck if you participate in any of the deer hunting seasons this year in Iowa. If you're using a blind during Iowa's shotgun seasons be sure you're meeting the state's requirements.