Iowa:  

To ensure your safety and protect wildlife and habitat, please be aware of these regulations.

General Restrictions  

 

• Access to the refuge is open from 1/2 hour before sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset unless otherwise posted or stated in hunting regulations.  
• We prohibit:  
• Target shooting.
• Training pets and allowing pets off leash.
• All types of motorized vehicles on all refuge land (to include on frozen bodies of water) except on designated parking areas, access roads and public roads.
• Motorized watercraft use is prohibited.
• Camping, open fires and overnight parking is prohibited.
• Abandoning, discarding or otherwise leaving any personal property.  All property brought onto a refuge must be removed at the end of each day.  This includes all common items like vehicles, boats, decoys, trail cameras, blinds, photography equipment, portable stands, climbing sticks, and trash.
• Destructing, defacing, disturbing or unauthorized removal of any natural object, artifact, cultural resource or government property.
• Introducing, liberating, or placing plants or animals or their parts taken elsewhere on refuge lands or waters.
• Disposing of animal carcasses, trash, refuse, rocks, wood or other debris.
• Cutting, mowing, sawing, digging, collecting, injuring or removing vegetation.
• Launching, landing or disturbing of wildlife by aircraft (drones) on the refuge.  This includes for recreational or commercial purposes.
• Commercial enterprise without a special use permit.
• Use or possession of any illegal drug or drug paraphernalia is prohibited.

Hunting

• If hunting is an approved use on the refuge that activity may have additional requirements than state regulations based on location, timing, species, methods of take, etc…  See refuge specific regulations below.
• If small game hunting is an approved use on the refuge then hunters using shotguns, including turkey hunters, are required to use and possess only non-toxic shot.
• During the small game and migratory bird seasons, hunting dogs must be under the immediate control of the hunter.
• Hunters must wear an article of blaze orange/pink consistent with state regulations.
• We prohibit constructing or occupying permanent stands or blinds.  We also prohibit the use of nails, wire, screws or bolts to attach a stand to a tree or hunting from a tree, into which a metal object has been driven to support a hunter.  Portable hunting stands must be set up and removed each day.
• We prohibit the use or possession of alcoholic beverages while hunting.
• We prohibit distribution of feed or bait, or hunting over bait.  This includes salts and minerals.

Northern Tallgrass Prairie 2020-2021 Hunt Brochure

Trapping

• If trapping is an approved use on the refuge it is by special use permit only and may have additional requirements than state regulations.  See refuge specific regulations below.

Fishing

• If fishing is an approved use on the refuge that activity may have additional requirements than state regulations based on location, timing, species, methods of take, etc...  See refuge specific regulations below.
• Motorized Watercraft use is prohibited.
• We prohibit all types of motorized vehicles on frozen water bodies.

Artificial Lights

• You may not use a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light to spot, locate or take any wild animal in a refuge.

Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge Specific Regulations

• Trapping is prohibited unless authorized in a Special Use Permit.
• Non-motorized Watercraft use is acceptable where physically possible.

Minnesota

• For the unit located within the Hiawatha Game Refuge in Pipestone County, you must follow the Hiawatha Game Refuge Regulations.
• For the Spieker units in Clay County, you must follow the Clay County Game Refuge Regulations.
• We prohibit the use of dogs for hunting furbearers.
• We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech minnow, crayfish and mussel/clam species by any method.

Iowa

• For units adjacent to Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, you must follow Neal Smith NWR specific regulations.
• We prohibit the use of dogs for hunting furbearers. 
• We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech minnow, crayfish and mussel/clam species by any method. 

Additional Information 

• Special-use permits may be issued for compatible secondary uses upon approval of the refuge manager.  Contact the appropriate refuge office listed above for application information.