A bill for an act relating to special landowner turkey hunting licenses. (Formerly SF 10.) Effective date: 07/01/2025.
Summary
Senate File 148 amends Iowa law governing special landowner wild turkey hunting licenses. The bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to issue, upon written application and without a fee, one wild turkey license each year to either the owner of a farm unit or a member of the owner’s family, but not both, and similarly one license to either the tenant or a member of the tenant’s family, but not both. The license is limited to the farm unit for which the applicant qualifies and is treated as the least restrictive turkey license under existing law.
The bill also clarifies that the owner or tenant does not have to live on the farm unit to qualify for the free license. In addition, the free license may be used during any open bow or firearm turkey season, so long as the hunter uses a method of take authorized for that season, and the holder does not have to preselect a season of use. Each license authorizes the harvest of one wild turkey.
Impact
SF 148 updates section 483A.24 of the Iowa Code by expanding and clarifying eligibility and use rules for special landowner turkey hunting licenses. It preserves the one-license-per-qualifying-party structure for farm owners and tenants, but removes any residency requirement tied to the farm unit and allows broader seasonal use without advance designation. The practical effect is to make the free landowner turkey license easier to obtain and more flexible for qualifying landowners and tenants, while continuing to limit use to the specific farm unit and to one turkey per license.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate committee unanimously, passed the Senate 48-0, received strong support in the House Agriculture Committee, and then passed the House 88-4. The voting pattern suggests general agreement across chambers that the measure was a routine clarification or adjustment to hunting-license rules rather than a major policy change.
Contention
There is little evidence of significant controversy in the available record. The only notable point of potential debate is the expansion of flexibility for landowners and tenants by removing the residency requirement and allowing use in any open bow or firearm turkey season without prior designation. Any concerns would likely come from those attentive to wildlife-management rules, hunting access, or the scope of free licenses, but the near-unanimous votes indicate those concerns did not generate substantial opposition.
A bill for an act relating to the size requirement of a farm unit for purposes of receiving special turkey and deer hunting licenses.(Formerly SF 247.)
A bill for an act relating to the size requirement of a farm unit for purposes of receiving special turkey and deer hunting licenses.(Formerly HSB 257.)
A bill for an act relating to deer hunting, including deer depredation and the purchasing of a youth deer hunting license and tag. (Formerly SF 331.) Effective date: 07/01/2025.