Too Early to Talk Turkey?

Well, as is the case many times with powerful spring-like systems, this one has changed overnight. The moisture supply was less and there was more warm air resulting in only freezing sprinkles. Looking at the forecast, Tuesday's higher humidity will add a spring-like feeling to the air and that feeling already has me looking ahead to spring turkey hunting!

Can you believe turkey season is only 48 days away! Youth season is even earlier starting April 7th and already I'm thinking about dusting off the blind and testing my calls. Of course, going to the Iowa Deer Classic and seeing all the toys and decoys only fueled the fire even more.

With several weeks to prepare for the next hunting season, now is the perfect time to take someone new and introduce them to the outdoors. Many times the biggest excuse folks have for not hunting is "I never took hunter's safety." If this fits you or someone you know, it is very simple to get certified for hunter's safety in Iowa. There are two hurdles to jump: coursework + a field day.

According to the DNR there are two main options available for hunter safety education. You can complete the class + a field day, or if your time is limited you can complete the coursework online at Hunter-Ed.com and HunterExam + a field day. Hunter's Ed is typically offered March 1 through November 15th. Now is a great time to sign up for these courses and introduce someone new to the wonderful world of the Iowa outdoors!

On a side note- I just ran across this story about a kid surviving a cyote attack. Pretty amazing!

Slick Start Tuesday

We've got some spring-like swings in the forecast this week as highs go from the 30s to 50s and back again. When freezing temperatures meet up with cold rain an icy mess is born. It looks like we'll set the stage for a slick morning start here in Iowa on Tuesday.

Tuesday morning temperatures will start off in the 20's thanks to a Canadian high pressure at the surface. Meanwhile clouds and moisture will stream in and start to squeeze out some precipitation early in the day.

It should start off as a little sleet and freezing rain mixed before changing to all freezing drizzle and freezing rain. Slick conditions will greet most morning commuters with a glaze to up to 0.1" of ice in central Iowa.

Once temps warm up above freezing around 9 or 10am, the roads will become mainly wet and travel will improve. Rain showers and even some rumbles of thunder are possible with this storm for the rest of our soggy Tuesday. Keep track of any changes with ABC5 Weather.

The whole storm system will wrap up with some light snow accumulations early Wednesday in northern Iowa. Most of us will see 1/3" to 3/4" of beneficial water with this storm. There is very little frost in the ground so this system should help the rainfall deficit with another soaking rain.

The wind will become a factor on Wednesday! Don't be surprised to see fowl weather with winds 20 to 30mph with gusts up around 50mph from the WNW! Take care and add about twice as much time to your Tuesday commute so you can slide into work safely tomorrow!

Great Weekend For Sportsmen!

First off, congrats to West86! Your comment just won you free tickets to the Iowa Deer Classic Feb 24th-26th at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines! Send me an e-mail cconoan@myabc5.com as soon as possible to collect your prize.

West86 brings up a great point about shed hunting -a rising star in popular hunting. For any who may be interested, this has nothing to do with spotting & stalking small utility buildings (someone asked once). Deer 'shed' their antlers every year typically between January-March leaving these token trophies on the forest floor.

I know a lot of hunters will be taking to the woods looking for antlers after our excitement for deer hunting is rejuivinated by outdoormen's shows like the Deer Classic. Looking at the 7-day forecast this weekend is squeezing right in-between some chilly/blustery conditions on Thur./Fri. and a major storm system Sunday/Monday. Our snow-free ground and comfortably cool temperatures are the perfect combination for taking a hike through the brush, shed hunting!

If your top choice is fishing tackle the Mid Iowa Bassmasters are putting on a Swap Meet & Boat Show the 25th -26th.

This one's held over at the 4-H Building on the Iowa State Fair Grounds. This show features seminars, boats and boatloads of tackle and it looks like a great alternative to the Deer Classic. Google tells me it's only 4.0 mi. and about 10 minutes from the Fairgrounds to Hy-Vee Hall for sportsmen who enjoy both outdoor passions.

So there's no excuses now. Take a break from the new NBC Sports Network or whatever the heck VS became and get out this weekend. We've got a couple good shows in town, guys on the Iowa Sportsman Forum say the fishing bite is picking up, and the shed's are waiting for you. Better get to 'em before the squirrels do.

Rain-Maker on the Way

Normally when a storm moves in this time of year we expect to see some snowfall out of it. February is after all the second snowiest month of the year for central Iowa. We've got a storm moving in to start this week but this time we'll see mainly rain showers and even a rumble of thunder or two with this one.

Rain is not the best news for ice fishers and could spell the end of the hard-water season for most folks south of highway 20. This storm system will bring 1/4" to 1/2" of ice-melting rain along with daily average temperatures above freezing for 2 to 4 days. These two factors combined with winds of 20 to 30mph during the day will put a lot of stress on the remaining ice making conditions unsafe.

Rain is good news for farmers, river fishers and open water anglers in southern/western Iowa. Many Iowa anglers are getting excited for the spring fishing season and the bite is picking up! Water levels have been very low and any moisture and rainfall will bring more good news. Despite the relatively light rainfall amounts, state-wide rain should feed back into the streams and rivers. Runoff nutrients and this subtle increase in current could kick off a nice bite Tuesday and Wednesday. So rain is a good thing!

My managers here at ABC 5 just handed me 5 extra tickets to the Iowa Deer Classic. If you're interested in free tickets, give me your feedback on the blog. Post a comment below about any topic I've covered or one you'd like me to cover. We'll select the winner(s) Wednesday.

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