DNR offers incentives for hunting land

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is currently accepting applications for the Iowa Habitat and Access Program where a landowner can receive financial incentives in exchange for opening up their land for hunting.

The landowner works with a wildlife biologist and receives technical assistance and financial incentives to improve the landowner’s property.

To be eligible for the program, a property needs to be at least 40 acres. An application ranking process determines which properties are accepted into the program.

a contract lengths run three to 10 years. During this time, the property would be open for public walk-in hunting from Sept. 1 to May 31 each year.

The IHAP program has been around since 2011 and is funded through the USDA ‘s farm bill VPA funds.

There are currently more than 30,000 acres in the IHAP program in Iowa. Most of these acres are enrolled in USADA’s CRP program.

This is a great way for landowners to work with local biologists to manage the land and help to keep unwanted vegetation such as trees and weeds from expanding on their CRP acres.

The IHAP program helps with seeding, mowing, prescribed burning, food plots and other practices in managing the landowners’ acres.

Anyone interested in the CRP, Iowa Habitat and Access Program or in other wildlife habitat practices or programs should contact Jason Gritsch, Private Lands Wildlife Technician Iowa DNR, at 641 751 -1432 or at jason.gritsch@dnr.iowa.gov.