DNR makes checks to keep hunters following the rules

Those who take to the fields to hunt in Iowa should be prepared to show they’re following the rules. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources held two roadblock stops Sunday after the opening of the pheasant season. D-N-R Wildlife Bureau Chief Richard Bishop says the roadblocks are a common practice.They usually have one or two roadblocks around the state during the opening weekend of the pheasant season. He says they don’t have a set number of roadblocks each year. Bishop says the roadblocks help keep hunters honest and give conservation officers a chance to check to make sure hunters are following the rules regarding licenses and bag limits. Bishop says they didn’t find many problems in the initial roadblocks.Bishop says there weren’t many violations, and most of them involved not having guns in their cases for transport as required by law. Bishop says the number of hunters out on the first weekend of the pheasant season was light.