DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Saturday marks the opening day of the annual hunting season for cottontail rabbits as well as fox and gray squirrels. The Department of Natural Resources says hunters should see more rabbits than last year, especially in southern Iowa. The cottontail season runs through February.

The squirrel season also begins Saturday, and DNR forest wildlife coordinator Jim Coffey says numbers should be about the same as last year. The squirrel season continues through Jan. 31.