The Iowa Dept. of Natural resources reports an estimated 50,000 hunters will be in the timber this spring pursuing the illusive wild turkey and while the woods will not be crawling with hunters, there is a chance for an occasional encounter.  Hunters should practice defensive hunting techniques.  Hunters should make a loud statement like “hey – hunter over here,” if they see someone coming into the same area. One loud noise shouldn’t scare a bird too much because loud noises happen in the woods. However, don’t make motion or throw something to get the other hunters attention.

“Turkey hunters are looking for movement,” said Jim Coffey, forest wildlife species technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  “Don’t wave your hand or make a movement because a movement could be misconstrued. If you walk in on someone they’re probably hearing the same bird you hear, just turn and walk away.  Find a different ridge to enjoy the morning.”

The timber will change a lot from early April to middle May reducing the distance hunters can see so it will be important that hunters continuously check their distance for their zone of fire. “You can’t call the bullet back once your pull the trigger so it’s important to know your target and what’s beyond before taking the shot,” Coffey said.  He often recommends setting out distance stick for reference points.  This allows hunters to know exactly how far away a bird is and if it’s within the weapons range.

Hunters should also respect other hunters. “They are out there trying to do what you are going to do. The competition is between turkey and hunter – not hunter and hunter,” Coffey said. One way to avoid walking in on other hunters is to go later in the morning. “Rather than try to get out in the woods for the first gobble, go out a little later, like around 9 a.m., you may have the area all to yourself,” he said.

Safety Tips

• Avoid wearing patriotic colors – red, white and blue.  These colors are also shared by gobblers.
• Bring a blaze orange game bag or turkey vest to use to carry the harvested bird out from the woods.
• Avoid using a gobble call.
• Using a hunting blind can be helpful if taking a young person on their first hunt, or for hunting companions to use.
• Make sure you have permission to be on the land and find out if anyone else has permission to the land and which season they will be hunting.  Just because you had permission a few years ago, does not mean you have permission this year.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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President Barack Obama made a trip to Cuba this week to continue his push to open relations with the country. An Iowa group that included Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) Chairman Jerry Mohr (More), a farmer from Eldridge visited the country on a trade trip in February. Mohr says it was a new experience. “All of us went back in time 50 years, we just did,” Mohr says. “It took us two hours to get baggage off the planes and through customs and out the door — and there were only two planes at the airport.”

“The drive to the Hotel Nacional was easy, they don’t have a lot of traffic on the road. At that time, you paid for everything in cash.” Mohr says there is no embargo on U-S food exports to Cuba, so some products are already being exported, but there is room for more. “We’ve got whole grains going down there, there’s corn, soybeans, I think there may even be some distillers (grain) going down there. But as far as value added, our meat products, there’s none of those going down that. And the Cuban people are desperately short of food, desperately short of quality foods,” Mohr says.

Mohr says he doesn’t care if Iowa corn is exported to Cuba as whole grain or as value-added food after being fed to cattle. He says there is also a need for grain to feed to chickens, which are important to the food supply. Support for farming is also needed in the country. “When the Soviet Union departed Cuba in 1991 — that’s when the expertise for the farming went away or the industrial farming, however you want to call it — went with the Soviets. So a lot of the land that was cultivated was taken over by invasive species. Which does happen, weeds grow, trees grow and everything else,” according to Mohr. He says they visited a farmer who is trying to get things restarted.

“The government has relaxed the standard on ownership, so if a family wanted to come in there and wanted to cultivate the land, reclaim the land, they could do that,” Mohr says. “It’s a long and arduous process.” Mohr says Brazil recently built a huge port on the south side of the island to handle the increased shipping that is to be expected. But he says the United States has a logistical advantage being only 90 miles away from Cuba and will be able to compete for exports. Mohr says the country’s infrastructure poses one of the greatest challenges as it tries to catch up with the rest of the world.

(Radio Iowa)

In an update to our earlier report, KCCI TV in Des Moines says two Des Moines Police officers were killed in the line of duty this morning while transporting a prisoner. Des Moines Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Paul Parizek told the station the officers were driving eastbound, returning a prisoner from Council Bluffs to Des Moines when they were struck head on by a vehicle driving the wrong way on the interstate. The prisoner and the driver of the second vehicle involved were also killed. The crash happened on Interstate 80 near the Waukee exit at mile marker 117 around 12:40 a.m.

The crash is being investigated by the Iowa State Patrol.Des Moines Police say the names of those killed in this crash are being withheld pending notification of their families. A news conference with the Des Moines Police Department and Iowa State Patrol will take place Saturday at 10 a.m.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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One of the legislature’s leading gun rights advocates is taking aim at a group called “Iowa Gun Owners”. The legislature has voted to legalize gun silencers or “suppressors” AND let landowners carry loaded guns when they drive ATVs and snowmobiles on their property. But both bills were scaled back to win passage. A fundraising email from the Iowa Gun Owners group accuses the “naive…establishment gun lobby” of getting hoodwinked by the “gun grabbers” in the legislature.

Representative Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley — a trained gunsmith — says he wants to set the record straight. “When you get those emails that tell you the sky is falling, send somebody money because they’re the only ones that can fix the problem…don’t be fooled by those scam artists,” Windschitl says. “Don’t be fooled by those charlatans.” Windschitl praises the Iowa Firearms Coalition and the National Rife Association for their work on the bills.

“Are we fighting on every front to try and advance every possible piece of legislation to enhance your Second Amendment rights?” Windschitl asked. “Absolutely.” Windschitl works in his family’s gun store in Missouri Valley. Iowa Gun Owners touts itself as the only “no compromise” gun group in Iowa and it vows to defeat “anti-gun” legislators this fall.

(Radio Iowa)

(Update 6:37-a.m. – All lanes open)

A fatality accident early this morning on Interstate 80 near the Waukee exit blocked both east and westbound traffic for about three-hours. Eastbound traffic was being detoured at Exit 117 as of 5:30, but by 6:30-a.m., all lanes had been re-opened.

No other details concerning the accident are currently available. The original road closure notice was posted at 2:32-a.m.

(WAUKEE) — Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa State Patrol early this (Saturday) morning, were urging motorists to avoid the area of Interstate 80 at the 117 mile-marker (Waukee exit), as it is closed in both directions as the Iowa State Patrol investigates a fatality crash. Traffic is being detoured off of the interstate in that area. No other details were immediately available. The notice was posted at 2:32-a.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa City hospital is warning patients that some of their personal information may have been accessed through a computer virus. An investigation revealed that a computer virus designed to capture personal data had infected some computers in January at Mercy Iowa City and Mercy Clinics. The information may have included patient demographics such as addresses, clinical information such as treatments and medications, health insurance information, and Social Security numbers.

STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) — State officials say an unknown amount of industrial cleaner has reached Storm Lake. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a pump failure caused a small amount of fluid from the Tyson-Hillshire plant to reach a storm sewer that flows into the Iowa lake.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says suspects from Wisconsin and Illinois who allegedly operated a car insurance fraud ring can be prosecuted in Iowa even though they never set foot in the state. The suspects allegedly staged fake accidents in Chicago, then filed claims with multiple insurers. They were charged in Iowa based on giving false information to a Davenport, Iowa-based employee of Sentry Insurance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Texas man, accused of helping a former lottery official in Iowa attempt to collect fixed lottery ticket jackpots, has lost an appeal of his extradition to Iowa but continues to fight. Robert Clark Rhodes, of Sugar Land, Texas was charged last year in Iowa with fraud.

CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Gill finished with a season-high 23 points, Mike Tobey came off the bench to score 18, and top-seeded Virginia beat Iowa State 84-71 in the Midwest Region semifinals on Friday night. The Cavaliers (29-7) withstood a second-half push by the fourth-seeded Cyclones (23-12) after grabbing a big lead in the early going and advanced to their first regional final since 1995. Georges Niang had another big game for Iowa State, finishing with 30 points after scoring 28 in each of the first two rounds.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa State Patrol early this (Saturday) morning, were urging motorists to avoid the area of Interstate 80 at the 117 milemarker (Waukee exit), as it is closed in both directions as the Iowa State Patrol investigates a fatality crash.

Traffic is being detoured off of the interstate in that area. No other details were immediately available. The notice was posted at 2:32-a.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa City hospital is warning patients that some of their personal information may have been accessed through a computer virus. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports an investigation revealed that a computer virus that is designed to capture personal data had infected some computers in January at Mercy Iowa City and Mercy Clinics.

The potentially stolen information may have included patient demographics such as addresses, clinical information such as treatments and medications or health insurance information. Officials say that in some cases Social Security numbers may have been accessed. There is no evidence that any patient information has been used improperly and hospital officials mailed letters to affected patients Friday.

Mercy continues to investigate the privacy breach with the help of law enforcement.