Iowa’s game bird populations have seen a bit of resurgence in recent years — but a drop in the number of hunters has kept the harvest numbers moving back to past levels.  Iowa Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz, says some of the hunters were lost during the bird population drop.

He says another reason for a drop in hunters is the core group is getting older.

Bogenschutz says they follow the three R’s when it comes to hunting — retention of the current hunters; reactivating hunters who haven’t been out in a while; and recruitment of new hunters into the fold.  Trapshooting has become a more popular sport in high schools and he says it is something that can get kids to move into hunting.