On Saturday the first of two shotgun seasons opens for Iowa deer hunters. During this period, as well as youth and disabled seasons, hunters will have the option to utilize rifles that are capable of shooting straight walled cartridges. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources enacted this law to provide a lower recoil option for older and younger hunters specifically.
The new law allows for straight wall ammunition that was previously approved for pistol hunting to be used in rifles. The list of acceptable calibers is located in the Iowa Hunting and Trapping Regulations document, which can be found on the DNR’s website. Hunters who use rifles capable of shooting ammunition not on the approved list while deer hunting are subject to a two year hunting privilege suspension and a $250 fine.