The state of Iowa allows non-profit organizations an opportunity to apply for a Governor's Tag, which can be used as a fundraiser for the awarded organization. These tags are non-resident, statewide, choose-your-season tags and are highly coveted. The Iowa Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has been fortunate to have been awarded one of these tags in 2024, 2025, and was recently notified that they would receive another tag for 2026. 100% of the tag proceeds awarded to the Iowa Chapter of BHA have been committed to public land acquisition opportunities.

Thanks to funds raised through Iowa’s annual deer tag auction, the Iowa Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers can support meaningful public land acquisition projects that not only expand hunting and fishing opportunities but also safeguard critical ecosystems for future generations. The following overview highlights several of these projects and the strong partnerships helping bring them to life.

1)      IA BHA supported a project brought to us by Pheasants Forever in partnership with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) to add 422 acres of public land located in Madison and Clarke Counties, named the Jim Wooley Family Tract. The site is adjacent to Heritage Hills WMA, which creates a larger tract of public habitat. The property includes 180 acres of woodland and 160 acres of grassland.

2)      A second project IA BHA contributed to in partnership with INHF, is located northeast of Decorah in Allamakee County. This parcel creates an additional 21 publicly accessible acres, providing access to a stretch of .35 miles of Bear Creek, which supports wild Brown Trout and catchable Rainbow Trout, that was previously blocked to the public. This property is added to an already existing 947-acre WMA. The goal of the project is to open to the public in 2026.

3)      The final project that IA BHA contributed to in 2025 is in Story County, roughly 30 minutes north of Des Moines, IA in the center of the state, and home to the agricultural and natural resource college, Iowa State University. 250 acres of public land will be added along the Skunk River. This project is unique in that it is planned to be specifically managed for turkey and deer.

IA BHA helped add 693 acres new acres for public fishing and hunting access in 2025, bringing the total to 1,171 acres added since we started the program. This is especially significant given that Iowa only has 763,000 total acres of public land open to hunting or fishing.  The Iowa BHA Chapter will continue to commit all proceeds of the annual deer tag auction to additional public land acquisitions.