Tree stand accidents can happen to deer hunters regardless of skill level or experience and result in serious injury or even death. Unfortunately, in nearly every case, these incidents were preventable. To help prevent injuries, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with Tree Stand Safety Awareness, is encouraging hunters to practice the ABC’s of Tree Stand Safety:

• Always remove and inspect your equipment
• Buckle on your full-body harness
• Connect to the tree before your feet leave the ground

“Hunters should take tree stand safety seriously, every time you hunt from, hang, or move a tree stand. By performing these three simple steps, tree stand users can virtually eliminate their risk of falling to the ground as the majority of falls occur outside the stand,” said Megan Wisecup, hunter education administrator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Nationally, the estimated number of falls from tree stands requiring emergency room visits decreased by 28 percent in 2017. In Iowa last year, there were four tree stand incidents and all resulted in injury. “That’s a significant, positive move on the tree stand injury prevention front but we still have room for improvement,” Wisecup said.

An estimated 60,000 hunters will be heading to the timber in the next few weeks as Iowa’s archery deer season gets underway today (Oct. 1st). Forest wildlife research biologist Jim Coffey with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said hunters who spend time on preseason scouting should improve their chance for success later this fall. “Deer are habitual animals – their traditional trails now will be traditional trails later this fall and with all the rain over much of the state hunters have the opportunity to see the deer trails in the mud,” he said. “Even though food is plentiful now, hunters should still pattern the food sources and bedding areas.”

One food source deer will likely key on is acorns from white oak trees and Coffey said the white oaks in southern Iowa had an excellent crop this year. “Once you identify hunting areas, take advantage of the leaves being on the trees, knowing that once the leaves fall it will look a lot different to both hunters and the deer. It’s that time in the stand observing nature, seeing what makes the squirrels start barking or what it means when blue jays are calling that improves your skills as a hunter,” Coffey said. “Check your shooting lanes from both the ground and from the tree stand because it will look a lot different depending your angle.”

Coffey also advised hunters to inspect their tree stand and safety harness before heading out. “Make sure to check the straps and tighten the bolts on the tree stand and try on the safety harness to make sure it still fits. If it’s worn out or no longer fits, get it replaced. No one wants their hunt to end because they fell out of a tree stand,” he said. Part of preseason scouting includes preparing for a successful harvest. If planning to hunt in early October, or anytime the temperature is warm, hunters should bring large chunks of ice to put in the deer cavity to cool the meat. Freezing gallon milk jugs with water is a method often used by hunters. Then, get it to the locker as soon as possible.

Bow hunters harvested an estimated 23,000 deer in 2017. Iowa’s archery deer season is Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 10, 2019. Hunters who harvest a deer are required by law to report it by midnight of the day after the deer is recovered. Harvest may be reported online at www.iowadnr.gov, by phone at the toll-free number printed on the harvest report tag or through a license vendor during their regular business hours.

Iowa is expected to be without linebacker Nick Niemann when the Hawkeyes return from their bye week with a visit to Minnesota. Niemann suffered a leg injury late in a loss to Wisconsin and defensive coordinator Phil Parker says sophomore Barrington Wade and junior Kristian Welch are expected to fill in.

Parker has been pleased with the play of the linebackers after losing all three starters from a year ago.

Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz says the tweaked their practice schedule heading into the Minnesota game. The Iowa offense has struggled the past few years coming off a bye week.

Ferentz says the improvement on offense the past few weeks can be traced to better production on first down.

(Learfield Sports) — Iowa State coach Matt Campbell is not sure about running back David Montgomery’s status for this week’s game at Oklahoma State. Montgomery rushed for 101 yards in a 17-14 loss at TCU but left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury and did not return.

The Horned Frogs won the game with a field goal with 37 seconds remaining. Campbell remains confident in his team despite a 1-3 start.

It was another stellar effort by the Iowa State defense though Campbell says they had trouble getting the TCU offense off the field on third down. The Horned Frogs lone second half touchdown was scored by the defense on a 53 yard return of a Zeb Noland fumble.

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — Several hundred runners gathered in the hometown of slain Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts over the weekend to honor her memory with a run. The Des Moines Register reports the run on Sunday in the east-central Iowa town of Brooklyn helped raise more than $20,000 for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Mollie Tibbett’s older brother, Jake Tibbetts, encouraged participants to enjoy the run the way his sister would have.

Twenty-year-old Mollie Tibbettts vanished while out for a run in Brooklyn on July 18. Her body was found in a cornfield more than a month later. A 24-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in Tibbetts’ stabbing death.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is already learning how to juggle his on-field success with off-the-field spotlight. He has the Chiefs off to a 3-0 start, and has already broken NFL records. But with that comes the kind of attention reserved for just a few stars, and at times it can be downright oppressive.

CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo had four hits and scored three times, and the Chicago Cubs set up a tiebreaker game for the NL Central title with a 10-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Shortly after Milwaukee completed an 11-0 victory over Detroit, Jorge De La Rosa worked a hitless ninth inning to move the Cubs back into a tie with the Brewers at 95-67. The crowd of 39,275 roared in delight after Francisco Pena flied to right for the final out on a wet, cool afternoon at Wrigley Field.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer combined for a five-hitter, Francisco Lindor homered and scored twice, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1. Carrasco was working with a limited pitch count in a tuneup before an anticipated start in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against Houston on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ned Yost will return as the Royals’ manager next year following Kansas City’s poorest season since 2005. Kansas City announced a one-year extension before the season finale against Cleveland. Yost became Royals manager on May 13, 2010, and led the team to the 2015 World Series title, the team’s first since 1985 and second ever. He also managed Milwaukee from 2003-08.

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos once again have a tight end problem. They can’t cover them on defense and they can’t free them up on offense. And now their top tight end, Jake Butt, has torn an ACL for the third time and is back on IR. Next up are the Kansas City Chiefs and their star tight end Travis Kelce, who has had huge games against Denver.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cleveland manager Terry Francona confirmed the club would open its American League Division Series in Houston on Friday with reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in Game 1. Carlos Carrasco is set for Game 2. Both hurlers finished the season among the top 10 in the league in ERA, wins and strikeouts.

Thomas Jefferson Invitational

Treynor 4-0 Champion
St. Albert 3-1 Runner-Up
Shenandoah 2-2 3rd Place
Abraham Lincoln 3-1
Denison-Schleswig 2-2
Missouri Valley 2-2
Thomas Jefferson 1-3
Heartland Christian 0-4

Tri-Center Tournament

Tri-Center 5-0 Champion
Red Oak 4-1 Runner-Up
Lawton-Bronson 2-2
Fremont-Mills 1-4
Stanton 1-3
Westwood 1-3

CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo had four hits and scored three times, and the Chicago Cubs set up a tiebreaker game for the NL Central title by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 on Sunday. Shortly after Milwaukee completed an 11-0 victory over Detroit, Jorge De La Rosa worked a hitless ninth inning to move the Cubs back into a tie with the Brewers at 95-67. The crowd of 39,275 roared in delight after Francisco Pena flied to right for the final out on a wet, cool afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Now, everything gets real crazy.

Chicago hosts Milwaukee on Monday afternoon and the Colorado Rockies visit the Los Angeles Dodgers as baseball holds a pair of tiebreaker games on the same day for the first time. At stake is the postseason road for each club. The winner at Wrigley gets a spot in the division series and home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. The loser plays again Tuesday night, hosting the runner-up in the NL West in the wild-card game.

St. Louis (88-74) was in contention heading into the final week of the season, but it was swept by Milwaukee before dropping two of three against Chicago. Catcher Yadier Molina, outfielder Marcell Ozuna and infielders Kolten Wong and Jedd Gyorko were held out of the finale due to nagging injuries.

St. Louis missed out on the playoffs for a third straight year for the first time since it went 75-86 in 1999. It finished with a 41-28 record under Mike Shildt, who took over as manager after Mike Matheny was fired on July 14. The only other time Chicago began the final day of the regular season tied for the lead in its division or league was in 1908, when it beat Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants 4-2 at the Polo Grounds for the NL pennant. The Cubs then won their second straight World Series title before enduring a championship drought that cruised past a century before they won it all again in 2016.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: Wisdom was visited by a trainer and Shildt after he was hit by a pitch in the third. The trainer examined Wisdom’s left wrist for a short time, but he stayed in the game. … Wong (left knee) is expected to undergo an MRI in the near future, general manager Michael Girsch said.
UP NEXT
Jose Quintana is expected to start the tiebreaker game for Chicago. The veteran left-hander is 6-2 with a 1.60 ERA in 10 career starts against Milwaukee.

(2-0) Alta-Aurelia 21-21, Boyer Valley 14-15
(2-1) Boyer Valley 21-17-16, St. Mary’s, Remsen 19-21-14
(2-0) Boyer Valley 21-21, River Valley 11-16
(2-0) Fremont-Mills 21-21, Westwood, Sloan 17-17
(2-0) Hinton 21-21, Boyer Valley 15-14
(2-1) Lawton-Bronson 12-21-16, Westwood, Sloan 21-19-14
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Fremont-Mills 12-16
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Lawton-Bronson 10-15
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Stanton 19-8
(2-0) Red Oak 22-21, Westwood, Sloan 20-14
(2-1) St. Albert, Council Bluffs 17-21-15, Denison-Schleswig 21-12-4
(2-1) St. Albert, Council Bluffs 17-21-15, Shenandoah 21-19-12
(2-0) St. Albert, Council Bluffs 21-21, Missouri Valley 11-17
(2-0) Stanton 21-21, Fremont-Mills 15-18
(2-1) Treynor 18-21-15, Shenandoah 21-19-11
(2-1) Treynor 21-10-21, St. Albert, Council Bluffs 10-21-6
(2-1) Treynor 21-15-21, Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson 18-21-5
(2-0) Treynor 21-21, Heartland Christian 5-12
(2-0) Tri-Center, Neola 21-21, Fremont-Mills 5-8
(2-0) Tri-Center, Neola 21-21, Stanton 5-10
(2-0) Tri-Center, Neola 21-21, Westwood, Sloan 10-15
(2-0) Tri-Center, Neola 21-22, Lawton-Bronson 15-20
(2-0) Tri-Center, Neola 21-23, Red Oak 16-21
(2-1) Westwood, Sloan 21-18-15, Stanton 15-21-4
(2-0) Woodbury Central 21-21, Boyer Valley 9-4

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Jonathan Song kicked a 28-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining and TCU beat Iowa State 17-14. The game-deciding kick came three plays after TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson was helped off the field and taken directly to the locker room after taking a hard hit to his left shoulder at the end of a 1-yard run to the 10.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adalberto Mondesi hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 9-4 win over the Cleveleand Indians. Corey Kluber gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings in his final regular season start for Cleveland. Working with a short pitch count in his tune-up for American League Division Series against Houston, Kluber struck out six while throwing 80 pitches. Indians catcher Yan Gomes left the game in the bottom of the third with an injured right hand.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs lost 2-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals, sending the NL Central race to the final day of the season. The Cardinals kept alive their hope for a wild card, but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-6 victory at San Francisco.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Grant Kraemer threw four touchdown passes and Drake rolled over Jacksonville, 41-9 in the Pioneer Football League opener for both schools. The PFL Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for six touchdowns against Missouri S&T, Kraemer now has thrown 10 touchdown passes in his last seven quarters of play.