Pheasant Reports

[bhs91]

Anyone been out recently? I normally hunt the Garner/Clear Lake area but will not be able to get down this year for the first time in quite some time. Just wondering how people have been doing?

Thanks for any reports in advance!

BHS

[Walleye Guy]

Hunted five days in northern Iowa and the hunting was excellent. Limited every day but one and on that day our group was only one bird short. All the birds were shot on public land or in road ditches. The bird counts are down but there isn't anywhere for the birds to hide with all the crops out.

[bhs91]

Awesome! Good to hear about successes!

BHS

[SHANTY]

There is no pheasants in Iowa anymore..... No Cover, No crp, Greedy farmers that plow, burn, and cut down everything. So so sad see the state go to H**!

What is next? The deer? Numbers are way down on them too

[SHANTY]

I would not even waist your time going out anymore.... and the DNR blames it on the weather

[delmuts]

Here is a clip from the DNR report.

"While Iowa pheasant numbers statewide are down from 2010, the northwest, central and north central regions offer the highest population of birds based on the August roadside survey. The survey counted more pheasants in southwest, east central and south central than 2010, but the numbers were only marginally higher."

[JIvers]

I was bowhunting back in Fillmore County, MN last weekend--less than a mile as the crow flies from the Iowa border.

In the past few years I could count on hearing or seeing at least one, and usually more, rooster pheasant as it got light out. Two mornings last weekend, plus a weekend earlier in the bow season, and no sound or sight of any pheasant.

We have about fifteen acres of slough, plus some fencelines and old lanes (which I will not tear out), and waterways that offer cover for pheasant and other critters. There has also been forty acres of hay ground for the last three years, plus the neighbor's thirty or so acres of CRP.

In the past this was enough to keep some pheasants around, but not this year. The horrible spring weather (cold and rain is not conducive to pheasant hatches) seems to have added on to the problems caused by the loss of habitat in the general area. There are too many sections of corn and beans with no suitable pheasant cover whatsoever. Plenty of timber, but that's of little use to pheasants.

Twenty years ago we still had some quail, but they are long gone, as are the brushy fences and lanes they needed for habitat. I haven't seen a jackrabbit in years, either.

On the plus side, the deer and turkey are doing great. Twenty years ago we had no turkey; sixty years ago we had no deer.

[Esox_Magnum]

Estimated state wide bird population is around 100K down from the normal of around a million...More snow in the winter, less habitat and cool wet springs are said to be the blame...