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Iowa Pheasant Hunting

Credit: (PF)

2010 Iowa Pheasant Hunting Forecast

Forecast: No state is in need of some good pheasant news as much as Iowa, but it won't be this year. Coming off a record low year of just 74,017 hunters bagging 271,136 roosters, Iowa's statewide August roadside survey count showed a decrease of 30 percent from last year. Iowa hasn't been able to escape moisture, with the period from December of last year through this February as the snowiest period in state history, only to be followed up by a June through August stretch that was likely the wettest in state history. Mix in the previous years that haven't been good for pheasant production, and CRP acreage losses, and it's easy to see why Iowa pheasants have dropped to such historically low levels. Pheasant hunters not deterred by this news will find the highest concentration of roosters in northwest Iowa, where the roadside survey averaged 30 birds per route compared to 11 across the rest of the state. North central Iowa checks in as the next best option. As for the remainder of the state, pockets of good bird numbers may still be found in regions with exceptional habitat, according to Todd Bogenschutz, upland game Biologist/Farmbill coordinator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Season Dates: October 30 through January 10, 2011 Daily Bag Limit: 3 Possession Limit: 12 Field Notes:Pheasants Forever has placed five Farm Bill Biologists in Iowa as part of its "Reload Iowa" campaign, a three-year statewide effort to improve 1 million acres of wildlife habitat on private and public land in the state. Pheasants Forever plans to establish more such positions across Iowa in the coming years.

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Iowa Pheasant Hunting Directory

View our comprehensive directory of Iowa Pheasant Hunting lodges, guides, outfitters, preserves and places hunt in Iowa.

Outdoorsman Hunting Club Outdoorsman Hunting Club
2515 480th St., Webb, IA 51366
Phone: (712) 838-4890 , Beau: (712) 838-4892
The Outdoorsman Hunting Club is located on over 1,000 acres bordering the Little Sioux River in northwest Iowa. Our land includes CRP fields, wetlands, woodlands, and crops. Everything is maintained to provide the very best wildlife habitat available. Pheasants, quail, and partridge are plentiful throughout the property.

More listings here along with the full Iowa directory.

Iowa Pheasant Hunting Information

Habitat and weather are what determine pheasant populations, and neither has been particularly kind to pheasants in Iowa recently. Last season, Iowa's pheasant harvest fell to 383,000 – the lowest ever recorded – which is the result of a series of hard winters, abnormally wet and cool spring nesting seasons and massive losses of habitat. Winter hit the northern third of Iowa hard again in 08-09, cool temps hampered spring production, and that's reflected in the state's August roadside survey, which was down 12 percent. The northwest quarter of the state will provide the best hunting this fall, and the larger public lands in this area should hold good numbers. A statewide harvest is expected in the 300,000-350,000 range. Iowa's hopes of a pheasant resurgence hinge on CRP. Current CRP enrollment has dropped by half a million acres in the past two decades, and 85,000 more are set to expire this September. Enrollment for CRP SAFE and Upland Bird Habitat Buffers (CRP Conservation Practice 33) has been strong in Iowa, and more acres could be enrolled in these programs as soon as the USDA makes them available. * Season Dates: October 31 thru January 10, 2010 * Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 12