2011 harvest numbers

[blackcloud27]

who would of ever quessed that more deer in iowa would be shot than pheasants. dnr estimated last years phesant harvest at 109,000

[HighBrass68]

Ouch.....
Really hits a nerve.....as I grew up just across the river in Nebr.
Iowa was always one of the premier spots for phez....

Link: http://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/...whatweknow.pdf

2002....harvest was in the 1,000,000 mark....

Hopefully these damn grain prices will drop and CRP and weedy cover will increase.

Good luck guys!

[quail hound]

Wow. I'm not sure what our #s were last year but we usually average around 150k but that's in a huge state with tons of ag land if that gives you an idea of how tough the hunting is out here. Here's is to better years for our beloved chickens.

[carptom1]

Wow that's really sad. I'm sure that amount was taken opening weekend back in the early nineties when I would frequent your state.

[mnmthunting]

I still remember my first out of state hunting in the 60's Audubon!!
We had Pheasants in Minnesota those days.
I mean plenty ALL we wanted to clean/eat type stuff

TELL YOU WHAT!!! That Audubon Country had pheasants!!
Well That was then.

[pheasantaddict]

You would not want to come to hunt pheasants in Audubon county anymore. I'm glad you enjoyed it when it was good.

[mnmthunting]

Originally Posted by pheasantaddict

You would not want to come to hunt pheasants in Audubon county anymore. I'm glad you enjoyed it when it was good.

Our last trip to Audubon was about 1980, was not good enough for us to go back. When hunting was good there were many smallish farms and everybody had small feedlots, standing over Winter corn with hogs doing the harvesting. Lots of fences weeds and grass. I remember one Dec hunt after a heavy snow, there were thousands of pheasants in one cornfield.

[pheasantaddict]

I remember those days too. We probably have hunted some of the same farms. I've hunted here since the 70's and thought I seen some pretty good bird #'s. But my dad tells me about the real good ole days, when the birds were thick as ticks. Back then you didn't need a dog to hunts pheasants. Now even with a good dog it doesn't equate to a bird in the bag.

[mnmthunting]

The year with the snow, I was still in HS purty sure 1966. Where we stayed was a farmer that was a cousin to my Uncle. About 6-8 miles West of Audubon maybe SW. Moore was the old guys name, long gone. He got annoyed that we only shot roosters. There was no limit on roosters. . He and his family ate pheasant and sold the livestock. Didn't want to take the time to hunt, so others helped them out.