DES MOINES – Two mild winters in a row were not in the cards. Iowa’s winter seemed mild through middle February, but March was the coldest since 1975 and snowiest since 1998, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship weather report for March. Only northwest Iowa had below normal snow fall amounts.
What does that mean for Iowa’s pheasants?
In years following similar amounts, there was little improvement in pheasant numbers. The next critical time period is spring nesting season.
If April and May are above normal for temperature and normal to below normal for rainfall, pheasant counts may increase. If temperatures are below normal and rainfall is above normal, pheasant counts are likely to decrease.
While this is a statewide perspective based on weather and population change, the northwest region with below normal snowfall is an area where increases could be expected with a good spring.
I used to work at the Pheasant Run. Love Tom Barlas.
bOB — very accurate !
Bob, you sir, are correct!!!! You can not make bricks without straw, or pheasants without cover!
what pheasants? The old elusive Iowa cockbird has seen much better days and Iowans have long past seen the pinacle of pheasant populations. They will never recover if the current land ethic continues by conservtionists and and farmers alike Give a good intentioned volunteer a book of matches and some grassland and watch what will happen next in this very late season. The burning of any prairie this year will take a heavy toll on young of any species. Please don’t toast those cute little babies.
Give a farmer a bulldozer as a new toy, well we all know what happens in these days of high priced commodities.
Give the local County Conservation Commission chainsaws and thousands of gallons of pesticides spraying the ditches to rid them of a few trees…
Give Pheasants Forever a chance to articulate the causes & effects, they remain dumb or mum..
What chance does the old cockbird have? It’s over.
Doesn’t having good habitat, LOL, play in the prospects of a good nesting season…