DES MOINES – DNR wildlife staff covered 6,000 miles of county roads during the first two weeks of August to count upland game populations. So what are they predicting for fall pheasant hunting in Iowa?
A repeat of last year, and as Iowa hunters know, that’s a good thing.
The survey found an average of 21 pheasants per 30-mile route statewide. In 2015, the statewide average was 24 pheasants per route.
“Our pheasant population is similar to 2007 when we harvested 630,000 roosters,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland game biologist. “The birds are here, we need hunters to return.”
Iowa’s quail population has been on the rise and is now at its highest since 1989, especially across south-central and southwest Iowa.