Statewide, Iowa (RI) – This year marks the 100th Iowa pheasant hunting season, and it could turn out to be one of the best for hunters in decades.
DNR wildlife biologist Todd Bogenschutz says their annual roadside survey found pheasant numbers at a 20-year high, despite a drop in newly hatched chicks.
Bogenschutz says the increase in adult birds led to more nesting birds to offset the loss of new chicks.
Bogenschutz adds a milder winter let more of the adult birds survive. The number of birds taken could surpass 2023, which was one of the best seasons in 20 years.
He contiunued to say the harvest could hit 750,00 and added the weather could be one factor that keeps hunters from reaching that mark.
Bogenschutz says hunter numbers here can be influenced by the availability of birds in other states.
He says he’d be surprised if pheasant numbers were down in those states, based on the mild winter across the midwest. The Iowa pheasant season opens October 25th.
