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Iowa Pheasant Season Opens October 31
Posted: October 13, 2009

BOONE - Iowa's pheasant and quail hunting seasons open on October 31, with an estimated 80,000 people expected to pursue upland game birds this year, which is down more than 100,000 hunters from 1999.

Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, recommends pheasant hunters take a look at the August roadside survey counts as counts were variable across the state. The counts can be viewed online at www.iowadnr.gov.

"We saw only slight improvements in our pheasant populations south of Hwy. 20, with large declines north of Hwy. 20," said Bogenschutz. "Overall the August roadside surveys showed pheasants were unchanged from the 2008 season, while quail numbers showed a rebound from 2008.

"It will definitely not be one of our better years, but there will still be good hunting where we have good habitat," said Bogenschutz. He expects hunters will still harvest around 300,000 roosters. Iowa's special 2-day resident only youth pheasant season opens Oct. 24-25.

Bogenschutz said he remains concerned that Iowa continues to lose valuable pheasant habitat in the form of expiring CRP (conservation reserve program) lands. Contracts on approximately 170 square miles of CRP in Iowa expired October 1.

"It will be impossible for our pheasant population to recover with less and less habitat each year," said Bogenschutz.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering a public comment period on the CRP through Oct.19, 2009. Bogenschutz encourages hunters who value the habitat that CRP provides to visit USDA's website and provide comments on CRP.