As a youngster growing up in the mid-Atlantic region, hunting quail and pheasants was magical. It wasn’t uncommon to jump ten coveys of Bob White quail and half a dozen pheasant roosters on a morning hunt. Today, those populations have vanished, whether from farming practice, disease, protected predators, or a combination of factors. Fortunately, quail and pheasants still thrive in the midwest and Great Plains, and pursuing those wild flocks is an upland hunter’s dream. It’s well worth the drive and resources to enable a great hunt. The Outdoor Wire shares the good news in Iowa.
Iowa’s estimated pheasant harvest continues its climb and for the fifth year in a row has been higher than the previous year. In 2015, more than 56,000 hunters harvested nearly 270,000 rooster pheasants in Iowa, which is an increased harvest of 24 percent over 2014 and the highest pheasant harvest since 2009.
Pheasant hunters were not the only ones who had better hunting, quail hunters enjoyed their best hunting since 2007.
Hunters harvested an estimated 28,400 quail in 2015, which was a 165 percent increase over 2014. The large increase in quail harvest was predicted by the August roadside survey which counted the highest number of quail in 21 years.
“We expected to see more pheasants and quail harvested based on the August roadside survey and our current trend of mild winters,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources… [continued]
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