Special Note: The severe winter weather of late 2009 and now early 2010, starting with two major blizzards, a continued cover of snow and now ice on top of the snow, will have a profound effect on the pheasant populations in Iowa this year, according to Iowa wildlife experts. The snow and ice make it difficult for pheasants to find food and proper cover. The snow also makes pheasants more susceptible to predators. This article takes a look at the conditions encountered by a couple who took two snowy hunts this winter. It also discusses where the higher pheasant numbers were this year. Suggestions are given about specific public hunting areas across the higher-count regions, things to see in the various regions and places to eat. Print out and keep the article for planning an Iowa pheasant hunt for the 2010-2011 season.
While the traditional wild pheasant hunting ended for the 2009-2010 season on Jan. 10, the conversation on how to bring pheasant numbers back up in Iowa will continue throughout the year. A warm, normally dry spring would be helpful to the numbers, but not much else may help boost the population this year.
The bright spot is that while the traditional season is over and may result in a record-low number of pheasants bagged, game preserves and farms throughout Iowa are open for pheasant hunting through March for people who don’t mind paying more to hunt. Game farms offer a great way to introduce other people, including children, to pheasant hunting, and to extend the hunting season. There also is the bonus of knowing the birds will be there no matter where the farm is located.
PHEASANT HUNTING IN THE 2009-2010 SEASON ALL ABOUT DEALING WITH SNOW
Ankeny Couple, Along with English Pointers Annie and Mooch, Enjoys the Experience, Despite Challenging Hunting Conditions
By Juli Probasco-Sowers
A brisk northwest wind carried small snowflakes through the air along with the natural scents of grass and woods.
English Pointers Annie and Mooch dashed off through the snow to follow their noses and the scent of pheasants. Their masters, David and Mary Kay DeBolt II of Ankeny, Iowa, walked not far behind.
“Hunt ‘em up,” David urged the dogs as the foursome headed through the cornfield toward a mixed habitat of tall grasses leading into timber.
Less than a half-hour into the winter hunt in rural Madison County near Macksburg, Iowa, the dogs were successful finding a pheasant, but it turned out to be a hen. Just a week prior, they had scared up more than a dozen pheasants, including several roosters, but the birds were getting up way out ahead.
The DeBolts spent the day traipsing through snow more than 16 inches deep in many places, deposited in a blizzard earlier in the week.
“The conditions couldn’t be more challenging,” David said following the first hunt on Dec. 12. “Most of the pheasants were still burrowed in under the grass. Conditions like these are testing on both hunters and dogs, but we still enjoy every bit of it.”
Mary Kay added, “We enjoy sharing hunts with good friends and watching the dogs’ excitement in doing what they live to do.”
David and Mary Kay kept a sharp eye on their dogs and how they were doing as they hunted in the harsher conditions. A hard crust had formed on the top of the snow by the following Saturday, creating another strenuous hunt for Annie and Mooch, and lots of noise by the hunters which made it difficult to go unheard by the birds. The hunt lasted just a couple of hours because it was simply too rough on the dogs’ feet and legs.
Throughout the early afternoon, the couple encountered Madison County farmers still trying to get their crops out of the field who reported finding pheasants frozen in the snow.
The blizzard will play a major role in statewide pheasant numbers expected in the 2010 August Roadside Survey, said Upland Wildlife Biologist Todd Bogenschutz with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The fate of this year’s pheasant population also depends on snowfall through the remainder of the winter, spring temperatures, and how much rain Iowa receives through the spring nesting season. Iowa has already had a record snowfall for December.
Tough winters and wet, cold springs, coupled with the loss of conservation reserve habitat over the past decade have contributed to downward pheasant population trend over much of the state.
Combine the snow of this season with the downward population trend, and bird hunting becomes more of a challenge. Hunters can give themselves an advantage by viewing the August Roadside Survey results to see the pheasant population numbers in each wildlife region. The survey, conducted by the IDNR on about 200 30-mile routes on a few days each August, can be found at www.iowadnr.com. The results are used to make hunting predictions for pheasant season which begins the last Saturday of October and runs through Jan. 10.
Another tool to assist hunters is the “Iowa Sportsman’s Atlas,” a guide to public land across Iowa with maps for each county. The Atlas can be found at sporting goods stores or by going to www.sportsmansatlas.com.
For the De Bolts, the two hunts were a bit disappointing. They rarely come out of the field without pheasants, even though pheasant numbers in the county overall are down. That’s due to the native habitat they have planted and maintained over the years.
Private landowners like the DeBolts are being turned to more than ever to help gain back much of the habitat lost in Iowa. For Example, Pheasants Forever, a non-profit hunting and conservation group, has implemented the Reload Iowa program, hiring 50 biologists to work with private landowners on a goal of adding 1 million acres of habitat to the state.
Additionally, a special pheasant task force, created by Iowa legislators during the 2009 session, met over the summer and recently gave recommendations to Legislators concerning habitat improvements which should be discussed during this 2010 Legislative session which started Jan. 11.
“There are some regions of Iowa I wouldn’t highlight for pheasant hunting right now,” Bogenschutz said. “The numbers along some routes during the roadside counts were down to two birds or less per route. Now we’ve had this major December snow storm and that’s going to hurt the numbers in the fall.”
Pheasant populations are best in northwest, north-central, west-central and central Iowa, he said. The average state-wide bird count is about 15 pheasants per route. That’s the lowest count since the 2001 survey when an average of just 14 birds were counted following a very bad winter.
While the DeBolts find their pheasants on private land, there’s plenty of public areas to hunt in Madison County, places to eat and things to see while visiting. Following are suggestions for both in Madison County and several region’s around the state. Not all regions are highlighted because of the lower pheasant numbers in those areas.
Hunters should be aware that many public hunting areas in Iowa now require non-toxic shot.
Public ground:
· Badger Creek Recreation Area northeast of Winterset is the largest public tract in Madison County at more than 1,000 acres. Badger creek is also open for deer and turkey hunting.
· Smaller, but productive areas include Turkey Ridge, Clanton and Deer Creek wildlife areas west of Macksburg. These areas total more than 700 acres.
Madison County sites and eats:
· The county is perhaps best-known for its numerous covered bridges, the settings for the best-seller and movie “Bridges of Madison County,” and being the birthplace of John Wayne.
· Two places to eat with local flavor that offer rib-sticking breakfasts, burgers and home-style specials are Café by Julie, open for breakfast and lunch, and the Buck’N Wild Saloon open for lunch and supper.
CENTRAL IOWA REGION
The Central Iowa region offers a varied habitat and numerous public tracts of land open to pheasant hunting, according to Conservation Officer Kirby Bragg with the IDNR.
The region covers 12 counties: Webster, Hamilton, Hardin, Grundy, Boone, Story, Marshall, Tama, Dallas, Polk, Jasper and Poweshiek counties. Opening weekend brought a mixed bag of results for pheasant hunters in this region, as well as across the state.
Conditions included warmer-than-usual weather and lots of standing crops, giving the pheasants too many places to run and hide.
The average bird count in central Iowa is about 20 birds per route.
Public Hunting:
· The Saylorville Wildlife Area follows the Des Moines River in Boone, Dallas and Polk Counties and covers more than 10,000 acres. The abundant game includes pheasant, deer, rabbits, turkey and squirrel.
· The Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge covers 5,000 acres in Jasper County and has areas open for pheasant and deer hunting. Hunters need to stop in the parking lot and pick up a pamphlet from an information box that outlines the rules and the hunting areas specific to the refuge.
· Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt, a 6,000-acre wildlife area, sits in northeastern Polk County, just east of Interstate Highway 35 near Elkhart.
· The 3,100-acre Big Creek Wildlife Area and portions of the 1,834-acre Lewis. A. Jester Park are both in Polk County.
Sites and eats:
· The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge has the added bonus of resident herds of buffalo and elk, and the Prairie Learning Center.
· A number of opening day hunter’s breakfasts are held in the region as well, include the Farrar Methodist Church in Polk County, the Redfield American Legion in Dallas County, and two breakfasts in Laurel.
NORTHWEST REGION
A four-county area of Dickinson, Emmett, Clay and Palo Alto in this 11-county region is being called a pheasant-hunting oasis.
This region sports more than 20,000 acres of public hunting in habitat, said to Conservation Officer Gary Owen with the IDNR. The region’s habitat has been built up because of years of aggressive efforts by state, county and local governments, as well as conservation groups including Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited.
“Hunters will enjoy the beauty of this prairie pothole region with its rolling hills, many running down to a lake or wetlands,” Owen said. “They will look across grasslands that go about as far as the eye can see. This area is the most productive area for pheasants in Iowa.”
That claim holds up when looking at the August Roadside Survey. The area has the best average bird count in the state with over 35 pheasants per route.
Good pheasant numbers also mean a large number of hunters who flock to the region for opening weekend, Owens said. However, he emphasizes there are plenty of areas for all those hunters to pursue game.
“Many times I’ve seen hunters pass through an area, then another group just 15 minutes later and the second group comes out with pheasants,” he said.
Hunting later in the season will bypass the crowds, however, particularly during the week. The challenge later in the season is the snow. The trade-off is that in snowier, colder weather, birds bunch up in the protected areas, making them easier to find, Owen said.
Standing crops during opening season can be an issue, and it was for the 2009 opener. After watching the pheasants for a few mornings, Owen advised frustrated hunters to work the edges of the corn fields first thing in the morning as the pheasants came off roost and headed into the fields, and again late in the day as they were moving back to roost.
Public hunting:
· The large tracts of public hunting are Jemmerson Slough, Diamond Lake, Kettleson Hogsback Complex, Spring Run Wetland Complex and Cayler Prairie in Dickinson County; Ingham-High Wetland Complex in Emmet County: Trumball Lake and Barringer Slough in Clay County; and Five Island Lake in Palo Alto County. Most of the areas range in size from 700 to 3,000 acres.
· Owen advises hunters to consider the smaller areas, 13 to 300 acres, such as Virgin Lake Wildlife Management Area and Huston Prairie in Palo Alto County; DU Marsh, Turtle Marsh and Gilbert James Wildlife Area in Clay County; East Des Moines River Access and Grass Lake Wildlife Management Area in Emmet County; and Judd Wildlife Area, East Okoboji Slough and Cory Marsh in Dickinson County.
Sites and eats:
· There is great perch and walleye fishing in the Spirit Lake, Okoboji lakes area. “It’s not unusual for people to pheasant hunt in the morning, fish in the middle of the day, then pheasant hunt again in late afternoon,” Owen said.
· Visitors who like to fish should also stop by the Fisherman’s Factory Outlet in Spirit Lake. The store is full of many products made by Pure Fishing based in Spirit Lake, as well as other outdoor products.
· The Family Table in Spirit Lake offers homestyle meals. The entire lakes area has lots of independently-owned establishments that reflect a great local flavor.
NORTH-CENTRAL REGION
Wildlife Biologist Greg Hanson with the IDNR, who works in the north-central region, does not let the snow stop him from pheasant hunting. He dons snow shoes which make it easier to walk without sinking into the snow. Snow is a given in the region which covers Butler, Humboldt, Kossuth, Mitchell, Wright, Franklin, Floyd, Cerro Gordo, Worth, Winnebago and Hancock counties.
“Even though our bird numbers are down, we still have a fair number of birds in our grassland and wetland complexes,” Hanson said. The pheasant numbers in this region went from about 26 birds per route in 2008 down to about 17 birds per route in 2009 according to the Roadside Survey.
Public hunting:
· The 1,700-acre Union Hills in Cerro Gordo County is two-thirds upland habitat and the rest wetlands.
· Eagle Flats in Hancock County is about 742 acres.
· Lower Morse Complex in Wright County is more than 1,700 acres and is also open to waterfowl hunting.
Sites and eats:
· Try catching breakfast and lunch at the Grand Café in Lake Mills and Sue’s Corner Post in Northwood.
· Check out the Surf Ballroom at Clear Lake, the last place Buddy Holly and Richie Valens played the night their plane crashed in a winter storm in 1959.
WEST-CENTRAL REGION
The west-central region covers Woodbury, Monona, Harrison, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Calhoun, Sac, Ida, Shelby, Audubon and Guthrie counties.
Wildlife Biologist Mike Mahn noted, “There are still decent numbers of birds, but it isn’t what it used to be 10 or 15 years ago.”
The numbers increased in 2009 to 23 pheasants per route, compared to about 22 pheasants in 2008.
He recently talked to three people who went out just a couple days after the December blizzard, and all of the hunters limited. Mahn said he’s seeing a trend for hunters visiting the area later in the season despite the snow.
“They like to use the weather to their advantage because it pushes the pheasants into the areas with heavier cover,” he said. “If you can get out right away after a significant snow, they tend to hold longer and don’t get out way ahead of you.”
Public hunting:
· Kiowa Marsh, more than 1,000 acres; Burrows Pond, 292 acres; and Tomahawk Marsh, 430 acres, all in Sac County are good pheasant-hunting locations. Waterfowl and rabbit are also abundant.
· Brown’s Lake, more than 1,100 acres in Woodbury County, contains marsh, wetlands, uplands and open timber which also makes a good area for hunting waterfowl, rabbit and deer.
Sites and eats:
· Check out Stone State Park in Woodbury County for, one of the Iowa’s oldest state parks. While there, stop into the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center where visitors can walk under a prairie.
· Stop by Sanders Hardware Hank in Early. It’s a hardware store located in Sac County that has almost anything, including antique ringer washers. Folks say it’s fun just to wander through the store.
· Sioux City in Woodbury County is known for its steak houses, such as Bev’s on the River.