Iowa pheasants, too, fall dramatically

Minnesota and South Dakota aren't the only states where the pheasant populations have fallen dramatically. Iowa's ringneck numbers have dropped to a new all-time low, with a statewide average of seven birds per 30 miles. Officials say a fifth consecutive winter with above-normal snowfall, followed by a wet nesting season, has crippled the ringneck population. "The last five years have been really frustrating for Iowa hunters and for the department," said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the DNR. "Plain and simple, we have lost hens and nests consecutively each of the last five years because of unprecedented weather patterns for Iowa." In the 50 years the DNR has done the roadside counts, Iowa has never seen five consecutive winters of this severity, the report states. This year's pheasant index is 72 percent below Iowa's 10-year average and 84 percent below the historic average. Hunters are expected to harvest 150,000 to 200,000 birds this fall, which, if it occurs, will make the first time Iowa has seen eight consecutive harvests of less than 1 million birds, and would set a new low harvest.. Iowa's 2011 pheasant hunting season runs from Oct. 29 through Jan. 10, 2012. The full roadside report can be downloaded from the DNR's website at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/PheasantSmallGame/AugustRoadsideSurveyData.aspx