Habitat and weather are the two factors often tied to the pheasant population, and each year the Iowa DNR’s August Roadside Count data reflects those two variables.
Since 1962, the Iowa DNR has conducted the August Roadside Survey, generating data from approximately 225, 30-mile routes on Iowa’s upland game: ring-necked pheasants, bobwhite quail, gray partridge, cottontail rabbits and white-tailed jackrabbits. After a relatively mild winter with below average snowfall, the pheasant population seemed to be heading toward another bird increase in 2024. That changed with the intense flooding that occurred during the nesting season.
How will spring flooding impact Iowa’s pheasant season? A look around the state ahead of opener
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- Tags: Hunting, Iowa, Upland Birds
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