Photo by Tom Migalski

When it comes to ringnecks, Des Moines-area upland bird hunters won't be left out in the cold this year: Thousands of acres of pheasant-friendly habitat and strong populations of birds lie within a short drive of the metro area.

The north-central region historically hosts the best pheasant hunting in the state. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources' efforts on both public and private lands have paid off in dramatically increased pheasant hunting opportunities.

But as public lands have been expanded and pheasant habitat created through plantings of native prairie grasses, wildflowers and grain crops, private landholders have hit that habitat hard. More-efficient farming techniques, along with housing and commercial developments, have cut more acres than the IDNR has been able to replace. The Conservation Reserve Program has salvaged huge tracts of private land, but it can't keep up with the rate of habitat destruction.

"I usually steer hunters to our bigger complexes," said Todd Bogenschutz, the IDNR upland wildlife biologist in Boone, "simply because these lands can hold birds longer in the winter than the smaller ones."

Weather is always the important factor, noted Bogenschutz. Even though 80 percent of a given area's birds may be hunted out by the end of the season, pheasants are so prolific that they'll easily repopulate to the original level. Flooding in the spring or unseasonably cold spring weather can put a damper on the rebound, however, and occasionally does.

Spring weather has a lot to do with numbers of birds. The wetter the spring, the fewer the chicks that survive into adulthood. In central Iowa, two or three hatches take place every year, and this year the numbers are looking pretty good.

Here's a look at the region's ringneck hotspots. Late-season shooting should be good at these, some of which are long-recognized producers, and some of which are up-and-coming venues boasting a bunch of birds.

MARIETTA SAND PRAIRIE
"We've just acquired an area that is being reconstructed to prairie and will play host to the best public grassland habitat in the county," said Mike Stegmann, director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. "The prairie is now 229 acres in size, and has portions in various stages of reconstruction. It's located two miles southwest of Albion and has been opened to public hunting since September of this year."

Work done here by area managers has pheasants in mind. Seedings will provide a variety of grasses and wildflowers, which in turn will encourage chick growth during the nesting season and provide plenty of summer feed and good winter cover.

Projects like the Marietta Sand Prairie are extremely important. Wiota native Eric Buchberger, a guide knowledgeable about pheasant hunting on lands both public and private, points to the changing landscape as a cause of potential concern.