"Hunting will never go back to the way it was in the 1970s because of the lack of habitat," he asserted. "The farming industry, centered around the price of crops and cattle, directly affect pheasant numbers. When crops are selling high, and farmers are planting low crops rather than entering the fields into the CRP program, pheasant habitat suffers.

"Fields used to be 'dirty,' so to speak -- there were lots of weeds and grass growing along with the soybeans and corn. Farmers have gotten better at their jobs, and now the fields have less weeds and rough areas that pheasants would be using if they were there. Hybrid corn gets taller, and the stalks won't break down, all of which lessens good ringneck habitat. Farmers want to go right to the barbed wire and get that extra row or two of corn in there -- and there goes the pheasant habitat." Public shooting areas at the Marietta Sand Prairie lie next to occupied homes. A strictly enforced 200-yard no-shooting zone borders them. Watch for the posted signs.

The new prairie is the result of cooperation among several groups including the MCCB, Iowa Native Plant Society, Pheasants Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, Iowa Prairie Network and several others. All state game rules apply.

The Marietta Sand Prairie is on Knapp Avenue between 180th and Stanley Mill Road. A map of the venue is available on the Marshall County Conservation Board Web site at www.co.marshall.ia.us. Contact the Marshall County Conservation Board at (641) 752-5490 or the Otter Creek Wildlife Management Unit at (641) 752-5521.

JENSEN MARSH
Jensen Marsh is one of those overlooked public spots that can run either hot or cold. The 190-acre area managed by the Madison County Conservation Board is open to public hunting.

"Of all our Madison County public lands, Jensen Marsh is the best for pheasant hunting," said Jim Liechty, director of the Madison County Conservation Board. "The area is mainly wetlands where hunters are targeting waterfowl, but there are some upland areas where there are pheasants. When it's a dry year, the wetlands are overgrown with sedge and cattails, which the pheasants will use."

The habitat is a good mix of well over 100 kinds of marsh and prairie plants. Ringnecks have whatever cover they want at their disposal, and at times Jensen Marsh will hold plenty of birds. A 40-acre prairie grass field complements the 80 acres or so of marshy area located north of the old railroad bed. The abandoned elevated railroad bed adds a unique feature that can give shooters a birds-eye view of the fields. The 50 acres of woodland border the pheasant habitat and serve as a natural barrier.

In the dead of winter, grasses and other thick cover are crucial for survival, according to the IDNR's Bogenschutz. Thick, tall stands of vegetation help shield birds from the blowing snow and reduce the effects of wind chill. Low-hanging conifer branches create a sort of tent, and tall, dense cattails or bulrushes form a natural windbreak during blizzard conditions.