To reach the marsh, travel a half-mile west of Bevington on Highway 92 and two miles south on County Road R 35, which is also Bevington Park Avenue. Continue east on 228th Lane, following the signs. Jensen Marsh is three miles south of Bevington. For more information, contact the Madison County Conservation Board at (515) 462-3536 or the Bays Branch WMU at (641) 332-2019.

CHICHAQUA BOTTOMS WMA
Known as one of the finest pheasant-hunting areas in the state, Chichaqua Bottoms WMA stands head and shoulders above other pheasant destinations.

The sheer size of this public hunting area is one key to its success. At 6,431 acres, Chichaqua covers a lot of territory in northeastern Polk County. A good bird dog is a real asset in cover that seemingly spreads out forever.

"I'm a firm believer that a guy should have a dog while hunting, if only for retrieving purposes," said Buchberger. "Pheasants are tough -- like a fox with wings. You've got to believe in your dog, and not try to second-guess him. I don't know how many times we've walked along talking with our guns hanging down and someone's told me how much energy my dog has. I've told them he's just playing around -- and then off goes the rooster."

Buchberger uses a Labrador as his flushing dog. Early on in the season, a pointer works out well, since the birds aren't running so much, noted Buchberger, but later in the season, a pointer will be on a clump of grass, and by the time the hunter gets there the bird will be long gone. By December and January, when the cover is thinner, a pheasant will run from one piece of cover to another, and a flusher will stay on a hot trail until he flushes the bird.

The IDNR and the Polk County Conservation Board jointly own thousands of acres in the Skunk River valley in the northeastern part of the county, with the vast majority belonging to the board. The area sees some heavy hunting pressure.

For additional information, contact the Iowa Wildlife Bureau at Red Rock Management Unit, (515) 961-0716. The Polk County Conservation Board, (515) 323-5300, is another good source of information.

ROLLING THUNDER PRAIRIE
The Warren County Conservation Board has developed an impressive public shooting area south of Des Moines in cooperation with Pheasants Forever. The 282-acre prairie consists of natural grasses with wooded creek banks that offer both cover and food to winter ringnecks.

"The primary cover is tallgrass prairie, and there are trees, brush and brambles in the bottoms and a small timbered area on the northeast end," said Jim Priebe, director of the Warren County Conservation Board.