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"There's plenty of good pheasant hunting near our urban areas," says Iowa Department of Natural Resources Upland Game Technician Mark McInroy.

"Generally speaking, you'll find the better pheasant hunting in areas across the northern two-thirds of the state, with the best areas being in north-central and northwestern Iowa," he says. "These areas are large and include a lot of hunting opportunities. Calling ahead to the area office for suggestions or downloading a map of the area is a good idea."

To be sure, public hunting areas near our more populated areas can be hit pretty hard. But there's still a lot of great hunting if you know where to look.

BRUSHY CREEK STATE RECREATION AREA
Fort Dodge bird hunters are going to find a pheasant paradise at Brushy Creek with plenty of opportunities.

"If I were going to hunt Brushy Creek this fall, I'd concentrate on the northwest and western portions of the area," says Natural Resources Technician Steve Espeland.

"There are large blocks of native grass interspersed with crop fields, along with a few shelterbelts that can be productive."

Solo hunters can find birds, but a close-working dog is an asset. If your hunting party is large enough, posting blockers at the ends of the fields is a good idea. Some fields are long and linear, and birds can easily run out of the fields before shooters get within range.

Farmers leave crops standing to create wildlife food plots. After a heavy snow, these plots will be pheasant magnets. The food plots are deliberately located next to good cover, and any birds that have been hunted hard in the early part of the season will be back when the temperatures start to drop.

The Brushy Creek Wildlife Area is located in Webster County. Hunters can access the area east of Lehigh on D46. Call the Saylorville Unit at (515) 432-2235 for more information.

DEWEY'S PASTURE WETLANDS COMPLEX
"A lot of birds are shot on the complex because there's such a wide variety of habitat," says Wildlife Biologist Bryan Hellyer.

"Most of the acreage is contiguous and covered with prairie marshes, shallow lakes, native prairie and cool-season grasses and food plots -- all the things pheasants like to use and get in around. The birds really like the cattails later on in the season."

The main area of the complex has two 500-acre segments that are ideal pheasant habitat and can be readily worked by a lot of hunters, Hellyer says. These large prairie tracts lie on the north and south sides of Mud Lake.

The creation of edges between varying types of habitat is central in the management of Dewey's Pasture, says Hellyer. Ringnecks like the breaks in grasses, cattails and marshes and do well when the habitat types are interspersed. The birds will come up to an edge and have to decide whether to flush or run -- a moment's hesitation that might give the shooter the advantage.

The area covers 7,315 acres in the Spencer area and is located 6 miles north of Ruthven on N18 in Clay and Palo Alto counties. For more information, contact the Ruthven Unit at (712) 262-4177.

SPRING RUN WETLANDS COMPLEX
"I'd tell pheasant hunters to concentrate on the east and central sections of Spring Run and to concentrate around any of the food plots," says Chris LaRue, the area's wildlife management biologist.

"These spots can be productive, as can hunting deep within the larger tracts of land that haven't had a lot of hunting pressure. The birds always seem to find areas of refuge where there isn't a lot of pressure and disturbance."

During heavy pressure, pheasants will readily use the marshy sections of the property. Be ready to check those areas that are swampy or in the clumps of cover away from the rolling grasses, stands of cattails and other nontraditional cover. Nobody's told the pheasants they're not supposed to be using it!

The Spring Run Wetlands Complex covers 3,160 acres in the Spencer area.

The area lies in Dickinson County, three miles east of Spirit Lake on Highway 9 and over two miles south on 280th Avenue.

Call the Big Sioux Unit at (712) 336-1485.