Heavy snowfall and plenty of spring rains kept pheasant harvests at modest levels during the last two seasons, but IDNR officials believe harvests will top the 1-million-bird mark by 2010 or 2011. Photo by GaryKramer.com.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources pheasant guru Todd Bogenschutz is "cautiously optimistic" about ringneck prospects across most of the state this season, in spite of several strong negative factors impacting Iowa's upland game.

"Those who hunt north of Interstate 80 and west of Interstate 35 can expect generally better hunting than last fall," Bogenschutz said. "Birds in the northeast part of the state are still trying to bounce back from the winter of 2007-08. They still got over 40 inches of snow up there, half as much as the year before, but more than enough to make survival difficult."

Bogenschutz said Iowa has experienced weather trends that are much wetter over the past several years. Heavy snow cover followed by a cold, wet spring combine in a one-two punch that can knock bird numbers back for several years if they don't have adequate escape cover.

"The spring of 2008 was the wettest in the 130 years we've kept records in this state," the biologist said. "The winter of 2007-08 was the 10th worst ever. This is the primary reason our pheasant harvest was only about 400,000 birds in the aftermath of this weather. We're definitely on the rebound. If weather remains 'normal,' we should see a million-plus ringneck harvest again by 2010 or 2011 -- even with the decline in CRP enrollment."

In the early 1990s, Iowa had about 2.2 million acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Taking this land out of production provided greatly enhanced habitat for Iowa's pheasants and other wildlife. Since this heyday, we've lost about 200 square miles of CRP land every year. In 2009, only 1.6 million acres are still enrolled, with no visible end to the downward trend for at least the next couple of years.

"We still have good habitat," Bogenschutz said. "As long as those hens can find a safe place to drop 11 eggs on the ground and Mother Nature doesn't frown too severely, you're going to see good pheasant production."

Mother Nature still wore a frown last winter in Allamakee and Winneshiek counties, where spring call counts were only seven to nine birds per route this past spring. In Iowa's prime pheasant range in the northwestern part of the state, surveys in Dickinson and Palo Alto counties showed 50-plus calls per route.

"The birds can recover from just about any weather insult within three years, given a return to normal conditions," Bogenschutz said. "The population absolutely tanked in 1983-84 and again in 2003-04, but the birds came cackling back. We're on the rebound once again."

Most Iowans pursue the multi-colored bird within an hour's drive from home. Those who live in the northeastern part of the state can still find pheasants at places like Cardinal Marsh on the Winneshiek-Chickasaw counties border and smaller pockets of upland habitat on both public and private lands. But the best upland opportunities will require a road trip to find consistent success. The Iowa Sportsman's Atlas is an invaluable resource in this regard, listing public-hunting areas, Iowa DNR contacts, sport shops and other amenities in all of Iowa's 99 counties. For more information on this map book, you can call (800) 568-8334, or visit online at www.sportsmanatlas.com.

Iowa is still a state where knocking on doors can produce access to private lands, which definitely produce the best hunting opportunity. There is no doubt that attitudes are changing in this aspect, even in the most rural parts of our very rural state.

Leases and hunting privileges for a fee are becoming an unpleasant fact in the Hawkeye State. Fortunately, we're still years away from scenarios seen in neighboring states like Illinois, where 95 percent of land is privately owned, and essentially you either have to be family or have considerable money to hunt pheasants.