Iowa pheasants

So how’s the pheasant hunting this year. Any counties having a great year?

Still in all the standing crops around here to get a great feel for it but they seem few and far between anywhere around here besides where the big time pheasant hunting guys release them.

What county you in ADC, and any good methods on getting them out?

I love Carol county...... family has been there for 120 plus years, my uncle was the mayor of aspinall for a period and owned the booze store

Manning has two restaurants with the best pork tenderloin and the market outside of town has dried beef

There is also a fur buyer on the west end of town

Just curious, is there much difference in hunting wild vs. released birds? Never hunted ringnecks but once.

not even close to being the same....

Been mostly in southern Poweshiek northern Mahaska Co. I'd certainly look for an area further north to find enough birds to make it fun trip. Maybe up around the Sac Co. area.

Sorry but I don't believe it will ever be like before. Too efficient harvests now a days. I also noticed that lots of farmers are baling corn stalks Big round bales.
Back in the 60's we used to hunt corn fields where you'd sometimes trip on crossed stalks. Now the stalks are often mowed to a couple of inches above ground level. Also nearly all the fence rows are no more. Habitat just isn't there.
just

Here in Johnson county, I havent seen one in close to a year.

Well....around here the released birds you can almost drive up to them and grab em by the neck....seriously....I trap near a release/ hunt area and the darn things will just sit there on the gravel road..you could shoot em with a 22

Same here in Benton Co.

I seen the 1st pheasant in over a year last week.

It flew across the road in front of me.

friend of mine farms in Winneshiek county use to be a nuisance in his words,how about there now?

I seen some around here in northeast Iowa. They are not they where some years go . But there is some See some on the side of the road last week. They do move off the road when you past them. It is on the dirt roads I seen them. I have land owners want me to trap out the coon and possum or anything else to try to have the birds come back It is start to show the past 2 years around me .

Thanks guys, my son and I are headed to there next week, which we go every year. I was just curious as I am setting up my route now. We hunt a mix of a few privates along with public. We usually stay around Hamilton, Kossuth, Palo Alto and Clay counties but will basically go to where the birds are.

Good luck
just

You'll have much better luck in those areas than where I'm at.

You get up around the iowa great lakes area there are alot of public hunting. It gets hit hard the first few weeks of the season but it dies down pretty quick. Best of luck to you on your hunt.

They have been coming back some last couple years. Haven't seen a lot this year along the roads, really hard February and March snow and ice.

Buena vista, clay and cherokee. Its good enough i dont hunt south dakota much and go there instead.

Pretty decent bird numbers in Boone and Greene counties.

Seeing them every day

Did you find any?!?!

Well found a few, had a great host, you may know him? 4 man limit in 4 hours

My ATV jumped up five roosters yesterday,on two farms, seeing pheasants every farm I think

I talked to a guy the other day that told me that a piece of land that I trapped long ago was owned by a Dr from Wisconsin.
Later in the day I was scouting and noticed 2 pickups parked at another place I once trapped. They both had Michigan plates on them.
just

Hunting Iowa was best its been. Tman member Nick C was very gracious and also hunted with us on the twelve bird day. Any time away from home with my son and best bud is a great day. Thanks again
Nick.

Don't let the cat out of the bag bass10. People will start to think he's a nice guy.

At least you picked the county I recommended.

Still seeing birds

And trappers
Someone set my ditches the other day

Probably no permission?

Never, but I do not trap the property and they stay close to the road.
My be friends of a friend ... we have been in the area so long that we all just assume