Iowa's Pheasant Population Jumps 37 Percent; Quail Highest Count in 21 Year

September 1, 2015 by Kyle Robinson

Iowa’s pheasant population increased for the second year in a row to a statewide average of 24 birds, up 37 percent over 2014. This is the highest bird count since 2008 for most of the state, and in southeast Iowa, it’s the highest count in more than a decade.

“It’s amazing when you bring a few females through the winter you can bounce back,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “We had a great winter, little or no snow in March, and April weather was good giving hens a chance for an early nest. But June and July were pretty wet for all but the northwest third of the state and our counts reflected that.”

The highest pheasant counts were 44 birds per route in the northwest region, followed by 38 birds per route in central and 27 birds per route in southeast Iowa and should offer good hunting this fall.

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