Pheasant population expected to be up this year

This year’s pheasant hunting season in Iowa should be more bountiful. Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Todd Bogenschutz predicts an increase in the pheasant population. That comes on the heels of a year when Iowa’s pheasant population declined by nearly 35-percent. He says the winter weather was mild and he says the spring weather has been pretty good too, which he says should help nesting.A roadside survey will be conducted in August and Bogenschutz says that’s the best way to get an accurate count. He says they run six thousand miles of gravel roads in every county to count the birds that’re out and that gives them a good gauge of the bird numbers. The pheasant hunting season begins in late October and the opening weekend is always a big draw for the state. He says the last couple of years there have been some 150-thousand people out in the field for the hunt. He says Iowa’s one of the top states for pheasants along with South Dakota. Bogenschutz says the results of the August roadside survey should be out in mid-September and that may dictate how many hunters will take part. He says people out of state always watch for the survey because they spend money to visit and hunt.