Pheasant hunting has been as much a part of the Thanksgiving holiday for generations of Iowans, as cranberries and stuffing.
The Iowa DNR offers an apprentice license that allows someone to give hunting a try under the supervision of an adult mentor without completing hunter education. This license may be purchased twice in a lifetime before the individual is required to complete a hunter education course.
According to the Iowa DNR, Iowa’s pheasant population is at a 20-year high, with state wildlife experts forecasting hunters to potentially harvest the highest number of roosters since 2007. Last year, more than 77,400 hunters harvested over 460,000 roosters, providing an estimated economic impact of nearly $170 million in Iowa.
The Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever are celebrating 100 years of pheasant hunting in Iowa. The first season was held Oct. 20-22, 1925, when 13 counties in north central Iowa were opened to pheasant hunting. Hunters were allowed a three-rooster limit, for a half-day of hunting. An estimated 75,000 hunters participated.
Information on places to hunt, the August roadside survey results and more is available online by clicking the 100 Years of Pheasant Hunting graphic at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey.