Iowa pheasant hunters can expect another promising season this fall.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ annual August roadside survey averaged 23 pheasants per route. That is the state’s second-highest count in more than a decade, trailing only last year’s survey.
DNR upland game biologist Todd Bogenschutz says weather likely contributed to the lower count this year. Survey conditions became cloudy, rainy and foggy after August 5, making birds more difficult to observe.
The DNR conducts the survey along 225 routes, each covering 30 miles. Staff count pheasants and other wildlife during cool, sunny and calm mornings with heavy dew.
Iowa’s bobwhite quail count declined 21% but remained near its 10-year average.
Cottontail rabbit numbers reached their highest level since 2014 and were 30% above the 10-year average. The southeast and south-central regions recorded the state’s highest rabbit counts.
Iowa’s pheasant season opens October 31. Hunting information is available through the Iowa DNR.