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Iowa pheasant hunters could see variable bird numbers this fall, thanks to different weather patterns across Iowa. Todd Bogenschutz, the Iowa DNR's upland wildlife biologist, uses a formula based on the previous winter snow fall and spring rainfall and temperature to predict this falls pheasant population.  Southwest, western, and central Iowa were hit with a late March blizzard and eastern regions were not.  These blizzard struck regions also saw some heavy rains in April and May, as much as 4”- 6+” above normal.  Other regions saw rainfall during the incubation period 0-2” above normal.  The weather patterns we’ve seen so far would not lead to a large increase in our pheasant population this fall.  The weather we’ve seen in southwest, southcentral, westcentral, central, and northeast Iowa suggests bird numbers will be lower or unchanged from last fall, while conditions in northwest, northcentral, eastcentral, and southeast Iowa suggest pheasant numbers could be better than last fall.  Putting all this together, Bogenschutz' model suggests that, “from a statewide perspective”, our pheasant population could be lower than last year.  Though the weather data is correct about 75 percent of the time, hunters are encouraged to check the DNR’s website in September for roadside counts, which are the best predictor of what hunters will see in the fall.

The DNR will post it's August roadside numbers on the DNR website around September 15th. Those with e-mail can sign-up to be notified when the roadside survey has been completed.