Wildlife experts predict ‘banner year’ for Iowa’s centennial of pheasant hunting

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources conducts a roadside survey of pheasant each August and this year’s survey shows pheasant populations are at a 20-year high.

That means Iowa’s 100th year of pheasant hunting could have harvest figures between 600,000 and 700,000, according to DNR Upland Wildlife Research Biologist Todd Bogenschutz.

“Last year was a decent year for pheasant hunting,” Bogenschutz said in a news release from DNR. “2023 was a good year for pheasant hunting. This year could be excellent.”

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2023 and 2024 were two of the best pheasant harvest seasons in the past two decades. Hunters bagged an estimated 460,000 roosters in 2024 and 590,000 roosters in 2023. The harvest figures were consistent with DNR’s observed population decline from 2023 to 2024.

This year DNR staff reported 1,038 pheasant broods — 338 more than last year.

Bogenschutz said there were fewer chicks-per-hen that survived this year, but the high number of nests “offset the drop.”

He said the mild winter — according to the report the fourth-least-snowy winter in 138 years of records — was also helpful in preserving population this year.

“Our adult hen survival was excellent; our adult rooster survival was excellent,” Bogenschutz said in the release. “That really drove the population increase.”

DNR staff from across the state conduct the August roadside survey on more than 200 30-mile routes. Staff drive the gravel roads early in the morning and count the hens, or female pheasants, as they move their broods out of the dew.

This year, staff observed a statewide average of 28 birds per route, which according to the press release, is the highest count since 2005. Last year’s average was about 20 per route.

According to the report, the northern regions, central and southeast regions have the “best overall” population densities, but it said “hunters in all regions should see more birds in 2025.”

Quail, partridge and rabbit populations also increased

In addition to ring-necked pheasant, DNR staff count bobwhite quail, gray partridge and cottontail rabbit while driving the gravel roads.

The mild winter was also a benefit to these populations which all had population increases from last year.

Quail populations more than doubled from last year, with a 123 percent statewide average increase. Partridge populations increased 19 percent statewide and rabbit populations increased 41 percent, according to DNR’s report.

The report also notes the importance of acreage in the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, which gives landowners an incentive to establish and maintain perennial cover over part of their cropland.

“The CRP has become critical for Iowa pheasant populations with the loss of small grains and hay lands to corn and soybean production,” the report said.

CRP acres serve as habitat for the birds, and DNR records show enrollment in the program has impacted pheasant populations.

According to the report, which cites USDA figures, the number of acres enrolled in CRP is the lowest in the program’s history. Iowa had more than 1.67 million acres enrolled as of June 2025, but 727,000 of those acres are set to expire by fall of 2027, according to the report.

“Iowa will cease to be a major pheasant hunting state if the CRP is significantly diminished,” the report said.

Season begins Oct. 25

Pheasant season begins Oct. 25 and runs through Jan. 10, 2026, though those 15 and younger can start a weekend earlier during the youth season Oct. 18-19.

Last year, an estimated 77,400 hunters chased after pheasant in Iowa. That’s close to the number that partook in Iowa’s first-ever hunting season, Oct. 20-22 in 1925, when 75,000 hunters set out with a three-rooster limit for a half day of hunting.

DNR said in the release that 2025 hunters can expect a “banner year.”

This article was first published by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.