Iowa’s youth only pheasant ended Sunday with varying degrees of success but with a consistent theme from hunters who participated – they were seeing more birds.
“There were a lot of pheasants. We saw somewhere between 40 and 50 roosters and they were holding fairly well on this misty morning,” said Greg Harris, who shared his dog Luke for the Washington County youth hunt.
In central Iowa, conservation officer Brandon Bergquist spoke with a father and daughter who harvested a rooster on Saturday.
“They were encouraged with the number of pheasants they saw,” Bergquist said.
Youth hunters in the Minburn area had not harvested a bird when they visited with conservation officer Craig Lonneman, but the hunters reported seeing a fair amount of birds.
Wet conditions in Woodbury County sent more youth to hunt ducks than pheasants, but once the conditions improve, hunters should find good hunting in the area.
“There are a relatively high number of birds around,” said conservation officer Steve Griebel.
Iowa’s regular pheasant season opens Oct. 31 statewide. Based on the August roadside survey, Iowa hunters can expect to harvest between 300,000 to as many as 500,000 roosters this fall.
Shooting hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The daily bag limit is three roosters with a possession limit of 12. The season closes Jan. 10, 2016.