Habitat planning for bad weather is key to supporting Iowa’s pheasant populations
Published: , in Outdoor News
The first snow of the season is a popular event with pheasant hunters because it often sends the birds to cover where hunters expect to find them. And while a little snow is good, too much snow can be bad, burying waste grains that are an important food source and collapsing marginal habitat.
This was the scenario Iowa experienced from 2007 to 2011 when winters were averaging 30-50 inches of snow, and the spring nesting season was averaging 7-12 inches of rain. The statewide pheasant population survey was knocked down from 27 birds per 30-mile route, to an all-time low of seven.
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