Tough Road for Pheasants and Hunters

At least the weather will cooperate with the season opener.

With the pheasant opener coming this weekend, I wanted to reach out and talk to the DNR about how weather and other environmental factors have impacted one of the most popular game birds in the state. 

Courtesy: Iowa DNR

Here is my interview with Upland Wildlife Research Biologist Todd Bogenshutz who was kind enough to answer my questions:

What were some of the biggest weather factors that will influence pheasant #s this year? Snowfall from Dec-Mar and Rainfall during Apr-May nesting.     

How did they impact the population?  Snowy winters kill hens.  Wet springs lead to poor nest success and low chick survival.

What is the estimated population of pheasant in Iowa? We don’t estimate the populations we use a standardized roadside count survey as an index to popul numbers.                      

When was it at its peak and what was the population estimate?  We’ve used the same index since 1962 and highest statewide average count was 67 birds per route in 1980.  This year our statewide index is 6.5 birds per route. www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey

What are some of the biggest challenges Iowa faces in growing the pheasant population?  Climate change during winter and spring and loss of CRP habitat.

We had a wet spring with some locations experiencing record rainfall and even exceeding their all-time river crests in eastern Iowa, how did this affect pheasant?  Based on our roadside survey if we have more than 8 inches of rainfall in Apr/May the population will decline.  This spring statewide Apr/May rainfall was 15+ inches.  Population declined because of poor nest success and chick survival.

About how many hunters take to Iowa’s fields hunting pheasant?  We predict we’ll have 40,000-50,000 hunters this year.  In 1997 we had over 200,000 pheasant hunters.

Any idea on how much revenue that brings to Iowa?  According to the 2011 national hunting and fishing survey Iowa upland game bird hunters spent $26.4M in retail purchases pursuing pheasant/quail.  These expenditures generated an additional $39M of multiplier effects (vendors restocking shelves etc).  Pheasant/quail hunting added $2.7M to the legislatures coffer thru state and local sales taxes on purchases.  http://www.nssf.org/PDF/research/HuntingInAmerica_EconomicForceForConservation.pdf (tables at end of report).

Is the habitat size/quality diminishing?  Yes, in the last 10 years Iowa has lost 1,200 square miles of pheasant habitat (hay, small grains, CRP).  To put this in perspective that is a patch of habitat over 4 miles wide that would stretch from Omaha to Davenport!                      

What are some of the reasons?  Corn ethanol is driving up crop prices leading to less habitat for pheasants.  The 3 year drought across the southern plains is also driving up crop prices, more need for corn/soybeans to feed livestock with lack of pasture and hay in plains states.  The 2 together create a strong incentive to farm every acre and plow up CRP.

What would be the optimum weather conditions to get a good hatch and sustain a growing population of birds in the state? At least 3 consecutive years of dry winters and springs would really give our populations a great boost.  Statewide we need springs (Apr/May) with less than 7 inches of rain and winters with less than 25 inches of snowfall.

What about the optimum habitat conditions?  If Iowa has about 4M acres of pheasant habitat (hay, small grains, CRP) we have the potential to harvest 1M roosters given good weather.  Currently Iowa has less than 2.8M acres of these habitats.

I read in “Iowa’s Pheasant Season Opens Saturday” that the best cover is primarily on public land. Yes our WMA’s do have very good habitat – winter cover, nesting cover, and food plots.  However, we also have many CRP and WRP fields on private lands that are also managed well.   Several of these are enrolled in our new habitat access program.

In addition to restoring habitat, what is the DNR doing to improve pheasant numbers? Well habitat is really all we can focus on because we can’t change weather.  Last year we submitted a grant to USDA for a new pheasant CRP practice.  We were awarded 50,000 CRP acres for this new practice web link is http://www.iowadnr.gov/habitat  (select link for “New Practice – Iowa Pheasant Recovery).   The DNR will also likely submit a request to the Iowa legislature for funding this spring to implement a winter habitat program and expand our habitat access program. 

What can outdoorsmen do to improve pheasant hunting in Iowa?  Contact their congressmen and ask them to support programs like CRP and WRP in the new Farmbill.  Without these habitats on private lands in Iowa it will be impossible to maintain an abundant pheasant population.  Ask our governor and legislature to support the DNR’s proposal to provide more and better habitat/access.  Spread the word about habitat programs that pay landowners for habitat on their lands.  Joint your local Pheasants Forever chapter to support habitat locally.

What can landowners/farmers do?  Consider keeping their marginal and less productive lands in habitat/conservation rather than farming them.  Support linking conservation compliance to crop insurance in the new Farmbill.

What benefits can growing suitable habitat for pheasant have for Iowa landowners and farmers?  Most of the conservation programs like CRP and WRP pay landowners a competitive rental rate.  These programs also address Iowa’s soil erosion and water quality issues leading to hypoxia in the Gulf.  They reduce flooding like we saw in Iowa City in 2008 and they can reduce nitrates in our water supply – a big issue for the Des Moines water treatment plant this spring.  Pheasants produced from these conservation projects are just icing on the cake. www.iowadnr.gov/crp

This is sort of an opinion question, but what would you consider “good” pheasant hunting weather… and what weather conditions make hunting pheasant the toughest?  The best hunting conditions are no wind with cool temperatures and a dew or frost.  Birds sit tight in these conditions, dogs can scent the birds well, and hunters get better shots.  Windy and dry days are the worst because the birds flush wild and out of range (they can’t hear well with the rustling vegetation) dogs can’t smell well with dry vegetation, and hunters miss a lot of birds traveling at extra high speed in the wind.

Can you think of anything else you’d like to share about Iowa pheasant hunting -perhaps some additional links for sportsmen?

-          Link to our new online hunting atlas showing public lands open to hunting statewide as well as our new hunter access program http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/PlacestoHuntShoot.aspx

-          Link to basic information about pheasants, weather, hunting, and habitat http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/PheasantSmallGame.aspx

-          State crop reports shows about 65% of the corn crop was yet to be harvested as of Oct 20^th.  Lower bird numbers and this much standing corn will make the opener a bit tougher than last year when all the crop was essentially harvested.  I’d recommend hunters start around habitat areas where the crop has been harvested if possible.  http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/press/cropAndWeather.asp

Thank you for your time and responses!

Chris Conoan
ABC5 Meteorologist
Certified Broadcast Meteorologist #543

Rare Lion Picture and Iowa's First Snow

You've likely heard the stories of big cat sightings from your outdoors buddies and seen the blurry trail camera pictures of the elusive Puma.

Photo courtesy Jerry England taken near Winterset.

I personally enjoy reading up on the commentary and analysis on http://www.iowasportsman.com/ as we all investigate the evidence and some try to dispel rumors that 100+ lbs of feline fur, claws and teeth are walking around the deer woods with us. Jerry England sent his picture to ABC5 and the DNR who now confirms an Iowa Mountain Lion in Madison County.

The fact is mountain lions roam across Iowa and much of the Midwest and Plains states. According to Polk County Conservation there have been over 1,000 reports of Cougars in Iowa since 2000, but only 6 have been confirmed with a track, a picture or a carcass. Though these big cats can track over 1,000 miles, their average home range can vary from 30-125 square miles to 90-300 square miles. A few of us have been lucky enough to see these reclusive creatures first hand, but not unlike that mature trophy buck you only see a handful of times each year -these animals prefer to see and remain unseen.

With plentiful food and enough cover to remain undetected, it seems logical lions will be found from time to time here in the state. As people continue to expand into the countryside, and outdoorsmen place more cameras afield, more sightings will likely come in and we'll be happy to share them with you as we receive them. I personally am honored and excited to know that I share the Whitetail woods with another keystone species like the Cougar. Here's some excellent info from the DNR.

Joe Leto in Parkersburg waking up to snow 10-22-13.

Shifting gears, the weather pattern is cold and potentially snowy -great news for outdoorsmen.

Clippers are fast moving, low moisture storm systems.

An Alberta Clipper system is pushing through today with the first snow since May for Iowa. Another storm will push in tomorrow (23rd) with enough accumulation to possibly turn the grass white from NW into central Iowa.

Picture from Sally Jacobs in Vinton.

Enjoy the snow/cold while it lasts! After a couple of hard freezes, we'll warm up by the weekend.

Tony's first Archery Deer. Double lung, nice shot!

Congrats to blog reader Tony on his first deer with a bow, and good luck to all out there this season.

Whitetail Weather

I noticed the best deer movement in my neck of the woods on the 6th.

Last week was gorgeous, no doubt about it. But the warm temps and stagnant barometer left Whitetail in a subtle, summer feeding pattern. Most observed movement was slow and before 9 in the morning and the evening activity waited until near sunset.

Late frost this year? You bet!

A warmer pattern is good working-man's hunting weather since you can afford to sneak in a hunt before or after work. Now the pattern is shifting for the colder and that should equate to an increase in deer activity. This excellent news as the bucks begin to gear up for the rut.

The recent rainfall will make for easier scouting as Des Moines and surroundings have a surplus of rain for the first time in four months.

Falling barometer, increasing clouds and deer activity levels jump up.

As we look ahead into mid-late October, we're setting up for an active pattern with a sizeable system cruising through every two to three days. This is going to send the barometer swinging, and it will also send the temperatures down as each system aims to bring a cold front into the state. This will send our highs down into the 50s and lows into the 30s, placing that daytime average temperature right where we want it- below 50 degrees. This should coincide with the pre-rut to give  Iowa archers a solid set of Whitetail weather for the next 10 days.

Highs will be nearly 10 degrees below average for the next 10 days.

Good luck!

Close Encounter Hunting The Storm

Movin' to feed after a storm.

If I haven’t mentioned it enough in previous blogs, I love to hunt the storm. Not just storm chasing, but actually hunting in the veritable weather conditions surrounding a storm system. It is an amazing challenge but using the weather conditions as assets in your hunting toolbox can prove quite productive, and this weekend’s storm did not disappoint.

I'm wet, and cold, but a break in the rain
came just before deer started moving.

 

Days where the wind is blowing and the rain or snow is lightly falling can be some of the best times to close the distance on mature deer. Sometimes when the weather looks awful –it is, but it’s also good “buck weather.” I was fortunate to spend a little time on some public land in eastern Iowa Sunday morning, just a little ahead of the rain. I later hunted in the rain and wind Sunday evening on a travel corridor in central Iowa. Both sits were productive as I lucked out with an eye-to-eye encounter with a tall-tined 8 point buck in the morning. I also managed to observe some rut behavior and above average movement on the travel corridor in the evening –in addition to soaking my hide. Here’s the story from my morning encounter with a public land trophy at 8 paces:

First light public hunting.

The blue glow in the eastern sky put a little kick in my step. I needed to move a bit quicker in order to get to my spot before first light. I didn’t even know where that spot was exactly, but it was buried in crisp, cool blackness and I wasn’t swift nor quiet enough.

He made that rub on the left as I sat 8 paces away.

Then I heard a snort. That sounded close, perhaps only 50 yards. Buck? Doe? Cow? I froze. The forest floor stopped crunching and complaining about my hunting boots and fell silent as the trees watched overhead. After five minutes I heard what sounded like the pitter-patter of deer hooves over the wet leaves and decided this spot was good enough. I unfolded my tripod stool, pulled my pansy pad from the backpack and saddled up next to a wild raspberry bush. Silence surrounded me like the pre-dawn blue, up until the bush to my left began to move.

I just wish I could shoot with the hood down.

I didn’t even hear him. It was as if he had been there the entire time. His antlers silently shook the leaves in the small tree he was rubbing bark off of and I was in shock. Slightly scared of the 200 pound dog-with-horns to my immediate left, I knocked an arrow in slow motion and clipped my release to the string. For some daft reason I felt safer crouching behind my bow, silently I waited.

Early rub 10-6-13.

His beautiful rack was silhouetted in the blue-green glow, but there wasn’t enough light to see his entire body. A feeble zephyr, my ghillie suit and about 10 minutes of waning darkness was all that separated my arrow from flight. 5 minutes later I felt the breeze shift and the gentle giant leaped. When he landed, the ground shook with a deep thud, my heart stopped and I drew back. Three bounds later the buck was at 20 yards, stopped broadside and looking around like Jackie Bushman confronted with a snake. I drew down when he walked off down the trail past a scrape, disappearing into the darkness. Exhilarated, relieved and a little bewildered I watched my breath rise slowly with the wind as it resumed its original direction. 

That was close.

Early scrape 10-6-13.

Let me give a big thank you to Kevin for having me out there for such an encounter. We've seen some sparring and an increase in rutting activity over the last 4 or 5 days. The rubs and scrapes are popping up all over and it’s still very early, but it’s getting close to game-time. Good luck out there.