Ankeny – The 2014 Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) State Convention is set for Friday, January 31 and Saturday, February 1 at Prairie Meadows Hotel and Casino in Altoona. This will be an opportunity for Iowa’s outdoor community to join the PF Iowa State Council to celebrate habitat achievements and discuss new ways to positively affect upland game across the state at its annual habitat convention.

“We have an incredible agenda for the 2014 Iowa Pheasants Forever State Convention,” says Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever’s Southern Iowa regional representative. “Not only do we have a strong lineup of outdoor vendors and habitat seminars for Iowa’s outdoor enthusiasts, but this year, we have incorporated a major youth component into the convention.”

Friday: Outdoorsman’s Social – Taking place Friday evening, this social will include a large selection of outdoor vendors and artists. For those looking for a new firearm, there will be gun raffles taking place throughout the night.

Saturday: Habitat Summit – In addition to pheasants and quail, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about water resources and fish habitat, as well as, forest and edge habitat for turkey, deer and non-game species.

Have a wildlife habitat question and not sure where to go with it? Look no further. Bring your specific questions or problems to the “Habitat Help Desk” at the meeting to consult with a trained Pheasants Forever farm bill wildlife biologist.

Some seminars taking place include:

• Establishing Upland Cover: Keys to Habitat Layout and Design – Jared Elbert, Pheasants Forever farm bill wildlife biologist
• Pheasant Plan and WMA Enhancements – Iowa Department of Natural Resources
• Shrub Thicket Management for Pheasants and Quail
• By The Numbers: Upland Game and Predator
• Population Dynamics – Dr. Bill Clark, Iowa State University
• Who Are We and What We Do – Pheasants Forever Iowa State Council

Saturday Evening: Iowa Pheasants Forever State Banquet– At the state’s largest Pheasants Forever banquet of the year, attendees will have the opportunity to take home many unique items from the live/silent auctions and win new firearms during the night’s many gun raffles. Additionally, the Iowa Pheasants Forever State Council will present its annual awards for habitat accomplishments.

High school trap teams from across the state will be visiting the convention this year to learn more about shooting sports in the state of Iowa. Through a unique 1:1 matching donation, teams will receive a $10,000 endowment fund, which support their local trap teams; all of this was made possible by support from the Iowa Pheasants Forever State Council and the organization’s major partner for youth programs, the MidwayUSA Foundation.

For more information on the state convention, contact Jared Wiklund at (515) 423-4747 or email him at JWiklund@pheasantsforever.org.

(photo courtesy of Pheasants Forever) An example of the type of habitat work supported by Pheasants Forever. Topics like this will be part of the 2014 State Convention.