By Steve Weisman
(photo by Steve Weisman) Results of pheasant opener-10 roosters. (kneeling) Curt Weisman, (standing l) Wesley Walz, (standing r) Hunter Wheatley.
Well, the 2023 Iowa pheasant opener is in the books. With temps in the upper 20s on Saturday morning, it was quite a difference from the heat of the 2022 pheasant opener. Yes, it was cold, but after walking for a while and with the blood flowing, it wasn’t bad at all. Across northwest Iowa, however, late Saturday afternoon brought the first snowfall of the year. Anywhere from 1-4” fell and left anywhere from a dusting to several inches in the CRP and public hunting areas. By mid-afternoon, the snow had melted.
Wanting to find out how things went in northwest Iowa, I contacted Greg Harson, District Law Enforcement Supervisor for District 1. “Conservation officers across northwest Iowa saw both large numbers of hunters and birds. We were surprised, however, to see the amount large groups of hunters – 8 to 15 in a group.” As usual, out-of-state hunters were in the mix with the in-state hunters. Across the district, a good number of smaller groups of hunters (2-4 in a group) with dogs were able to bag their limit of pheasants. The average hunter/bird ratio was between 1.5-2 birds. There were also reports of hunters seeing good numbers of partridge.
Some of the best results came from Lyon, George, Dickinson, Clay, Kossuth and Palo Alto counties. Good upland habitat was a huge key, along with areas where the corn fields had been harvested. Harson noted, “We were surprised to see the large number of corn fields not yet harvested.” The unharvested corn fields definitely provided a refuge for the birds.
Our group did well on both days, but again it comes down to the type of habitat! Hunters that I spoke with in Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth and Palo Alto counties all did well, many limiting out. Bottom line? Good habitat, good hunting dogs = good hunting results!
So, the opener is over. Still lots of birds out there, but a huge key will be what Mother Nature chooses to do. Too much snow or ice will cause the early season to be tougher!!
Get out and enjoy!
