Pheasant Trip?

[hunterforlife]

My father and I are considering doing a birdhunting trip this coming fall...I've been looking at alot of the states and I think Iowa would be our best bet, since it's the closest with a good amount of birds...and there is also a ridiculous amount of public land to hunt...I was wondering if anyone on the forum makes any trips out there and if Iowa would be the the best place to go...Thank you.

[ccavacini]

The best pheasant hunting in Iowa is far Northwest corner (around Spencer). Most birds..most public land. Unfortunately, it's the farthest away.

[lacure]

A group of us take a trip annually to Redfield, SD. I have never hunted Iowa, but I would find it hard to believe that there are more birds there than in Redfield. The drive would be a bit longer, but the costs are minimal (I have a conact for you for a house to rent...sleeps 7, close to all kinds of public hunting and costs about $35/per night/per hunter). Also, if you want to shell out a few bucks (generally about $50-100/hunter/day), there are quite a few local farmers that have INCREDIBLE pieces of land that they will "guide" you on and run "drives" for you. Let me know if you are interested in info.

[hunterforlife]

A group of us take a trip annually to Redfield, SD. I have never hunted Iowa, but I would find it hard to believe that there are more birds there than in Redfield. The drive would be a bit longer, but the costs are minimal (I have a conact for you for a house to rent...sleeps 7, close to all kinds of public hunting and costs about $35/per night/per hunter). Also, if you want to shell out a few bucks (generally about $50-100/hunter/day), there are quite a few local farmers that have INCREDIBLE pieces of land that they will "guide" you on and run "drives" for you. Let me know if you are interested in info.
I appreciate the offer...I'll have to run it by my father to see what he thinks...He's the bossman:D

[Matt D]

I hunt NW Iowa and there are areas that have very good bird numbers for sure. Last year all 3 of us shot our limits each day we were there. That was all on private land(except for one small walk on public where we did shoot a couple) and that is all we hunt so I can not speak to the overall quality of the hunting on the public land but most of it does get hit hard especially early in the year. If I was going out there to hunt public I would either go on the opener KNOWING full well that you are going to have lots of company but the birds or more plentiful so worth putting up with a crowd or go at least 3 weeks after the opener as it appears the crowds are pretty much gone at that point. Do some scouting around and you will find birds. Also later in the year you might be able to get permission on some private ground if you ask around.

I have also spent time chasing birds in SD and while IA can be good my experience is that nothing comes close to SD for shear bird numbers. All depends on what you are looking for and how far you want to drive.

Good luck on your trip but be warned that which ever state you go to will spoil you for life most likely!

Matt D

[Hawgleg]

I hunted Pierre South Dakota 3 years ago and seen hundreds of birds each time out. I cant believe there could be much better pheasant hunting anywhere on earth.

[hunterforlife]

Matt D- Do you know of any public lands that stick out as far as bird numbers or are they all pretty much the same...

[pstryjew]

I "stumbled" upon the Pheasants Forever Convention in Minneapolis in 2008.

I picked up a copy of the South Dakota hunting rules. I was surprised to see several pages dedicated to pheasant shooting along roads and highways. Where you could shoot - median, shoulders. How you could shoot - engine off, doors closed, etc.

I never thought I'd see a state manual talk about that.

A couple weeks ago, I did see a rooster pheasant walking along side US 33 north of Marysville. It gave me a bit of hope.

[Matt D]

I would have to do some looking to find out the name of the place we hunted. It is directly across the road from a piece of private we hunt so sometimes we will swing through and hit it if it looks like it has been left a lone for a few days or if we see or think there are birds in it. If you decide to go to IA get with me and I will find the name and tell you where it is.

You would be well advised to order this atlas http://www.sportsmanatlas.com/iowa/atlas/iowa_sportsmans_atlas.html It will give you all the public areas in the state. I have a copy from about 15 years ago when we went deer hunting in southern IA and it was great to have. As far as most productive I would look for pieces of ground that are farther away from cities/towns as they should see a little less pressure. Also don't be afraid of smaller pieces of land espcially later in the year as a lot of guys will over look them and if there is good cover on private ground around it those birds will move back and forth if they aren't getting pressured on the public. I would say expect to put in a lot of road time scouting prior to legal shooting and after for the next days hunt also. The atlas will help you to get a feel for how much land there is in different areas so you can maximize your time.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

Matt D