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Similar habitat as described above in general. Will have to try and avoid the massive crowds, public will be packed.

Fingers crossed, but the weather for opening weekend looks to be promising.. Will be nice not fighting 70 degree temps by 11.

Had just over 4" since Wednesday in eastern Iowa.

I would argue that we as hunters often have a very skewed perception of what benefits the birds. For most hunters, we are really only out in the fields during the harsher months of the year (November - January), when much of the cover may be knocked down or under snow, etc. Hence, we tend to see...

I hope it rains like heck the next few days, we could use every inch. Farmers way ahead of schedule as is, so a week or two delay shouldn't hurt anything from there standpoint. Selfishly, I always like to see more crops left standing the first week or two of the season, generally means less...

Switch is a warm season grass, and I have contemplated doing that (but in the fall instead of spring). After a couple good frosts, the warm season grasses should go dormant while the cool season grasses are still growing. Can achieve a better kill in the fall as well compared to Spring. The...

As I was checking it out yesterday there were a few hens flushed from the corn food plot next to it - so it would appear they are starting to use it. I don't like the idea of creating a monoculture of anything, whether it be switchgrass or what not, but in this case, I do not believe there was...

Pic below

Here is an early fall update on the project. After about 4 mowings this year (last in eaelt August), the switch is starting to show itself among the weeds.

In the state of Iowa, I think the popularity of deer hunting (leased ground, recreation properties, etc.) has actually benefited pheasants as a whole while subsequently making it harder to get hunting permission. There seem to be a lot more recreational properties purchased and managed strictly...

I would say Iowa will be similar to past years (anecdotally). I do think conditions were much more favorable this year for the roadside counts with heavier dews on the calm, sunny mornings when they were running counts. Unfortunately, there has been a ton of CRP mowed over the past month or so...

Lots of CRP cut here in Central & Eastern Iowa. Most of what has been cut are fields that I've never seen mowed before in the last several years.

Was happy to catch a couple of juvenile roosters on camera the other day.

I've shot about half a dozen huns in central/eastern iowa each of the last few years. I would say I probably push a covey of them on 10% of my hunts - generally out of corn stubble. They are around, but certainly not something worth targeting. Very hard to pinpoint where they may be, and purely...

That makes sense. I think I would target a late August type burn if possible to try and get some growth back, but I tend to agree with your point that most nests are in "old growth" that probably wouldn't have time to grow back in that short window during the fall.

We have generally always defaulted to burning in the Spring as it seems like that was conventionally the way to do it. However, I've recently become more intrigued with the idea of prescribed burning in the fall, for a couple of reasons. 1) Supposed to be more beneficial to forbes than grasses...

Lucky you - we are bone dry here in Eastern Iowa.

What area of the state was this in (roughly)? Great to hear. Interestingly, i stumbled upon a big brood of partridge in eastern Iowa this weekend. Couldn't have been more than a few days old, I could have caught them each by hand. Pretty cool to see.

Made it out after the rain and was happy to see some of the new crp seeding (Leopold mix) coming in. Also, hard to see here but finally getting some switch grass sprouting where I killed the RCG this spring in old low laying pasture ground. Plan is to get out and mow it all here around the...

Kicked up a couple of very young/small chicks yesterday afternoon in Easter Iowa