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Agreed. Lots of variables. Several friends I know in the DNR throughout the State said that what they were seeing in the fields day to day was quite different than what ultimately showed up in the data, for whatever that's worth. Looking forward to another good season!

For example, there is about a 10 square mile area that I've killed more birds than anywhere else in the state, and that is entirely in the "white" on this map.

I think those little "blurbs" of poor hunting are more a product of the routes and other variables than the numbers themselves. For example, I can say with certainty that that area of the state is exponentially better in aggregate than the eastern 1/3 of the state. With that being said, if the...

I think this is probably the case, however, going on year 2 i was able to wear a hole in my crispi's leather, so they are leaking now.

I am a big fan of my crispi boots for bird hunting here in Iowa (have used the Guide GTX the last couple of years). They are not cheap, but I believe you get what you pay for, and with hundreds of miles each Fall, they are well worth it IMO. However, after a year or so, despite constant...

Be prepared to fight a LOT of pressure if targeting public ground. There are birds, but you will really have to work and put in lots of miles in difficult terrain (think lots of marshes, knee deep water, cattails, etc.). If you have the luxury of hunting private, then sit back, relax, and enjoy...

I used to switch them up here and there but the last two years I've used strictly modified and have been very pleased. This is for 100% pheasant hunting in Iowa over flushers.

One last thing, we’ve got some shelter belt plantings that are a few years old, and plenty of horse weeds and thickets for winter cover, so I definitely don’t think winter cover/food is any sort of limiting factor. Surrounded mostly by crop fields as well, and we have a couple small food plots...

Have the chance to enroll the final 10 acres of our farm in CP42. Rewind a bit, located in Iowa and currently have about 170 acres that we’ve been working with the last 3-4 years. Of those acres, it currently consists roughly of -45% restored wetlands/pasture in more of a grassy mix as it is...

Anyone seeing any broods of chicks yet? Nothing for me here in Eastern, IA, however I'm in very low pheasant density areas and usually don't see many at any point in the year.

IMO the next few weeks are crucial.. no big floods and steady consistent temps and I think we will be golden!

That is good feedback LOL. Hoping I can stay ahead of that and keep plugging away. For as many trees as we have cut, it seems like there's always more to be done - I suppose that's the fun in managing your own property!

While you are probably correct in reducing hunter numbers, is he instead saying that reducing bag limits may provide more opportunities for more people to harvest birds longer into the season on public? That's just my 2 cents. If it's anything like Iowa however, you rarely see people limiting on...

Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense too me!

Outside of just now wanting chemicals in the ground from an environmental standpoint, is creating a "dead zone" around groves of undesirable silver maples, etc., along fence lines really a bad thing? IMO, it would make eventually clearing out/piling/burning downed trees easier to have less...

As spring sets in here in Iowa, do you (or anyone else) have any suggestions for killing cut trees as the sap is starting to push out? I've heard Tordon is not nearly as effective this time of year, and don't want to waste efforts.

Costs, as far as environmental/knock-on effects? Or monetary costs? For me, if I can even make a marginal difference (I am 100% in agreement that birds and predators have coexisted forever) then it is time/money well spent. I have always subsribed to the habitat is king argument, and that the...

The more I think about our property, the more I think we really need to tackle the trees. We have put a pretty good dent in them, focusing mostly on fencelines surrounding the "prime" nesting habitat outside of the flood plain. While it seems like the verdict is still out for some on the impacts...

I've done a fair amount of digging, and from what I can tell I've seen references to brome grass as well as bluegrass as preferred nesting for Huns. I always thought the burn buffers surrounding our CRP (i believe a mix of clovers, rye, etc.) would provide the type of nesting habitat they...