Brutal Winter?

H

hunter94

Well-known member
I am hearing parts of Iowa are experiencing a brutal winter with some areas having 2 feet of snow on the ground?
Bird losses are going to be extensive, in some areas. Is anyone trying to feed/corn the wildlife? How bad is it?
 
Yes, it's pretty bad over most of the pheasant range. Iowa DNR says anytime we have more than 30" of snowfall the pheasant pop. drops the following fall. Well, we're at 58" so far. I've seen three coveys of Huns but not a pheasant in weeks.
 
arringto said:
How’s the weather been in southern Iowa ? Hopefully it doesn’t affect the quail population to bad.
Click to expand...

Southern Iowa has been hit as hard or harder than everywhere else in the state. It started with a foot of snow in November and hasn’t really let up since. I think the quail in southern Iowa are in trouble.
 
I’m feeding about twenty in my grove, about a half pail of corn a day.

Man they are wary, open the shades in the morning and they are off.
 
Whoever asks if it is bad......sadly, yes, it is bad. We have had snow on the ground for most of 2019 with the exception of only a few days. Whats worse is that it is layer after layer of snow with some icy crusts that smaller game simply can not break through. It is bad. In southern Iowa, I'm afraid quail are going to take a severe blow. And the pheasants will no doubt suffer losses as well. Not only them, I am seeing strange behavior from deer and even squirrels. The wildlife is hungry right now, we need a break in this weather. More importantly, we need this snow on the ground to go away.
 
I’ve been feeding some out back, I see probably 15-20 there at any given time, mostly mornings. I also put a pile of sand there.

The grandson and I decided to follow some deer trails through the switchgrass, just poke around a while since it was a nice day.

Probably got 50 birds up. Haven’t seen one at the feeding area since.

Hopefully they’ll return, it’s been three days.
 
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