I might be head out to Iowa in October or November 2015

R

Remtech

New member
So I am from Wisconsin and I might have a chance to come out to Iowa and hunt some pheasant. I don't want to go to any game farms. I would like to hit some public land.i have a vizsla that I hunt in Wisconsin. So what are somethings or some keys to hunting pheasants successfully on public land in Iowa.

Thanks
Remtech
 
The information that I am looking for is what to the public ground land lay outs look like. Also how so the birds act arr they runners so they flush easy or do they sit tight
I have access to national training grounds here for the dog so I will use the information to get myself and the dog ready.

Thanks
Remtech
 
Rem,
The biggest problem with Iowa public land...is there isn't very much of it! Iowa ranks 49th (out of 50 states...!!) in the percentage of land which is public- 1.04%- roughly 370,000 acres- much of that is NW Refuge and Corp of Engineers land along both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The amount of public land that is "prime" pheasant country is pretty small, and quite spread out.

With that caution, let me assure you that you can, and will find some roosters on the public land! I hunt public, generally starting the third week of the season, and rarely try it on the weekends! The NW 1/3 of the state has been the best for the last couple of years. Get a good guide, like the Iowa Sportsman's Atlas, start driving, and take a look at every public spot- some are small, but can be overlooked, and just might hold a rooster or two!

Expectations...?? If I down a bird a day, on public land, I am satisfied...at my age, the hunt is more meaningful than the harvest...but I do like to see the dogs get a retrieve, and I get a nice meal for later!

No generalities on how the birds behave- other than roosters, after the first few gunshots of the season, become extremely paranoid- they do what they have to do to stay alive. Most will try to run, some will sit tight and hope you and the pup walk by; I think a quiet, thoughtful approach to the field, and a relatively quiet trip through the cover will give you a good opportunity to score!

Good luck!
 
Pretty much as stated above. If you knew good public areas outside of the NW or NC Iowa, would be your best bet. Everyone hunts the Nw and Nc.
 
I want Iowa to get your money... but to be honest, if you are going to purchase an out of state license and spend the time/money... I'd head to SD. I will probably make my first trip their myself this fall. Best wishes!
 
See its Iowa or nothing because my wife will be hanging out with a friend while i am hunting she has no friends s in sd. Lol so how hard is it to get permission to hunt on farmers land?
 
Ah... got it... then certainly make the run over here. :) Most of the local land owners are pretty friendly... the further you get from the larger cities (if we have those-ha), the easier it seems to be to get permission. Best wishes!
 
I hear ya... I wish I could help more. I started up again this year after several years out of the game and there's not much in my neck of the woods any more. We have the Big Marsh that's not to far from me but the one time I hit it pretty hard this year, I saw a whopping 1 bird and didn't see another hunter while I was there. I will be making drives that I never needed to make in previous years this fall as well. Most suggest west of Hwy 35 which is the direction I may be heading too. I used to have a ton of private ground and can still hit it, but most of the good habitat is gone... land to far to valuable in Iowa to leave sit. :/ If you talk with the local DNR guys, they'll as least put you in the area's they are seeing a bird or two on. Good luck!!
 
For public areas I would suggest Clay, Dickinson and Palo Alto counties. Birds fly wild, long shots, need a dog that will go into the cattails and you follow the deer trails. I haven't hunted crop land for years, some hay ground, and CRP of course.
 
Remtech said:
So I am from Wisconsin and I might have a chance to come out to Iowa and hunt some pheasant. I don't want to go to any game farms. I would like to hit some public land.i have a vizsla that I hunt in Wisconsin. So what are somethings or some keys to hunting pheasants successfully on public land in Iowa.

Thanks
Remtech
Click to expand...

Where at in Iowa are you planning on heading? I'm pretty familiar with hunting from south of Milo, IA to up by Lake Mills/Northwood, IA. Let me know if anywhere near 35. A lot of the public land gets hammered, but if you know where to go and when to get there, it can be good. Plus, some of us locals that know landowners don't mind sharing a few birds once in a while. :)
 
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