Smooth Criminals?

[KBell]

Wow! I have read three articles now stating how our Iowa bird numbers will be 40% higher this fall. I love hunting our pheasants in Iowa as much as anyone, but it seems to me this borders on malicious to propose these kinds of numbers to out-of-staters as to what they may expect this fall.

I will use my own property as an example. I knew in April that I had 3 roosters and one hen on the family land. Throughout this Summer, I have the three roosters and the hen that has eight offspring as of this post. In total, one could argue that the land now has 12 birds or a 200% increase in the bird population. Would you invest in a motel, travel, license and equipment for this? I would guess that seven of these total of 12 birds will be roosters. Trail cams will prove it soon.

I am grateful for the nesting weather and Spring we have had. I just believe it to be very misleading to "enhance" the hopes of hunters everywhere with these increases. Even Todd Bogenschultz of the IDNR has been on radio, magazine and newspaper lauding the "numbers game" with the public. I feel it is a question of ethics. While true, these increases should be explained in more detail to the general public and out-of-staters.

 

[OldDublin]

I would be less concerned with misleading re populations or trip cost to the hunters than the physical cost to some local populations of birds.
Hunter hopes don't concern me much.

 

[hunter94]

most NR hunters who have paid the increased fee in the past couple years, to walk all day and see maybe a dozen or two dozen birds, understands what a 40% increase of damn few birds left over from last season really means......the Iowa DNR accepts no guilt for distorting the still meager bird population. they only want the revenue from NR's, regardless of the poor quality of hunting left over.....i will spend my hard earned dollars in SD.

 

[pheasantaddict]

I don't think you have to worry about to many out of state hunters. Based on the harvest numbers of last year even with the 40% increase this year your looking at a harvest of 140,000. I believe this puts Iowa out of the top 5 states and maybe even the top 10. Maybe someone has the harvest results from the top pheasant producing states.

 

[birddog456]

most NR hunters who have paid the increased fee in the past couple years, to walk all day and see maybe a dozen or two dozen birds, understands what a 40% increase of damn few birds left over from last season really means......the Iowa DNR accepts no guilt for distorting the still meager bird population. they only want the revenue from NR's, regardless of the poor quality of hunting left over.....i will spend my hard earned dollars in SD.

Well put. Haven't bought an Iowa license going on 4 years now, don't need one to hunt my own property. Last Iowa bird shot was in 07.