(Area) The Iowa DNR’s Annual Roadside Pheasant Count is off to a good start with favorable conditions to provide an accurate representation of the population.
Bryan Hayes with the Iowa DNR explains order for the survey to work best, heavy dew is needed. “That dew with wet conditions in the morning is what you need to count the pheasants accurately. That brings the pheasants out on the gravel roads to dry off early in the morning. We had some good conditions early in the week.”
One more week remains of counting. “Roadside counts provide us with a prediction of what the pheasant population is going to look like in the fall. It consists of over 200 30-mile routes throughout the state. It’s the same routes they’ve been running for well over 60 years. We get a little glimpse at what the upcoming pheasant season is going to look like.”
