Pheasant hunters in Iowa saw high-bag years in both 2023 and 2024.

Harvest data for the fall season released by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources shows an estimated 460,000 roosters were bagged in the 2024 season, making it the second-best pheasant season in nearly two decades.

The 2024 season had lower figures than 2023, when hunters logged 590,000 harvested roosters. But DNR said this was expected, as the August 2024 population surveys of the birds showed a 14% decline in populations compared to 2023.

Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with DNR, said there were more than 77,400 hunters chasing pheasants in 2024, which was fewer than the 83,600 hunters in 2023.

Of the other pheasant-hunting states, only South Dakota had higher 2024 bags and hunters with 1.3 million roosters harvested by about 140,200 hunters.

Historic records of Iowa pheasant seasons show similarly high hunting years as recent as 1995. Populations have declined since then due to “catastrophic” weather years from 2007-2011 and fewer acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, which provides needed habitat for the birds.

According to 2024 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the CRP program, 1.67 million acres were enrolled in the program that pays farmers to convert marginal cropland to grasslands.

That means there’s less pheasant habitat today than in 1995, when over 2 million acres were enrolled in CRP and hunters bagged more than 1.4 million roosters. But it’s better than some years in Iowa’s 100-year pheasant hunting history.

Squirrel, rabbit harvest increases

The department also shared figures for other small game in 2024. Quail hunters harvested 27,500 birds, which was 2,700 fewer than 2023. Rabbit harvests in 2024 increased by 13% from 2023, with an estimated 77,000 harvested. Squirrel hunting also increased in 2024 and hunters bagged more than 124,300, which was 32% higher than 2023 figures.

Like the other bird hunting categories, mourning dove harvests were also down slightly from 2023 harvests, with an estimated 143,000 doves bagged.

In August, DNR staff will drive down thousands of miles of gravel roads at dawn to count female pheasants, or hens, as they move their broods out of the dew to dry off. These figures will give the department an idea of pheasant populations going into the 2025 pheasant season, which kicks off Oct. 18 for youth hunters.

“Overall we had a really good fall and are looking forward to this year’s August roadside survey to see where the bird numbers are ahead of the 2025 season,” Bogenschutz said in a statement.

The roadside survey results are typically released to the public in September, but early predictors show pheasant populations might benefit from the state’s “fourth least snowy” winter in 138 years, according to DNR.

The department reported in June there were sightings of early nesting in regions around the state, which usually means there will be a higher numbers of pheasant chicks.

Bogenschutz said early nesting, combined with favorable weather predictions, could mean higher pheasant populations and therefore hunting abilities for the 2025 season.

DNR and Iowa Pheasants Forever created a “hard card” hunting and fishing license with a pheasant print for hunters to celebrate the 2025, centennial season of the sport.