Top Public Pheasant Hunting Areas In Iowa

Here are the best public areas for pheasant hunting in Iowa:

1. Northwest Iowa (typically highest pheasant numbers):

• Badger Lake Wildlife Area (Monona County)
• Elk Grove Wildlife Area (Guthrie County)
• Spring Run Complex (Dickinson County)
• Union Hills WMA (Cerro Gordo County)

2. North Central Iowa:

• Union Hills (Worth County)
• Rice Lake Wildlife Area (Worth/Winnebago Counties)
• Big Marsh Wildlife Area (Butler County) These areas combine grassland habitat with wetland edges.

3. Southwest Iowa:

• Mount Ayr Wildlife Area (Ringgold County)
• Sand Creek Wildlife Area (Decatur County)
• Forney Lake (Fremont County)

Key tips for Iowa hunting:

• Focus on IHAP (Iowa Habitat Access Program) lands - these are private lands opened to public hunting
• Look for areas combining CRP fields with food plots
• Most productive areas tend to be near the Minnesota and Missouri borders
• Check the DNR's August roadside survey for current pheasant populations by region
• Best hunting often comes after crop harvest
• Public land is more limited than Dakotas, so early season can be crowded
• Winter weather conditions greatly affect bird numbers year to year

by Tim Esse