I'm looking for a few places near Ames to do some pheasant hunting. Does anyone have any places that they would let a young student do some hunting on? If you like pheasant, anything I get you can have as well. I would be more than happy to have a hunting partner as well. Please let me know. Pheasant season is only 7 weeks away! Thanks.
Pheasant Hunting
- Thread starter pigphd
- Start date
There are some public hunting grounds north and east of Ames. Check out the IDNR website. Other than that, try to make friends with some local farmers.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Did those public spots flood at all? I know there's one on 330 between M'town and DM that was pretty much a lake.
Agree on the farmers part. Start working them now. Introduce yourself and let them know it will just be you and not a whole army hunting on their land. Take them a gift if they let you hunt so you're in again next year.
So, you are super human pheasant hunting guy, but you have no one to hunt with, or no place to go, but are too good to hunt public land? Have fun with that one.......I have hunted private and public ground in Story County for 30 years. I guess I'm one of those people with no clue...
The Pheasant population in Central Iowa has been declining drastically over a 5 year period. According to someone at the DNR, it is not just because of weather patterns. Apparently, Turkey's are a territorial dominate bird, and have been tearing up Pheasant nests. Not good since their population is on the rise.
DNR might need to start looking into allowing hen harvest in spring season. Or otherwise doing something to open fall season more. I know many won't, just like many won't go for the doe tag during deer season. But turkey are getting to be a problem in some areas.
I was told Indiana did a study where they found turkey did more crop damage than deer.
People give advice and you give this back? Good luck finding somebody that wants you to hunt their ground...
Don't be offended so easily by someone giving legitimate suggestions. You asked for the help.
I'm totally new to hunting...but I promise not to bird shot someone's face. I would love to get into pheasant hunting, it doesn't bother me that the population is down, I'm used to Iowa fishing!!! If anyone has some land that my dog and I can hunt I would follow any rules and leave the land better than I found it. Better yet, if anyone would like to mentor a beginner I would really appreciate it.
If this isn't your first rodeo then you will understand why people don't want to post where their prime pheasants spots are and who owns the land on a message board! The best thing to do is get a plot book and knock on doors. It is still fairly easy to get on private ground in Iowa by knocking on doors or making some calls. You have a better than 50% chance in most cases. And the bird population is going to be awful in this year with the wet spring and bad winter. Minnesota has overtaken Iowa as a pheasant state. They had a bigger harvest when the last count was taken.
I've got a 5 year old lab. I took him out to a public hunting area this morning and he stayed within 20-30 ft of me. Don't know if he's gun shy yet, I took him clay shooting and he did fine but I probably won't know until I take him out for the real thing. If he can locate a bird I'm sure he'll retrieve it. We didn't flush anything this morning but I didn't expect too where I was.
Your dog will be fine. He wont be gun-shy if he's heard some shots before and not freaked out.
His instinct will take over when the time comes.
I just responded to your PM.
-Cap