Iowa Upland Bird Hunting For Wild Pheasant & Quail
Iowa upland bird hunting within this Association is for both wild pheasant and Bobwhite Quail. All hunts are on private land, self guided. We assist with where to park the truck and put the dogs down.
Iowa Upland Bird Hunting & MAHA
This article is an overview of how MAHA fits the hunter with additional web pages specific to quail and pheasant.
MAHA's private lease land region.
This second land use map shows the region (light yellow) covering the northern fringe of the Grand River watershed. This allows for the right combination of protective cover and crop. This allows quail to have higher seasonal survival rates in this warmer portion of the state.
MAHA's private land is in the south central region. This area has combination wild pheasant and Bobwhite Quail. This region provides an opportunity not readily available anywhere else in the state.
Iowa upland bird hunting is frequently believed to be solely for pheasant. That is true for the majority of the state. However in the south central region there are quail in very huntable numbers. This makes this area a two species hunt on the same trip. Many times when a dog goes on point it will be a guess as to whether a pheasant or a quail will flush. This is one reason that MAHA has leases land in this region and ignoring the rest. Essentially, more opportunity through mixed bag hunts making a better day in the field for those that want to enjoy watching their dog in action.
Opportunities continue as the year long land access price covers our do it yourself hunts in Kansas and Missouri. On over 200,000 acres of land. Each of these states offers there own adventure of varying habitat. We will help with the decision of where to hunt based pheasant or quail or habitat preferences. That decision will also have a Plan 'A' and a Plan 'B' so all have a choice of where to hunt.
The choice of either a preference towards pheasant or quail will have the broadest range of options. Essentially that choice is a sliding scale. Everywhere pheasants will be found that region will also have quail. In some areas such as central Missouri are nearly exclusive to quail. A few roosters may be encountered. However, those that hunt the majority of Missouri will be on Bobwhite alone.
The habitat preference will include the large tall grass, draws and edge. Kansas will offer more tall grass acreage Missouri many more miles of edge cover. This Kansas advantage of more pheasant cover will recur as a theme throughout this web site. The advantage of this Association is we lease land within the region of our three state are that returns the most for the hunter. That may require some to drive a bit further for a better hunt than less for more of a nature walk.
Those on their first trip with the Association will talk to one of the two Association partners, Jon Nee and John Wenzel. They will offer ideas where to hunt based on the hunter's preference. The hunter basically has two approaches he may exercise. The first is to follow the recommendations of the partners as that comes from their year round boots on the ground time. Or, just pick a spot, step out and put dogs down to see what happens. In either case there will be that added motivate to hunt from covering new ground. And, that new ground will be free of public lands behaviors.
In either case the distinction between these two approaches is more along the lines of adjusting to how the pheasant and quail nesting and brooding success has been for that year. Or, choose where to hunt base on location/driving distance regardless of population densities. All should recognize the Association partners are motivated to give the hunter the best hunt possible as a means to gain return hunts for years to come. That may include driving further than the Association's private land region to another with better potential. That potential is well advertised through our own forecasting covering the land we have. Have a read of our forecasting methodology.
2010 Iowa Upland Bird Hunting Land Locations & Acreage
Listed on the map are the county names and acreage amounts we have available for Iowa upland bird hunting.
The hunter will find miles of crop edge and waterways of various cover of soft edge, grass and brush. This region is composed of grain farms cut by the Grand River Watershed cutting through the fields.
Includes Bobwhite Quail
Those seeking a covey each time stepping from the truck or a limit every day have little understanding of wild Bobwhite Quail on private land. The picture above is of one day's hunt for two.
The quail hunter will have the ability to work his dog on field edge habitat and thinly wooded areas allowing for more eyes on dog time.
This region's low rolling hills and shallow drains contrast with the deeper creeks and frequent wet boot crossings of north central Kansas and Missouri. With the other necessary elements of crop food source and readily available water the quail have all they need for survival and to prosper.
The shallow contours created by numerous drains between crop fields make for a lot of linear edge walking hunts.
The down side is this most northern of the Association's three states has winters that can be far more sever than in Kansas or Missouri.
On more than one of the last several seasons have Association hunters passed through onto Kansas and Missouri to get out of the snow. While the snow does seem to adversely impact hunter enjoyment it appears to have less effect on pheasant and quail numbers than many magazine articles seem to indicate. Have a look at some of our quail cover.
Selecting form the links below gains increasingly greater detail about our self guided private land hunts. Why to continue reading is to see how others have come to enjoy the day in the field working their own dogs. The most commented aspect of all of this is how folks lose the anxiety or worry of if they will have a place to hunt. That changes into the tranquility of knowing that they will have a place to hunt. They will have more land available to hunt each day than daylight hours. There is a choice from day to day where to hunt. Each can go to where the better quail and pheasant forecasts indicate the better hunts.
All of this leads to most hunters coming to enjoy their dogs more and the quality they bring to the day. Limits mean less and the more that good dog work gains importance. These same hunters further transition from spending time with others to spending more time with their dogs. This typically grows to the near exclusion of all others. The frequent feedback is it is the dogs that brings the motivation to continue the hunt. Other hunters become a distraction.
Replacing those other hunters are more wives and digital cameras.
Wives find the husband hunter by himself with his dog free of the encumbrance of other hunters is more enjoyable to spend time with. The hunters find wives bring reason for a restaurant breakfast rather than eating something quick in the truck out to the next spot. Wives bring snacks that make the time between stops a little longer building more energy for the next field. Days end before last light to take car e of the dogs, get a room and then to dinner and long conversation the wives enjoy.
The digital camera has done much for the dog hunter. This web sites update and testimonial sections show proof. Most that hunt in the Association begin around their third year taking a shot with the camera before the gun. The ultimate picture is of the dog on point, birds in the air and hunter with gun raised. Having one such picture is never enough. This develops into the wives having purpose beyond being along for the ride. That of picture taker. The digital camera providing instant results along with later enlarged and hung on the wall photos soon collect good memories. Those develop into rememberance of past dogs and field days that will bring a smile long after the season close.
Yes, this Association has good hunts. It also has more.
Continue with our Iowa upland bird hunting discussion with pheasant or quail hunts.