Iowa Upland Bird Hunting
This Iowa upland bird hunting article is an overview of how MAHA fits the bird hunter with additional web pages specific to Iowa quail and Iowa pheasant hunting.
MAHA's Iowa lease land region.
This second land use map shows the region (light yellow) covering the northern fringe of the Grand River watershed that allows for the right combination of cover and crop to allow quail to have higher seasonal survival rates in this warmer portion of the state.
Iowa upland bird hunting within Mid-America Hunting Association is for both pheasant and Bobwhite Quail. All upland birds hunts are self guided and on wild birds.
MAHA Iowa upland bird hunting is in the south central region of Iowa that has combination upland bird hunting for wild pheasant and Bobwhite Quail. This region provides an opportunity not readily available anywhere else in the state.
Iowa Pheasant Limit.
Iowa is frequently believed to be solely for the pheasant hunter. That is true for the majority of the state, however in the south central regions there are quail in very huntable numbers making this area a two bird species hunt locality. This is one reason that MAHA has lease land in this region and ignoring the rest. Essentially, more Iowa upland bird hunting opportunity through mixed bag hunts making a better day in the field for those that want to enjoy watching their dog in action.
Upland bird hunting opportunities continue as the membership price covers our do it yourself Iowa upland bird hunting as well as in Kansas and Missouri. Each of these states offers there own adventure of varying habitat. We will help with the decision of where to hunt based on bird and habitat of choice.
2010 Iowa Upland Bird Hunting land Locations
Listed on the Iowa map are the county names and acreage amounts we have available for upland bird hunting.
The bird 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 eh fields.
It is always challenging to show habitat in pictures, in this case this picture it is of prime habitat. What we are trying to illustrate with this picture is the wide open space of shallow topography and efficient agriculture within the quail and pheasant overlapping region shown on the map at the top of the page.
Iowa Bobwhite Quail
Those seeking a covey each time stepping from the truck or a limit every day have little understanding of wild Bobwhite Quail hunting on private land.
Similar to Missouri the quail hunter in the Hawkeye State 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 of Iowa, this most northern of the Association's three states, is that winters can be far more sever than in Kansas or Missouri.
On more than one of the last several seasons have our upland bird hunters passed through Iowa 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 bird numbers than many magazine articles seem to indicate.
This is about the only negative aspect comparative to the other options Association upland hunters may select from. This ability to chose where to hunt is what most hunters want without the hassle of knocking on doors or competing for public land.