Iowa Up-Land Game Birds Ben Cottrell And Spencer Radabaugh

WHY?  Hobby for Hunters  Existence of the Bird

Topic Points  Harvesting  Types of Up-Land Iowa game birds  Actual Population problems  Habitat Management/Programs

Harvest  Why do people hunt these species?  Being Outdoors  Being with others  Family Tradition  Harvesting Seasons take place in the fall months of the year.

TYPES OF IOWA UP-LAND GAME BIRDS

Interesting Facts  Ring Necked Pheasants and Gray Partridges were introduced to Iowa as game species.  The ring necked pheasant was introduced from china in  Gray Partridges are from Europe and were brought to Iowa in the 1990’s  Pheasant's escaped from a game farm in the early 1900’s and are now the most hunted game bird in Iowa

Hungarian partridge (Perdix Perdix)

Interesting Facts (Partridge)  Other common names include Gray, Bohemian, English, and European  Prefers open areas and farmlands  Breeding season is late April to September  Clutch size is 15 with several per year  24 day incubation  The males have a dark horseshoe marking on their upper abdomen  Call

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Interesting Facts (Pheasant)  Tail is long and usually cocked up at an angle  In very bad weather they are known for to stay on a roost for several days without eating  Males use Defense polygyny  Eats seeds, grasses, fruits, nuts, and insects  Call

Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus)

Interesting Facts (Quail)  Northern Bobwhite  Divided into 22 different sub species  Grassland bird  Feeds on plants  Nests on the ground  Masked Bobwhite found in Mexico has black throat and cinnamon under parts  Call

Population  Weather Conditions  Long/bad Winters  Spring Showers  Loss of Habitat  Hunting Pressure  Predators  Nesting Problems

Management Possibilities  Change Hunting Seasons  Stocking  Raising and releasing birds  Localized Predator Removal  Fine as long as they do not affect habitat

Habitat Programs  Key to future success  Conservation reserve program (CRP)  Wet Land reserve program (WRP)  Grassland reserve program (GRP)  Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)  Conservation steward ship Program (CSP)

Analysis & Conclusion  Up- Land game bird population steady will continue to decline  Largely affected by weather  Programs in place for success/ room to grow  Programs will take time to grow

Sources  necked_Pheasant/lifehistory necked_Pheasant/lifehistory  e/hungarian1.htm e/hungarian1.htm  ern_bobwhite/id ern_bobwhite/id  _Partridge/id _Partridge/id