Iowa quail / pheasants

[loganwayne]

Going to be in Iowa mid November this year, around Bloomfield. I'm going to go out a couple days to a week early as I've never hunted the Midwest, only up north for grouse and woodcock. Im willing to bounce around some different areas. Seeing if anyone is willing to get some general tips on habitat to key in on looking at Onx. Or if someone is willing to pm me a general area ill take that to.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I've never bird hunted in the SE. However, I linked the 2025 roadside survey results, and here is what Google says:

Public pheasant hunting areas near Bloomfield, Iowa, are largely concentrated in Davis and surrounding counties, featuring a mix of state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), county parks, and private lands open through the state’s walk-in access program. [1, 2, 3]
The best locations to target upland birds near Bloomfield include:

• Soap Creek Wildlife Management Area: Located in Davis County just northwest of Bloomfield, this area spans roughly 6,500 acres of timber, restored prairies, and grasslands, making it an excellent local spot for both pheasants and quail.
• Shimek State Forest: Situated primarily in Lee and Van Buren counties (east of Bloomfield), the Donnellson and Lick Creek units offer thousands of acres of mixed timber and open grassy clearings.
• Lake Sugema Wildlife Area: Located just southeast near Keosauqua, this heavily managed area offers a mix of row crops, restored native prairie, and brushy edges that attract upland birds.
• Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) Sites: Several private properties in Davis and adjacent counties are temporarily enrolled in this state program, opening them to walk-in public hunting from September 1 through May 31. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• https://www.pheasantsforever.org/forecast

You're not too far from Rathbun either, and there is likely some grass around the lake with public hunting opps.

Good luck!

 

[yfarm]

In 1968 or 1969 I experienced the best quail hunting of my entire life hunting in a snowstorm in January between Milton and Cantril. Quail populations have been in a long term decline in Iowa, that part of the state still holds the best population. Our “guide” was a cattle buyer/ private loan officer for ag loans named Ted Barbee and had access to farms throughout the southmost counties in the state of Iowa.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

I’ll PM you a couple areas, there is plenty of opportunity on public but that is also the peak whitetail rut so you will need to keep an eye out for bow hunters.

 

[Dale264]

Late April/early May nearly the whole southern 2 tiers of counties received substantial rainfall. This landed during early nesting season so I would suspect this will have an impact on brood numbers this year. Plenty of time for birds to renest but I would be surprised if there is an increase in numbers compared to last year.

Keep any eye out for the August Roadside survey published by the DNR in late August, early Sept. (Can be found with a quick Google search) This will give you a good idea of regional potential. IHAP land would be my suggestion.

 

[loganwayne]

Late April/early May nearly the whole southern 2 tiers of counties received substantial rainfall. This landed during early nesting season so I would suspect this will have an impact on brood numbers this year. Plenty of time for birds to renest but I would be surprised if there is an increase in numbers compared to last year.

Keep any eye out for the August Roadside survey published by the DNR in late August, early Sept. (Can be found with a quick Google search) This will give you a good idea of regional potential. IHAP land would be my suggestion.

I just need to be around Bloomfield on the weekend. Im willing to travel 4-5 hrs across the state.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I just need to be around Bloomfield on the weekend. Im willing to travel 4-5 hrs across the state.

In that case, I would be looking at West Central and NW Iowa counties. Around me, the Dunbar Slough Complex is huge and has birds throughout the season. My buddy lives on the south end of it and has a cabin he may rent out if you're interested. It gets quite a bit of pressure opening weekend, but after that it slows down significantly. We shoot birds walking out his back door until the end of the season.

 

[Dale264]

If youre willing to travel I'd suggest pretty much anything north of I-80 and west of Hwy 65. I do +95% of my pheasant hunting on public ground as a resident in this area of the state.

Will you be hunting with or without a bird dog? If you don't have a bird dog, I'd focus on smaller 15-80 acre parcels. Small cattail sloughs (1-2 acres) or creeks running through them is a definite plus. Avoid areas with timber; willow thickets being the only exception. That should be easy to pick out with aerial mapping.

If you pick a specific area/town when the time get closer, shoot me a PM. I've likely hunted some public nearby and can point you to specific spots.

 

[Wheels]

It's been several years, but we used to hunt up west of Oskaloosa and got into a few birds. There is a good sized public area west of town. Not sure if there are still birds there though.

 

[loganwayne]

If youre willing to travel I'd suggest pretty much anything north of I-80 and west of Hwy 65. I do +95% of my pheasant hunting on public ground as a resident in this area of the state.

Will you be hunting with or without a bird dog? If you don't have a bird dog, I'd focus on smaller 15-80 acre parcels. Small cattail sloughs (1-2 acres) or creeks running through them is a definite plus. Avoid areas with timber; willow thickets being the only exception. That should be easy to pick out with aerial mapping.

If you pick a specific area/town when the time get closer, shoot me a PM. I've likely hunted some public nearby and can point you to specific spots.

got a couple bird dogs. going to iowa for a field trial, but never hunted pheasants or quail so figured take a couple days and give it a shot before the trial.

 

[yfarm]

As you can infer from the replies, the bird you hunt will dictate to some extent where you hunt. Bloomfield is centered in the quail part of Iowa, the areas mentioned above are pheasant land. You may find pheasants where quail are abundant but not vice versa.
The southernmost row of counties are where I would expect quail.