Next weekend marks the beginning of Iowa’s highly anticipated pheasant season. Opening day is Saturday, Oct. 26, and hunters are eager for another successful year. With bird populations similar to two years ago, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) expects a harvest between 350,000 and 400,000 roosters. West-central and northwest Iowa are projected to have higher pheasant populations, leading to increased excitement for local hunters. Drought conditions have accelerated crop harvests, allowing hunters better visibility and moving birds into grassier habitats. DNR Upland Wildlife Biologist Todd Bogenschutz says, “We could see most of the crops out of the fields by opening day, and if that’s the case, we could see another really good opening weekend, similar to last year. If hunters want less competition, they should consider going during the week, but the first few weekends it will be pretty busy out there,” Iowa’s pheasant season runs from Oct. 26 to Jan. 10, 2025. Youth season is open on Oct. 19 and 20. Hunters can use the Iowa Hunting Atlas to locate public hunting land and private land enrolled in the Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP). Links with more information are included with this story on our website.