Spoon River NAVHDA Chapter

Are there any decent places to hunt wild pheasants or quail  in the Peoria area?   Does anyone drive over to Iowa to hunt?   Just curious.   

I don't know of any wild bird hunting areas around Peoria.  If it is anything like where I'm at (about 1 hour NW of Peoria), the pheasants aren't here any more.  I used to see them all the time on the road, now if I see them at all it's an accomplishment.  We had 4 get out of the corn in front of the combine last fall-so I have few wild birds but not a population that can sustain hunting.  Trying to improve that with CRP ground on my farm.  I have some quail, but not a lot-maybe 3 good coveys.  Heard them regularly over the summer while training.

Pheasants Forever bought 1,000 acres about 50 minutes NW of Peoria last fall and it is supposed to all be public hunting.  They kept 507 acres in the Forever Land Trust and that ground has been sprayed to kill the pasture grass, burned off, and reseeded for native prairie.  Give it a couple years and it should be sustaining a population that can be hunted.  The other 493 acres were given to the IL DNR and they have not been touched.

I've considered trying to hunt on my Great Aunt and Uncle's farm in central Iowa, but never have.  I know they usually have a group of hunters come up from Texas to hunt pheasants (or they used to).  Located in Mahaska County, almost straight South of Grinnell about 20 miles, and 10 miles from where the Invitational is held when it is held in Iowa.

The PF forecast says the numbers are way down this year.  Even in S.D.  Several hard winters are taking a major toll, along with CRP ground not being renewed.