Spike in Pheasant Harvest During Pandemic

The COVID pandemic is credited for helping with a huge Iowa pheasant harvest in 2020. The DNR reports Iowa hunters bagged nearly 300-thousand roosters during the 2020 season – the second-highest harvest reported in more than a decade – and around 16-thousand more than 2019. Wildlife biologists say there were 10-thousand more hunters in 2020 – which is being credited mainly to the pandemic – as all types of outdoor activities saw increases. The state’s roadside survey heading into the season showed an 18-percent increase in birds, which was another factor in the good harvest