Ron Kuntz
Where have all the pheasants gone? This question was recently raised by the State of Iowa Legislation, mainly the House and the Senate under House File 2310. I am happy to inform you that House File 2310 was unanimously voted on and passed by the House with 93 votes for it on or about February 18, 2010! House File 2310 was then moved to the Senate Natural Resource Committee and was voted on and passed by the Senate on March 23, 2010 with 29 for and 20 votes against.
It’s of interest and note to you rural Iowans that farmers will finally have a say in raising and producing pheasants pursuant to House File 2310 which reads as follows (and will become the law when the Governor does sign it):
“This is a bill for an act relating to raising or releasing pen-reared pheasants originating from a hatchery approved by the Department of Natural Resources.”
As of this time nothing any national organizations or local organizations have done to increase the number of pheasants in Iowa. The fact is they have decreased in numbers to the point where there aren’t; any birds. South Dakota presently allows birds to be released by farmers for the fall hunt. House File 2310 merely reflects what South Dakota has been doing for several years which Iowa should have done long before.
My feeling of farmers purchasing pheasants to release on his own property from an authorized game farm, that the farmer will make sure there is habitat there to protect the pheasants and allow them to reproduce on their land. It’s about time we give the farmers a chance to be heard on this matter and as to this date, nothing has worked as far as Iowa pheasant population goes. If this works out, that we have more pheasants within the next year, it would be ideal to pass the same type of quail release throughout Iowa. As you all know, the secret to raising pheasants is to have habitat. No one can argue with this matter however, you must have birds reproducing in the habitat to be successful! I think this Bill will give “MR. ROOSTER” a chance.
You must all realize that originally this is the way pheasants were introduced to Iowa from the Orient. The first pheasant season in Iowa was in 1925. One of my main reason why I think we had so many pheasants before is that at that time, farmers were not as productive as they are today. Farmers today cultivate from road ditch to road ditch. Pheasants, at this point, have been worth nothing to farmers so why should he protect them. Farmers then just were not the business been that they are today. We must bear in mind that real estate in South Dakota probably goes for $2500.00 an acre where Iowa real estate goes for $5,000.00 and up. Consequently, Iowa farmland is too expensive to do the same thing with pheasant shooting as they do in South Dakota where pheasants are worth $150.00 a day per gun.
I really feel this was a smart thing to do by the Senate and the House and I have been assured that HF2310 will be signed by the Governor.
By the way, I attended the Sustainable Funding Signing Ceremony by the Governor this morning, locally known as SF2310; which is a sustainable funding bill to be voted on this fall at the general election by the public.
Please contact me regarding your ideas as to why we do or don’t have pheasants and what we can do to help the pheasant population come back in Iowa. Contact me at “Dead Shot” at 405 – 6th Avenue, Suite 938, Des Moines, Iowa 50309, call me at (515) 283-2330 or email me at deadshotoutdoors@yahoo.com.
Have A Good Hunt And Keep On Fishing!
DEAD SHOT
a/k/a Ron Kuntz
Where have all the pheasants gone? This question was recently raised by the State of Iowa Legislation, mainly the House and the Senate under House File 2310. I am happy to inform you that House File 2310 was unanimously voted on and passed by the House with 93 votes for it on or about February 18, 2010! House File 2310 was then moved to the Senate Natural Resource Committee and was voted on and passed by the Senate on March 23, 2010 with 29 for and 20 votes against.
It’s of interest and note to you rural Iowans that farmers will finally have a say in raising and producing pheasants pursuant to House File 2310 which reads as follows (and will become the law when the Governor does sign it):
“This is a bill for an act relating to raising or releasing pen-reared pheasants originating from a hatchery approved by the Department of Natural Resources.”
As of this time nothing any national organizations or local organizations have done to increase the number of pheasants in Iowa. The fact is they have decreased in numbers to the point where there aren’t; any birds. South Dakota presently allows birds to be released by farmers for the fall hunt. House File 2310 merely reflects what South Dakota has been doing for several years which Iowa should have done long before.
My feeling of farmers purchasing pheasants to release on his own property from an authorized game farm, that the farmer will make sure there is habitat there to protect the pheasants and allow them to reproduce on their land. It’s about time we give the farmers a chance to be heard on this matter and as to this date, nothing has worked as far as Iowa pheasant population goes. If this works out, that we have more pheasants within the next year, it would be ideal to pass the same type of quail release throughout Iowa. As you all know, the secret to raising pheasants is to have habitat. No one can argue with this matter however, you must have birds reproducing in the habitat to be successful! I think this Bill will give “MR. ROOSTER” a chance.
You must all realize that originally this is the way pheasants were introduced to Iowa from the Orient. The first pheasant season in Iowa was in 1925. One of my main reason why I think we had so many pheasants before is that at that time, farmers were not as productive as they are today. Farmers today cultivate from road ditch to road ditch. Pheasants, at this point, have been worth nothing to farmers so why should he protect them. Farmers then just were not the business been that they are today. We must bear in mind that real estate in South Dakota probably goes for $2500.00 an acre where Iowa real estate goes for $5,000.00 and up. Consequently, Iowa farmland is too expensive to do the same thing with pheasant shooting as they do in South Dakota where pheasants are worth $150.00 a day per gun.
I really feel this was a smart thing to do by the Senate and the House and I have been assured that HF2310 will be signed by the Governor.
By the way, I attended the Sustainable Funding Signing Ceremony by the Governor this morning, locally known as SF2310; which is a sustainable funding bill to be voted on this fall at the general election by the public.
Please contact me regarding your ideas as to why we do or don’t have pheasants and what we can do to help the pheasant population come back in Iowa. Contact me at “Dead Shot” at 405 – 6th Avenue, Suite 938, Des Moines, Iowa 50309, call me at (515) 283-2330 or email me at deadshotoutdoors@yahoo.com.
Have A Good Hunt And Keep On Fishing!
DEAD SHOT
a/k/a Ron Kuntz
