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Road kills

H

hunt iowa

Life Member
It is an amazing period we live in.
Two recent road trips across this state.
I saw MORE road killed canada geese than pheasants.
Inasmuch as the DNR maintains that the pheasants disappearing because of lack of habitat, I find it interesting that our limited marsh and lake habitat seems to be causing an explosion in canada goose numbers!!!!!!!!
 
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I find it interesting that our limited marsh and lake habitat seems to be causing an explosion in canada goose numbers!!!!!!!!



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That's because geese have adapted to living on farm ponds and golf courses with almost no predatation worries.

Pheasants still need undisturbed nesting and winter cover...both of which are becoming almost non-exisitant other then CRP lands.

I'm afraid 4 dollar corn will put the nail in the coffin for pheasants while geese will literally become a nuisance in areas where they can't be hunted.
 
I drove by two different farms close to mine yesterday where all of the waterways and sloughs were taken this winter. Tiled and ready to go for more $4 corn, but no cover for a pheasant there anymore.
 
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I drove by two different farms close to mine yesterday where all of the waterways and sloughs were taken this winter. Tiled and ready to go for more $4 corn, but no cover for a pheasant there anymore.

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Thats one reason I love nasty winters and wet springs. Those conditions seem to produce alot less "dozer damage".
 
I live next to 20,000 acres, give or take, that is managed by the DNR. The pheasants wereprofuse in 1980, but sincwe then they have declined to next to about what keeps the predators (4 legged) fed. There is NO loss of habitat to farmers involved here.
 
I'm curious what area the "DNR" has to manage that is 20,000 acres of pheasant habitat ?

Good pheasant habitat does not stay that way without annual human disturbance. Habitat change can be just as devastating to bird populations as habitat conversion to crop ground. I would guess that the area you refer to has changed more than you realize. Many people don't notice the little changes over time and the predators are an easy target to focus the blame at.
 
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