As publishedRegular: Oct 31, 2026 - Jan 10, 2027; Youth: Oct 24-25, 2026
Rooster-only harvest; hens illegal.Evidence-of-sex (foot, fully feathered wing, or fully feathered head) must remain attached when transporting. Youth season (residents 15 or younger) is Oct 24-25, 2026, 1 daily/2 possession, no license required if accompanied by a licensed adult. Blaze orange required (at least one external garment, 50%+ solid blaze orange). Shooting hours 8am-4:30pm.
This is a PRE-SURVEY PREDICTION, not actual field results — Iowa DNR's weather-model forecast for 2026-27, issued ~July 10, 2026, ahead of the August Roadside Survey (fieldwork began Aug 1, 2026; actual results expected ~mid-September 2026, not yet published as of this capture). The model — described by DNR as accurate ~80% of the time — predicts the 2026 population will be "similar" to 2025's count, which was itself the highest (28.1 pheasants/route) in 20 years. Winter 2025-26 had no extreme snowfall events and above-normal April/May warmth, framed by DNR as favorable for nesting.
"Our prediction is the population is going to be similar, might go up a little bit or down a little bit, but more or less unchanged" — Todd Bogenschutz, Iowa DNR upland wildlife biologist. "Given the statewide information, our weather model is predicting populations similar to last year, and that's positive because last year numbers were the highest pheasant counts in 20 years, so this forecast bodes well for this fall."