Recently, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources released its roadside survey and reports that pheasant numbers are among the lowest for the state.

Greene County Conservation Director Dan Towers says that for the county, pheasant numbers are the worst that’s ever been recorded.

He explains two factors that have led to a steady decline in the pheasant population for the county.

“We had five winters in a row with over 30-inches of snow in those five years from 2007-2011.  Coupled with that we had the wettest spring in history.  In the 141 years of recordkeeping, this was the wettest May and June we’ve had which those are critical months for pheasant nesting.”

The roadside report has Greene County as part of the West Central region which show pheasant numbers declined from 6.1 to 3.5 pheasants per 30-miles route.

Pheasant hunting season opens October 26th.