(Radio Iowa) – The annual D-N-R roadside survey showed pheasant numbers were up 15 percent this year thanks to a mild winter and dry spring. Wildlife research biologist, Todd Bogenschutz, says they weren’t the only species that benefited. “Partridge in particular were up quite a bit, significantly just like pheasants, some pretty good numbers we saw up in northwestern or central,” he says. Bogenschutz says quail and cottontail also benefited. He says their numbers this year were basically unchanged from last year. Bogenschutz says quail and cottontail have been seeing declines.

“For quail, they’re down a little bit from the ten year about 23 percent. And cottontails about the same thing — 20 percent,” he says. “So both are kind of just a whisker lower than the ten-year average, but you know pretty close, so should be pretty decent hunting this fall.” He says it seems like cottontails and quail are not so dependent on the dryer springs as pheasants are for their numbers.