Story County Pheasants Forever
The Habitat Organization
Highlights of Past Events
Youth Hunt
Thanks to a local land owner and his friend the Parent-Child pheasant hunt went very well this past Sunday (10 November 2024). The Dad (Jimmy Signs) and lad (Simeon Signs) had a great hunt in some beautiful habitat. The high point was when Jimmy shot his first-ever pheasant and his dog retrieved it. We shot two more roosters, and after some pheasant cleaning lessons, Jimmy and Simeon went home with 3 pheasants.
Kestrel Box Donation
Article from Story County Conservation Newsletter:
As you may know, Story County Conservation restarted the kestrel nesting box program last year by putting up boxes along the Prairie Rail Trail. This year we are continuing our efforts by adding more boxes throughout the county. We have installed 15 out of 25 boxes that are to go up.
Kestrel boxes need to be at least a half a mile away from one another. If boxes are too close together, a male may “claim” multiple boxes by not allowing another mating pair to utilize the box. Nesting will not begin until spring and the new boxes will be monitored closely over the next few years for successful nests. If a kestrel box appears unused or used by another bird species, the box may be relocated in hopes of a successful nesting of kestrels.
We would like to thank our donors who have helped make this possible, The Story County Chapter of Pheasants Forever and Big Bluestem Audubon Society generously donated $1000 each towards our program. This funding was crucial to our efforts and made it possible for us to purchase telespar posts that have been installed along prairie roadside restorations to hold the kestrel boxes.
Eagle Scout Support
10/5/23- A.K. Nolin, Eagle Scout candidate from Ames, recently receive $150 from Story County Pheasants Forever for her pollinator project. Nolin a high school freshman from Ames, attended a SCPF board meeting , where she gave a short presentation on a pollinator habitat project focusing on Monarch butterflies. Nolin worked with the City of Ames to establish the 20′ x 20′ pollinator habitat garden along North Dakota Avenue. The habitat will serve as a place where people may observe and learn about pollinators and Iowa native prairies. Nolin plans to use the donation to purchase plant bulbs.
No Turkeys Were Harmed in the Making of this Adventure
Jimmy Signs and his son Simeon were the recipients of the turkey hunt auctioned off at the Fall 2024 SC PF Banquet. The hunt took place on Saturday 19 April 2025. The morning started with a chilly ride across the Des Moines River in a small boat. Climbing to the top of the wooded ridge on the far side of the river warmed us up nicely. We only heard a few gobbles, but eventually we saw a tom in the distance, a hen close up, and three jakes. Two of the jakes were called in to about 15 yards. At the 13 yards they would have been on the “public side” of the property line. Then they started “putting” and disappeared. In the words of Simeon: “turkey hunting is hard”. But we had a great time on a lovely spring morning.
Our Conservation Efforts
The Story County Chapter of Pheasants Forever raises funds managed by a volunteer committee focused on conservation. In partnership with other organizations, they acquire land from willing sellers in Story County and nearby areas to support wildlife and provide public hunting access. Beyond local efforts, the chapter contributes to statewide conservation projects through the Iowa State Council and occasionally supports other Pheasants Forever chapters.