Today I spoke with Todd Bogenschutz, the Iowa DNR's Wildlife Research = Biologist responsible for upland wildlife. Regarding the Northern = Bobwhite in Iowa, Todd told me that there no bobwhites in northwest and = northcentral Iowa, but that there may be some in northeastern Iowa.
Todd also told me to call Bob Kurtt, the Iowa DNR's Wildlife Management = Biologist for northeastern Iowa. Bob is stationed in Decorah, Iowa, = about 20 miles SSW of Canton, MN.=20 Accordingly, I contacted Bob Kurtt; Bob agreed with Todd's statement = about the absence of bobwhites in northwest and northcentral Iowa, and = then went on to discuss bobwhites in northeastern Iowa. He said that he = has no quantitative data bearing on the matter. That said, (1) he = himself occasionally sees bobwhites, and the ones that he sees act wild; = (2) he sometimes hears about other people encountering bobwhites; and = (3) he knows of little bobwhite raising and/or releasing in northeastern = Iowa. Given these three things, he believes that there are, in his = words, "remnant populations" of the Northern Bobwhite in northeastern = Iowa. Of course, the foregoing doesn't prove anything about the status of = those bobwhites in Canton Twp., Fillmore Co., MN, but it does provide an = additional opinion that may have some bearing on the issue. Phil Chu Department of Biology St. John's University Collegeville, MN 56321
