So, I have been an avid wing shooter since my teens. I’ve been a competitive skeet and trapshooter for more years than I can remember. I’ve always dreamt of hunting pheasant , chukar and partridge but, living in Tennessee and now Kentucky that’s never been an option. This year I turned 65 and it seems my health went south. Developed type 2 diabetes, I need a total hip replacement on my right hip and I’m currently dealing with radiation therapy for prostate cancer. According to my docs I’ll come through everything just fine but I find myself wanting to finally take that trip of a lifetime. I’m hoping to be back on my feet and ready to rock sometime in October. Problem is I have no earthly idea where to start. Looking online the number of outfitters is staggering and filtering through all of them is quite the task. I think I’d like to hunt Iowa. So, if anyone would be so kind as to point me in the right direction as to areas of the state, outfitters etc. I’d be grateful. Mind you I AM NOT one of the many Arfcom millionaires and I need recommendations for the average Joe kind of budget.

Thanks in advance

KC

I can sympathize.  I'm 70 and I have fond memories of opening day of pheasant season having about half the male population of high school being gone.  I used to pheasant hunt with my future sister-in-laws husband and his friends.  
Best wishes you get to fulfill your dream hunt, dude!

https://paulnelsonfarm.com/packages/
it doesn’t get much better than this if you got the money

Not exactly your average Joe pricing but, thanks anyway

Well I don't know what all you're looking for or are prepared to do or what ya have, and I don't even know all the ins and outs and if you could even find a place to hunt near here, as we just moved here late last year ourselves and I don't have time to spare to hunt just yet, but here's what I could do.

We live in eastern central South Dakota in pheasant central, our little town is swamped every year with pheasant hunters and I see the birds everywhere. There are literally wealthy out-of-staters that own multiple house in my town, that only use them once a year for a place to stay while they hunt (no motels for probably 40 miles around).

Our place is big but our house is small, and we don't have room for a guest, but we do have a really big concrete pad/driveway beside our house. If you have an RV or could rent one, and can find a place to hunt close, you're welcome to park here for free and I can hook you up to water and power and the public dumping station here is only 2 blocks from our house, got good wi-fi too, router reaches out to the garage so works fine in the driveway and we're on fiber so bandwidth is excellent. Should save you some money, I think even to park an RV at one of the local parks is 35 bucks a night or so during the season if they even have an open slot, hunters reserve 'em pretty early.

Good luck man, nothing in the world like being out in the field on a crisp fall morning with the birds flying! Hopefully next year i'll be able to do so myself.

Never shot one in Iowa, but two with a windshield and one with a motorcycle helmet (that hurt).

What an incredibly kind offer. There are still good people around.


I am not set up to hunt public land as I don’t have dogs, etc.. I’m more looking for an outfitter that I can work with that won’t break the bank.

Flint Oaks ranch in south central Kansas. I know its not iowa but they can setup hunts thar might limit walking.

 Awesome offer man!

I grew up in southwest Nebr and hunting pheasant was my favorite thing to do.  And you nailed it with that description!  I sure miss those mornings.

I’m not sure of the pricing since I was the guest of another, but these guys are excellent, have rooms and a gun shop on site.  They are in North Carolina.

https://www.allenbrothershunting.com/

If you want to shoot a case of shells at roosters, Thunderstick. Bring your wallet.

Can't wait to get and train my next pointer.

That's what grandkids are for, that and cleaning leaves outta the gutters. <<<My dear departed Granddads wisdom.

Don’t need dogs.  A shotgun and a field to walk will do.

I live in one of the most popular pheasant destinations, and the things are everywhere. I have a whole brood living in the grass in the front yard. Still, I'm a young man, zero health issues, fairly athletic, know the good spots, and hunting pheasants without a dog is still not easy. You could do good with a handful of people doing a drive, but walking alone in a 200 acre field of grass, good luck with that. The best thing is to find areas of cattails where that narrow enough you can get in range. The earlier in the season the better. Once you get past about Halloween, the birds are so spooked, most are going to bail before you get within 100 yards of them in shorter grass. The ones that don't spook hunker down or run away and you never see them. Or wait until is snows, then you can track them into the really thick stuff, that's my best method.

I just don't see a 65 year old man with health problems coming to South Dakota alone and having a good time. Sorry I can't recommend any outfitters. I don't know of any bad ones.

I've hunted South Dakota the 3 last seasons.

I've free-lanced a week or two then finished the last 3 days of the trip with a guide.

I also drew a non-resident waterfowl license...

So my approach freelancing South Dakota has been :  find cheap lodging,  get up before dawn and Duck hunt public land until pheasant opens at 10AM.

Then either road hunt (which can be quite productive and not require a dog... ie you can drive with a loaded gun and if you are 220 yds from someone's cattle/house etc you can shoot roosters along the road in the right-a-way).   Or I walk public hunting land with my dog (there is a ton and some of it is as good as stocked pay-to-play operations)  until lunch time.  

Walking public land (like others have said) is usually best with a dog and a few other hunters.   The availability of others to hunt with and how tired I am  tends to drive whether I road hunt or walk public land as my Labrador loves to hunt, but also gets wiped our and some days after duck hunting its best to let her ride in the truck and recover.   SD gives out free  a public land   hunting atlas, and its available online too.

I do tend to be in my truck road hunting as dusk nears:  the pheasants come to the road edge to get grit before the evening hits.  And by then my Lab is usually wiped out, but loves to ride in the truck.  

After a week or two of free-lancing, it's nice to chill out with the guide.   The trick with the guide I've hunted with is getting a big enough group together.   He only takes a minimum of 6 hunters, and wants more like a dozen.   Last season he charged $300 per hunter  per day, and provided 4 nights lodging, 3 days hunting, lunch, a bus to shuttle the hunters around field to field, and the dogs.   He puts hens out in the spring and is a farmer who manages his field edges and less agriculturally productive fields as CRP nesting/foraging areas.  So its not shooting pen raised birds planted in bushes, but real hunting on wild born free ranging birds.

The less mobile older guys are usually put out as blockers... they get their own side-by-side, drive out to where the walkers will end up, and stand.     This is tricky shooting, but requires them just to stand or lean against the side-by-side, a stool,  or a tree or something.

Usually we shoot our limit of 3 each by about 1PM, and go in for lunch.   The guide will clean the birds, but my group always pitches in together and make short work of it and then get to the guide's provided lunch...  typically chilly, hotdogs, sloppy joes (they call them something else)... etc.

Hunters are responsible for their own guns, ammo, and everything else.

OP: So if you are on a budget, and don't need the 5 star meals, bed turn down service, and can get a group of friends together who can cook their own breakfast and dinner, and eat a blue collar lunch, I recommend   http://www.cimplmadehunts.com/

That said, on top of you interviewing your guide service... I think you will find the down to earth farmers who guide will be screening and interviewing their clients too.

Hope it helps.

You're welcome to come hunt my in law's farm with me in northeast IA a time or two. We never limit out but usually find some birds.

Not sure if you would be excited about traveling to kommifornistan but there are lots of clubs out here where you wouldn’t need an outfitter. Just your shotgun, shells and a membership for about $700. You don’t even need a dog. You can rent a pro dog for about $75 for four hours.

birds

Exactly what we do.