Conservation plots have become hunting grounds

Farmers can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in exchange for payments for letting their land rest idle. Depending om the number of acres in CRP, an acre or more of the land must be sown with forage plants such as corn and legumes for wildlife.

Those wildlife plots have turned into islands of nourishment. Pheasants are drawn in, concentrating their numbers in one location.

Many farmers have land scattered across a county. They control access to CRP wildlife plots. Unfortunately, the right to hunt on CRP ground is leased by large farm operators. Hunters are eager to venture out of their urban centers for a weekend of hunting.

While pheasants go in to feed on CRP wildlife plots, a spree of killing happens the first weekend of hunting season. Pheasants, escaping this frightening fracas, return within days to the only reliable food source, the CRP wildlife plots.

Roosters are aimed at, but hens suffer stress from rampaging dogs and blazing gunfire, too.

No wonder Iowa's iconic countryside symbol has dwindled in number. On the other hand, a big-spread farmer will boast that his out-of-state hunters just bagged their limit. Between modern harvesters and some greedy farm operators, the CRP plots have become trap sites for frenzied shooting.

John Clayton

Grinnell