Iowa Quail & Pheasant Combination Hunts: Packages & Pricing
Ever stood at the edge of a prairie field in Iowa, dog quivering next to your leg, and wondered if today’s hunt is actually going to be worth the drive? That feeling, right there, is exactly what I want to talk to you about.
I’ve spent time out on the 426-acre preserve at Big Red Game Birds in Emerson, Iowa, walking the same grass that hunters have walked for over 40 years now. And in that time, I’ve seen one question come up again and again from hunters who are planning a trip: should you and I book a pure pheasant hunt, or go for a quail and pheasant combination, and what’s it actually going to cost you?
So here’s what I’m going to do in this post. I’ll walk you through exactly what a quail and pheasant combo hunt in Iowa looks like, what you should expect to pay for it, and how you should think about picking guided versus unguided, half-day versus full-day, so you don’t end up guessing or overpaying. No fluff, no vague pricing talk. Just a clear breakdown you can actually use when you pick up the phone to book.
1. What a Quail & Pheasant Combination Hunt Really Means
A combo hunt simply means you’re not locking yourself into one species for the whole day. You get to chase strong-flying pheasants across open prairie, and then switch things up and go after the quicker, twistier quail runs, all inside the same outing. Why does that matter? Because pheasant and quail behave completely differently in the field, and hunting both back-to-back keeps your dog sharp and keeps you on your toes the entire day.
In my experience walking preserve land like this, quail tend to hold tighter and flush faster in short bursts, while pheasant give you more of a long, loud, dramatic rise. Mixing the two in one hunt is honestly one of the best ways to test a young dog, or to keep an experienced hunter from getting bored halfway through the morning.
What to do next: if you’ve only ever hunted pheasant before, ask specifically for a combination package when you call — don’t assume it’s automatically included.
2. Packages & Pricing You Can Actually Count On
Here’s where I’ll be straight with you, because a lot of outfitter websites hide their real numbers, and that’s not fair to you. Big Red Game Birds publishes their pheasant package at $180 per hunter for 5 birds, with a $50 nonrefundable deposit due when you book. Chukar runs the same $180 for 8 birds. Quail is offered as part of their upland bird lineup on the property, but it isn’t broken out as its own separate line item on their published price list the way pheasant and chukar are.
In my experience, this is actually pretty normal for smaller family-run preserves — quail often gets folded into a custom combination hunt rather than a fixed menu price, because bag limits and field conditions for quail can shift more than they do for pheasant. My honest advice: call ahead and ask them to build you a specific pheasant-and-quail combo quote before you drive out, so there’s zero confusion on hunt day.
Extra birds, if you want to extend the day:
- Pheasant, 50/50 split: $20 (rises to $22 after December 10th)
- Rooster pheasant only: $22 (rises to $24 after December 10th)
- Chukar: $15 (rises to $17 after December 10th)
- Bird cleaning: $4 for pheasant, $3 for chukar
Guided hunts with trained dogs add $20 per hunter, and every price already includes tax.
3. Half-Day, Full-Day, or the Tower Hunt Experience
You’ve got real flexibility here, and that’s a good thing. Half-day hunts run 8am–12pm or 1pm–4pm, and full-day bookings stretch from 8am to 4pm, so you and I can plan around drive time without rushing the hunt itself.
If you’re bringing a bigger group, the Tower Hunt is worth a look too. It’s built around 7 shooting stations with a maximum of 2 shooters per station, and after every 20 birds are released, everyone rotates so no one’s stuck at a weak station all day. Pricing drops as your group grows — $375 per shooter for a minimum of 7 people, down to $325 per shooter once you hit 14. Lunch is included, and bird cleaning gets split evenly across the group.
4. Why Book This Specific Preserve for a Combo Hunt
Authority here comes down to land and longevity, not marketing copy. Four decades of raising and managing upland birds on the same Iowa ground means the habitat is genuinely built for wild-style flushes, not just birds dumped out that morning. Real hunters who’ve been through the property describe strong bird numbers and guides who clearly know the land, which lines up with what I saw walking it myself.
Key Takeaways
- Pheasant and chukar are priced separately at $180 per hunter; quail is best confirmed as a custom combo quote
- A $50 nonrefundable deposit locks in your booking
- Guided hunts with dogs add $20 per hunter, extra birds are priced individually
- Half-day, full-day, and Tower Hunt formats all give you room to plan around your group size
Key Takeaways
If you’re on the fence between a standard pheasant hunt and a full quail-pheasant combo, go with the combo. You’ll cover more ground, work your dog harder, and get a much fuller picture of what Iowa upland hunting can be in a single trip. What’s stopping you from picking up the phone today and asking them to build that combo package around your dates? Let me know how your hunt goes.