Today, only slightly more than 250,000 acres of cropland are being idled in USDA programs across the state. As a result, Indiana has lost more than 93 percent of its idle nesting and brood-rearing cover.

The loss of idled farmland acres, changes in farming practices, and the wide spread use of tall fescue have led to significant declines in pheasant, bobwhite quail, and grassland songbird populations.

To help address population declines the DNR has developed habitat priority areas to focus efforts in developing, enhancing, and maintaining habitat for pheasants and quail. Landowners within selected habitat priority counties and townships will be eligible to apply for a one-time signing incentive for enrollment in the USDA’s CRP-CP33, Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds.

The signing incentive can be up to 120 percent of the average soil rental rate and is in addition to any signing incentive payments provided by USDA.

Interested landowners can take advantage of this limited time offer by calling the appropriate priority area biologist to discuss habitat management on their property. The biologist will prepare a management plan for each acceptable parcel and determine the total amount of incentive payments the landowner may be eligible to receive.

To be eligible for the incentive payments, a priority area biologist must approve the habitat practice or practice enrollment prior to implementation. Payments will be made after the work has been completed and inspected by the priority area biologist or their designated representative.

A detailed map of pheasant priority areas is available on the World Wide Web at: www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/hunt/phhabitat.pdf and a detailed map of quail priority areas can be found at: www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/hunt/quailhab.pdf

Pheasant Priority Areas

All of Newton, Jasper, and Benton Counties
Warren County - Prairie Twp
Contact: Bob Porch
Phone: (219) 285-2704

Tippecanoe County - N of Hwy 52 and W of I-65
Tippecanoe County - S of Wabash and SR 26 and W of I-65
Montgomery County - N of I-74
Fountain County - N of I-74 and E of Hwy 41
Contact: Dean Zimmerman
Phone: (765) 567-2152

Fulton County
Contact: Tom Hewitt
Phone: (765) 473-9324

Dekalb County - Fairfield Twp
Noble County - Wayne Twp
LaGrange County - Milford Twp
Steuben County - Salem Twp
Contact: Al Van Hoey
Phone: (260) 367-2186

Starke County - California Twp
Contact: Mike Schoof
Phone: (574) 896-3522

Porter County – S of SR 8
Marshall County – E of US 31 & S of US 30
Contact: Linda Byer
Phone: (574) 896-3572

Clinton County – Washington and Perry Twp
Contact: Rick Peercy
Phone: (317) 591-0904

LaPorte Co.- Washington, Union, Lincoln, and Johnson Twps
Contact: Ron Lorman
Phone: (219) 393-3612

Quail Priority Areas

Putnam County – Marion, Jefferson, and Cloverdale (East of US 231) Twps
Morgan County – Ashland, Ray, Baker, Jefferson, Washington, and
Jackson Twps
Contact: Josh Griffin
Phone: (812) 526-4891

Sullivan County
Contact: Roger Stonebraker
Phone: (812) 268-0300

Lawrence County –Pleasant Run, Shawswick, Bono, and Guthrie Twps
Jackson County –Salt Creek and Owen Twp.
Contact: Bloomington Field Office
Phone: (812) 334-1137

Ripley County – North of US 50
Contact: Ed Guljas
Phone: (812) 346-6888

Scott County.
Contact: Chris Grauel
Phone: (812) 352-8486

Greene County – Taylor Twp
Contact: Bob Montgomery
Phone: (812) 644-7382

Warrick County – Lane, Owen, Pigeon, and Skelton Twps
Contact: Jeff Thompson
Phone: (812) 789-2724