What is the Best Prairie Mix for Pheasants?

Jul 6, 2026 Hoksey Native Seeds

At Hoksey Native Seeds, the pheasant isn't just a logo, it's our origin story. Carroll Hoksbergen, the founder of Hoksey Native Seeds, was inspired by a pheasant when he first started thinking about what native prairie could do for the land. That connection between the bird and the prairie is integrated into everything Hoksey does. It's why the pheasant sits at the center of our brand. Pheasants and native prairie aren't separate things. A healthy pheasant population is a sign of a healthy prairie, and a healthy prairie is what makes healthy land and a great day of hunting possible.

Across Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, pheasant populations have been taking a hit for years and it's not a mystery why. The habitat just isn't there anymore. When native prairie disappears, pheasants lose everything they need to get through the year. No cover to nest in, no insects for their chicks, no protection when January hits. The right prairie mix can fix that as it creates a habitat pheasants flock to. When you plant a prairie mix, you're not just putting seed in the ground. You're doing what Hoksey set out to do decades ago, restoring something that the land and the birds that live on it genuinely need. Here's what goes into building a habitat that pheasants love.

What Do Pheasants Need Year-Round?

When it comes to creating a pheasant habitat, you can't just think about one season. Pheasants need various things in different seasons. A good prairie mix will deliver exactly what a pheasant needs with each season. For prairie to sustain pheasants all year long, they need a mix that provides for their season specific needs.

Spring: Nesting Cover

Spring is the prime nesting season for pheasants. They need dense and upright grass that hides nests from predators and protects eggs from the late spring weather. Tall native grasses are ideal as their upright growth structure holds strong from the previous year giving nests the protection they need.

Summer: Brood Habitat

As the chicks begin to hatch in the summer they need food. Pheasant chicks are almost totally dependent upon insects in the first few weeks of their life. If there's not enough insects to provide the chicks with nutrients, the chick survival rate diminishes quickly. Native forbs and wildflowers do the trick here as they contribute to insect diversity.

Fall: Food Sources

With the fall comes the decrease of insects. Pheasants shift to seeds and grains as their primary food source. Forbs that produce seeds and do well in the fall will provide direct food sources for pheasants to thrive.

Winter: Thermal Cover and Survival

Winter marks the arrival of cold Midwest temperatures and heavy snow. Without proper insulation and protection from the winter, pheasants will not survive. Tall dense grasses will provide great insulation as they keep their structure in the cold and snow.

The Best Native Grasses for Pheasant Habitat in the Midwest

Now that you know what pheasants need in each season, it's time to figure out what will nourish pheasants year-round. These are the native grasses that will fulfill these pheasant needs.

Switchgrass is tall with a strong structure that stands strong even in snow. It grows 5-6 feet tall which acts as great insulation during the cold and long Midwest winters. It also acts as an excellent nesting cover that protects eggs from the weather and predators.

Big Bluestem is also tall, growing 4-6 feet tall, and it has a dense and upright structure. Just like Switchgrass, Big Bluestem protects eggs during nesting season and provides insulation during winter season.

Indiangrass helps create a layered canopy for pheasants as it stands at 3-5 feet tall. The combination of the tall grasses and the medium sized grasses such as Indiangrass creates a layered stand that pheasants are drawn to.

Combining these three grasses together will create a pheasant stand that appeals to pheasants in every season. They are dense enough to protect nesting hens in April, structured enough to conceal broods in July, and tall and thick enough to insulate the birds in January.

The Best Native Forbs for Pheasant Food and Brood Habitat

Native grasses will provide a great structured canopy for the pheasants, but it's not complete without the life-sustaining diversity that forbs provide. Forbs, which are any flowering plants that aren't grasses, pave the way for the insect diversity and seeds that pheasants need to survive. The forbs in your prairie mix should have sustaining seeds for the adults and promote insect diversity for the chicks.

The diversity of your forbs matters just as much as the type of forbs you pick. The more forbs you have in your mix, the more insect diversity that you'll have. More insect diversity means more chicks will survive and increase your pheasant population.

When it comes to fall and winter food sources, legumes are some of the most valuable plants you can have in your mix. They produce seeds that sustain pheasants all throughout the fall and winter. The right forbs mean more insects for your chicks, more seeds for your adults, and a stand that carries pheasants through every season. Here are the ones to plant.

Partridge Pea is a native annual legume that reseeds continuously and consistently making it a valuable forb. It attracts a wide range of insects for the summertime, and its seeds are eaten by pheasants in the fall. It also has a dense leafy structure that creates a cover that chicks can move around in easily during brooding season.

Illinois Bundleflower is a legume that provides adult pheasants with seed heads high in protein. These seeds help sustain adult pheasants through the colder months and increase insect activity during the warmer brooding season. Illinois Bundleflower thrives in the soil of the Midwest, where pheasant habitat is needed most.

Purple and White Prairie Clovers are legumes that improve the nitrogen in soil which enhances the health of the entire stand. They also attract a large variety of insects to nourish chicks during brooding season. Their seeds provide nutrients to adult pheasants throughout the fall.

Black-Eyed Susan and Coneflowers, which are common native prairie wildflowers, have seeds that persist into the wintertime. They provide pheasants with a robust food source in the cold months. Like the other forbs, Black-Eyed Susans and coneflowers attract an assortment of insects in the summer during brooding season.

Common Milkweed supports more insect species than almost any other native plant in the Midwest. Having a mix with milkweed will support pheasant chicks, and as a bonus you'll get Monarchs!

Remember just having one of these forbs isn't enough. You need a variety of forbs in your prairie mix to support that insect diversity the chicks are after.

If you want to learn more on pheasant habitat checkout this episode of the Prairie Farm Podcast: Ep. 356: What Great Habitat Looks Like and Why Hunters Are America's Conservationists

Why Native Prairie Beats a Food Plot for Pheasants

Food plots can be helpful, but if you're a landowner in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska and you're seeking to build a lasting pheasant population, a native prairie mix is the way to go.

Food plots are a one-season solution. Corn, soybeans, and grain provide a great food source for pheasants in the fall but have nothing to offer pheasants in the winter and spring. By the time winter rolls around, food plots have broken down and disappeared. This leaves pheasants with no protection from the heavy and cold snow. Native prairie stands strong through the winter creating a safe place for pheasants to stay warm. A native prairie mix will provide pheasants with exactly what they need to survive in each season.

Food plots require that they be replanted every spring, but a well-established prairie stand is a one-time investment. Native forbs and grasses have deep roots that keeps them resilient even through drought conditions. Native prairie grass has a lot of benefits for the soil, water, and habitat in the Midwest. Planting a mix won't just benefit your pheasant habitat, it will enhance the quality of your land in a way that food plots do not.

If you want to incorporate a food plot on your land, we recommend keeping it to 5% or less of your total field area. Any more than that and you start trading away the diverse native cover that makes the rest of your stand work for pheasants year-round.

Build a Prairie That Works for Pheasants

Creating a great pheasant habitat is not complicated, but it does require the right building blocks so that pheasants are supported year-round. With the right building blocks and proper land preparation your pheasant habitat will get better year after year. The hard part is just creating the mix.

Hoksey Native Seeds makes getting the right seeds for a pheasant habitat easy for you. Purchase our Pheasant Habitat Mix with all the forbs and grasses listed in this blog and more! This mix contains seeds native to Iowa, but also suited for the Midwest states of Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

Interested in more hunting mixes? From white tail deer to quail habitat, Hoksey has you covered! Shop Hunting Mixes here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many acres do I need for good pheasant habitat?
Even small plantings make a difference. A few acres of well-designed native prairie can meaningfully improve pheasant habitat on your ground. Larger plantings of 10 acres or more will support more birds, but don't let acreage be the reason you don't start. Something is always better than nothing when it comes to habitat.

Can I combine a pheasant mix with a CRP contract?
Yes, and it's one of the smartest things a Midwest landowner can do. Several CRP practices including CP-2, CP-25, and CP-33 (Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds) are well suited for pheasant habitat and can help offset the cost of establishment. Check with your local FSA office to find out which practices are available in your area.

How long does it take for a pheasant habitat prairie to establish?
Plan for three to five years for a fully established stand. Year one is mostly underground so don't be discouraged by what you see above ground. By years three to five your stand should be thriving and holding birds. Weed control during those early years is the biggest factor in how quickly your habitat matures. For a full breakdown of what to expect, check out our blog on How to Prepare Your Land for CRP Native Grass Seeding and our podcast episode Ep. 363: We Answer Your 16 Most Frequently Asked Prairie Questions Part 1.

What time of year should I plant a pheasant habitat mix?
It depends on your mix. Dormant seeding (November–December) works best for species-diverse mixes heavy on forbs and wildflowers. Frost seeding (January–March) can also work well for forb-heavy mixes. Spring seeding (April–early June) is the best window for grass-heavy mixes, as warm-season grasses need soil temperatures above 50°F. For a deeper dive into timing, check out Best Time to Plant Native Prairie Seed in Iowa and the Midwest and Winter Sowing in the Upper Midwest.

How do I maintain weed control in a pheasant habitat planting?
Weed control is an ongoing commitment. It is not a one time task. In the first year, mowing is your best tool. After establishment, smooth brome is the biggest threat to your stand. Spot spraying and prescribed burning are both effective long-term solutions. For everything you need to know start here: How to Kill Brome in an Established Prairie: When to Burn and When to Spray, Prairie Farm Podcast: Using Fire to Eliminate Brome, and How to Fight Woody Encroachment and Shrubs Without Tordon.

For more Frequently Asked Questions check out the FAQ and How To's