Gray partridge thrive in areas with abundant small grains, especially wheat, interspersed with light or moderately grazed pastures, idle areas, and row crops. Given their origin in the arid agrarian grasslands of Eurasia, it is not surprising the gray partridge found Iowa's open agricultural landscape to its liking. Iowa research shows gray partridge prefer to nest in road ditches and fencelines, while avoiding hay and alfalfa fields. Delay of roadside mowing until after the nesting season and protection of other idle grassland areas is very important for successful partridge reproduction. Other research has shown that chick survival is strongly related to the abundance of insects the first 3 weeks of live.
Gray partridge seem adapted to survival Iowa's open winter landscapes.
The ability to snow roost no doubt helps them in this regard. However, during severe winters with prolonged snow, woody habitats are essential for partridge survival. Multi-row farmstead shelterbelts, plum, and willow thickets are favored under these conditions. Additional research is needed to further evaluate limiting factors among partridge populations in Iowa. Hunting Ever since the invention of firearms, gray partridge have been an important gamebird in Europe.