Iowa hunters killed the smallest number of pheasants on record last year, but state officials expect that to rebound this season.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that hunters killed about 383,000 rooster pheasants last season. It’s just the second time since 1958 that hunters killed fewer than 500,000 birds.

The number of pheasant hunters was also at a record low last season, at 86,000. It was 200,000 in 1996.

State biologists say the conversion of habitat to cropland, bad nesting weather and severe flooding have hurt pheasant populations.

Spending on upland bird hunting in Iowa fell to $186 million last year from $386 million in 1996.