ND Pheasants Down But…
…Still In the 6 Figs
Along with Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, North Dakota has now officially joined the list of major pheasants states where this year’s pheasant population is forecast to be down.
The state said that its roadside pheasant survey in late July and August “suggests poor production this spring, meaning a lower fall population in all areas of the state.” The number: down 36% from last year.
Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor, said, the decline is due to several factors:
- Three winters in a row with above average snowfall have reduced the adult breeding population
- Wet conditions during peak hatch in mid-June of 2008, 2009 and 2011 reduced chick survival
- The loss of nesting habitat on the landscape as more Conservation Reserve Program acreage is removed
But there are still birds to be hunted. Here’s how the state breaks down:
- Southwestern ND: Broods and birds were down 26% from 2010. “Census numbers indicate this district will have the best pheasant numbers in the state this fall, Kohn said.
- Southeastern ND: Broods down 60%, birds down 54%. “Removal of CRP in the southeast may have already affected the number of birds produced this spring, with weather conditions adding more pressure on spring production,” Kohn said.
- Northwestern ND: Broods down 62%, adults down 53%.
- Northeastern ND: Broods and birds down about 66%. “Hunters should concentrate their efforts in the southern counties of this district for the best potential to find birds,” Kohn said.
“Brood survey numbers from this summer match closely to numbers from 2001, when hunters harvested 420,000 roosters,†Kohn said. “If fall weather conditions hold through most of the year, I could see a fall harvest of about 400,000 birds. But if winter weather sets in early, we could be much lower.
“Either way, this could be the first fall since 2001 that we harvest less than 500,000 roosters†– which is still a boatload of birds.
Yes, a boatload of birds, and don’t let this or any other forecast be a wet blanket. Ample birds are there. As Kohn said, “Hunters will likely have to put in more time in the field to find success. But as always, there will be local areas within all four pheasant districts where pheasant numbers will be much above or much below what is predicted for the district.”
The Serious folks will find ’em!
More
> ND’s 2011 regular pheasant season opens Oct. 8 and continues through Jan. 8, 2012. The 2-day youth pheasant hunting weekend, when licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger can hunt statewide, is Oct. 1-2.
Category: 2011, Forecasts/counts, ND, Pheasants
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