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2008 Pheasant
Outlook
Pheasant Counts Up - In Parts of the
State from 2007!!!
PIERRE, S.D.— Another banner year for
2008. We are seeing alot of young birds. The summer was riddled with Hail
storms that resulted in alot of adult hens renesting. It should be an
interesting year.
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2007 Pheasant Counts Up -
Way Up in 2007!!!
PIERRE, S.D.— Pheasant survey routes
indicate that hunters who take the fields in 2007 will be greeted by one of the
largest pheasant populations in South Dakota history. Brood count surveys by
the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department project pheasant numbers the likes of
which has not been seen since the Soil Bank years of the 1950s and ’60s.
The pheasant population index was at a 40-year high in 2005 and the 2007 index
tops that historic mark. Overall statewide numbers for 2007 are 23% higher than
the 2006 counts and 18% higher than the 2005 mark. Having abundant secure
nesting habitat for pheasants that CRP provides was an important factor in
2007. That CRP habitat, coupled with favorable weather conditions in June,
resulted in the highest pheasant count on record since 1963. Survey results
show that the number of broods observed on routes increased by 15 percent and
the average number of pheasant chicks in those broods increased by 11 percent.
The average brood size in 2007 was 6.71 chicks per brood. A somewhat sobering
fact that detracts from the good news on pheasant numbers is the prospect that
South Dakota will be losing some of that all-important habitat. “At the
very time South Dakota is enjoying historic gains in its pheasant population
the state is set to lose a good portion of its valuable CRP habitat,” said
GFP Wildlife Division Director Doug Hansen. The brood survey is conducted on
110 30-mile routes in South Dakota where pheasants are found in sufficient
numbers to count. The survey results in a pheasant-per-mile index that can be
used to forecast an area’s relative population density. In addition to
being up over 2006, the 7.85 pheasants per mile average is 67 percent higher
than the 10-year average of 4.71. Locally, the counts indicated that most all
areas of the state followed the statewide trend. Local increases were most
impressive in those parts of central SD that experienced drought-induced
pheasant declines in 2006. Although increases were less dramatic in the rest of
the state’s main pheasant range, seven of 12 local area pheasant per mile
estimates are the highest ever recorded. All 12 are well above the average of
counts for the past 10 years. One of the few down notes in the survey was a
slight decrease in the areas surveyed in extreme western South Dakota. However,
that area’s PPM index was close to its 10-year average. “All signs
point toward a terrific pheasant hunting season,” Hansen said.
“However, high counts don’t automatically translate into hunter
success. The best bet is to scout the area where you’re going to hunt and
to visit with landowners because localized conditions can cause pheasant
populations to fluctuate.” The scouting of hunting areas isn’t the
only action that needs to be taken. “Anyone interested in South Dakota
maintaining its world-class pheasant population needs to get involved in the
process of convincing Congress that programs like CRP are vital for the
conservation of all kinds of wildlife.” The 2007 pheasant season starts at
noon on Oct. 20 with a statewide youth season Oct. 6-8 and a resident-only
season on public lands Oct. SDGFP brood counts for
2007
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2006
Pheasant Outlook
The winter of 2005-2006 was another
extremely mild winter with little more than 10" total snowfall in many parts of
the pheasant belt. The spring of 2006 was wetter than normal in the east and
normal in the central. However, the summer brought unbelievably hot dry weather
starting in July of 2006. Central and many other counties experienced the
hottest dryest summer since 1936. This will go down in history as one of the
dryest summers on record unless August rains change that. No rain will be able
to change crop conditions in the central and north central part of the state.
Some counties hit an all time dry spell for the month of June and July. This
110 degree plus weather wreaked havoc on the birds. Most crops withered and
will not be harvested this fall in most central, north central counties. The
fire danger reached record highs. It is unclear if the heat dramatically
effected the bird population which was on its' way to another banner year. The
heat occurred when many chicks may have been old enough to tolerate the heat.
Many areas without water may see dramatic bird loss. More importantly however,
is the lack of quality habitat. CRP was opened up for haying this year again
and grass grew to only modest levels. SDGFP brood counts for 2006
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2004
Pheasant Outlook
2004 pheasant brood survey is done!
.
The counts are almost impressive as last year, and 2004 is turning out to be
another fantastic year! We have seen more numerous sightings of larger broods
this year. The pheasants are taking advantage of the crop that is still out in
the field because of a cool and wet August and should offer some outstanding
late hunting. This should be one of our most abundant harvests
ever.
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2003 Pheasant Outlook
(An Article by BEN SHOUSE Sioux Falls Argus
Leader Front Page Aug 28th 2003)
Survey shows a 40-year
peak South
Dakota's pheasant population more than doubled in 2003, officials said
Wednesday, raising the possibility of the best hunting
in 40 years when the season opens Oct. 18th. The annual survey by
the State Department of Game, Fish and Parks -
taken in early August by flushing birds along 100 prescribed routes indicates a
120 percent increase in pheasants across the state. The increase was not just
big, but universal, with every survey area posting more than a 50 percent
increase. The total was the highest recorded in four decades, according to the
GF&P. The news is good for people who like to bag pheasants, but alse for
people who like to make money. Pheasant hunters spent $78 million here last
year, and bigger bird numbers could mean more than $100 million for South
Dakota businesses. But a slow economy could cut into that windfall by spooking
big-spending hunters. Officials credit this year's pheasant fertility to a mild
winter, a moist nesting season and plenty of grass, which protects nest from
predators. A moist spring als produced plenty of insects for hungry pheasant
chicks. The total pheasant population cannot yet be estimated, officials say,
but it will almost certainly exceed last year's pre-season total of 5.5
million, of which almost 1.3 million were harvested. High survey numbers
usually mean good hunting, though a late harvest could make the birds hard to
locate amid the standing crops, said Ron Fowler, wildlife administrator with
GF&P. "The birds will be there.It's just a matter of how easy they will be
to find," he said. "From what we see right now, the hunters should have
exceptional success this year." Informal surveys of farmers and outfitters
confirm that forecast. "I ended up replanting 80 acres of corn because the
birds literally ate it out of the ground," said Mark Bogue, a Kennebec farmer
and operator of Dakota Hotspots lodge and outfitters. "I'd say we're more like
threefold from what we had last year," said David Shelton, owner of Goose Lake
Management Company, an outfitter in Armour. "It looks to be thumbs up all
over," said Mike Kuchera, who runs a guide service in Mitchell. Fowler said the
pheasant explosion was due to both more nests and more chicks per nest.
Pheasant broods averaged 7.5 chicks this year, compared to 6.3 last year, he
said. "I've seen the occasional 12 to 15 chicks to a brood, which is really
good," Kuchera said. Bogue said one downside could be abundant predators in his
area, such as raccoons and skunks. Also, the flagging economy could hurt his
chances with another kind of quarry. "This is the first year that we've seen a
decline in what I call the high-dollar hunters," Bogue said. But as far as the
birds are concerned, he said, "It should be as good a year as we've had in the
last 10."
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