Forecast: Above-average spring and summer rains dampened what had begun as a promising year for pheasant production. “We think they led to the loss of chicks,” says Krista Pham, upland wildlife ecologist and farm bill staff specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The number of pheasant broods spotted during the late summer survey was 46 percent lower than last year. Overall pheasant production dropped 44 percent in Wisconsin’s primary pheasant range and 33 percent in its secondary range.
Earlier in the summer, wildlife managers were more optimistic. A mild winter and early spring green-up has created good breeding and nesting conditions. DNR crowing counts and rural mail carrier routes, both in April, suggested a significant boost in pheasant numbers. But then came the heavy rains. That short-term event was reinforced by the longer-term loss of grassland cover due to losses in CRP enrollment. Peak enrollment of 700,000 acres in the mid-1990s has nose-dived to about 244,000 acres last year.
As a guide to this year’s hunting, Fond du Lac, Waukesha, and Jefferson counties produced the biggest pheasant harvests last year.
Like last year, the DNR will be stocking about 90 public hunting areas with about 75,000 pheasants. (Follow link below for locations.)
Season Dates: October 15 through December 31, 2016
Daily Bag Limit: 1 opening weekend (October 15-16); 2 thereafter
Possession Limit: 3 times the daily bag limit
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