Forecast: Though the results of Michigan’s annual mail carrier survey won’t be analyzed and posted until late September, “based on other information we have, I think pheasant numbers will be up from last year,” says Al Stewart, upland game bird specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“We had very good nesting conditions,” says Stewart. “We didn’t have the cold, wet springs that we had over the last several years. It was a nice warm, moist spring—just right. There are plenty of insects out there, and the weather conditions have been such that the warm-season grass fields, the habitat for pheasants, have been growing very well—some of the best conditions in a long time. People are seeing more pheasants, and we’re experiencing good crowing from birds.”
Stewart says virtually all parts of the pheasant range in the southern Lower Peninsula will see the benefits of favorable weather. “I think we’ll see an uptick in most of the areas. The Thumb region of Michigan continues to have good populations of birds, as do the central core counties around the Lansing area. And the southeast, south-central part of the state has good numbers of birds. Not coincidentally, that’s where we have CRP and CREP acres, where the majority of the farm bill programs are in play.”
Field Note: Stewart says the Pheasant Restoration Initiative has played an important role in benefitting pheasant habitat. During the first five years of the initiative, participating organizations, including Pheasants Forever, have improved habitat through farm bill practices, habitat projects, and landowner cooperatives. (See link below.)
Season Dates: Zone 1 (partial): October 10 through October 31, 2016; Zones 2 & 3: October 24 through November 14, 2016; Zone 3 (partial): December 1, 2016 through January 1, 2017
Daily Bag Limit: 2
Possession Limit: 4
Helpful Links: