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Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: California

CALIFORNIA PHEASANT HUNTING PROSPECTS LOOK GOOD

By Andy Fondrick

For this year’s Golden State pheasant hunting forecast, we are going with a “Q&A” format after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s upland biologist team provided a fine set of detailed answers to our questions. Many thanks to California Department of Fish and Wildlife staffers:

WEATHER/CONDITIONS

* How did Winter 2023-24 affect California pheasants? How did the birds survive/come out of winter?

El Niño conditions prevailed during the winter months, lending to much milder than normal temperatures, but precipitation was limited during the first half of the rainy season. Significant rainfall came in February and March, which contributed to slightly above average overall winter precipitation. Some areas with resident pheasant populations experienced mild flooding, but green-up during March likely mitigated temporary loss of functional cover in low areas that became inundated with water. Hence, winter conditions were generally favorable for pheasant survival.

* How have Spring and Summer weather conditions been for nesting and brood-rearing in California?

Mild and wet conditions turned warm and dry as spring progressed, and the summer of 2024 has been one of record-breaking heat in the Central California Valley Ecoregion. July was the hottest on record with long stretches of days well exceeding 100 degrees. Luckily, precipitation in the spring allowed for full water allocations for irrigation of crops and adequate herbaceous cover on wildlife areas prior to summer senescence of vegetative growth.

HATCH/BROODS

* How is the upland habitat looking in in California going into fall?

The mild winter and spring temperatures were responsible for less than average snowpack in the Sierra Nevada through most of February. But late that month and extending through March, California saw a series of colder and wetter storms that built back the snowpack to normal levels during the critical period for ensuring a good spring melt. Therefore, many of the properties that manage resident pheasant populations likely had the ability to irrigate during the late spring and into summer to provide brood habitat for hens coming off the nest.

* Is there any new or anecdotal evidence on the 2024 hatch and broods?

Managers at state-owned properties reported an abundance of male pheasants crowing during the spring, and a number of them reported flushing chicks and young pheasants while driving around the upland units.

* Does California do any kind of counts or roadside surveys? If so, what are the results/highlights?

State wildlife areas often complete pheasant crowing counts during the spring as an annual index of abundance. Crowing counts were mostly on par with last year. Several properties have begun implementing passive acoustic recorders as a new method of monitoring male pheasant vocalizations. These data are new, and need additional years of sampling before an estimate of population change can be calculated.

TOP SPOTS

* Where would you steer a hunter wanting to hunt pheasants in California this fall?

The top spots for pheasant harvest on state properties are Grizzly Island Wildlife Area (Solano County) and Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area (Yolo County). These areas are located in the Bay-Delta Region of northern California. Another promising region this year is within the San Joaquin Valley (Central Region). Specifically, North Grasslands Wildlife Area (Merced County), Los Banos Wildlife Area (Merced County), and Mendota Wildlife Area (Fresno County) reported better than usual pheasant numbers and have plenty of upland acres. Other opportunities include public areas scattered across the Sacramento Valley such as Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area and in northeastern California at Honey Lake Wildlife Area.

INSIDER TIP

* What's your best insider tip, insight or idea for successful pheasant hunting in California this fall?

Public hunting forums are often a great way to get some insider information on hotspots that may not be state managed lands. The state also provides opportunities for juniors and first-time hunters through Special Hunts and planted birds. Lastly, having a dog that can hunt the edges of dry seasonal wetlands and upland fields with vegetated drainage and irrigation canals can be a good way to stir up birds. Another method within larger upland units is to start in the middle and work out toward the edges. Taking advantage of crosswinds can help improve scenting conditions for your pup.

Andy Fondrick is Digital Marketing Coordinator at Pheasants Forever, and looking forward to a first season in the uplands with his new GSP pup, Willa.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Colorado

HIGH PLAINS PHEASANTS SLOWLY RETURN

By Josh Tatman

Between floods and drought, there's an equilibrium when Colorado’s ringnecks thrive. Unfortunately, that balance hasn't been seen for years. Intense drought prevailed for three years, then 2023 brought too much moisture during the spring hatch.

Fortunately, 2024’s weather has been closer to normal. Despite this spring’s good hatch conditions, the pheasant population still needs more time to recover. The fields of eastern Colorado aren’t teeming with roosters; but they could soon, with good weather and habitat management.

Ed Gorman is Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)’s Small Game Manager. He thinks things are slowly heading the right direction. “Colorado should see some improvement … over the last couple of years, which were all-time lows in terms of harvest. Pheasant crowing counts were up significantly this spring, which is due to the fact that we did not have major mortality events [last] winter.”

Micheal Peyton is Pheasants Forever’s Colorado State Coordinator. He echoes the optimism. “The mild winter more than likely helped carry over a decent number of pheasants. My staff has reported seeing many broods in the northeastern part of the state which is our core pheasant range.”

Biologists feel good about this year's crop of young birds. Nevertheless, Gorman says, “We are now in the recovery phase. It's going to take a couple more years before we see populations recover completely.”

CORE HABITAT IS KEY

Northeastern Colorado communities along the South Platte River have long been the core of Colorado pheasant habitat. In down years, these areas are your best bet. Focus on lowlands from Fort Morgan to Julesburg where the wild birds thrive.

Agricultural field margins and cattail sloughs are prime cover, but don't overlook fingers of habitat that extend out into the grasslands. These zones see less pressure, but can hold just as many birds — especially near ranches and farmsteads. Walk shelterbelt tree rows and tumbleweed-choked fence lines in the dry country.

Further south, the Republican River and Arkansas River corridors are also well worth scouting.

Yuma, Phillips, Sedgwick, Kit Carson and southeastern Logan counties are traditionally Colorado’s best for roosters. That will hold true this year.

Historically, the Front Range had good pheasant hunting. Locals know those days are all but gone as development pushes further into the fields around Colorado Springs, Denver and Fort Collins.

HOW TO FIND COLORADO PHEASANTS

Don't let below-average pheasant numbers keep you out of the field this season. Creative hunters are still likely to find some success on Colorado roosters. While the state isn’t a famous wingshooting destination, there’s something special about bagging a tough High Plains longtail.

Demand for public hunting access is increasing as human populations expand on the Front Range. The CPW works hard to enroll more Walk-In Access Program properties every year. Ed Gorman points out, “Last year we had around 240,000 acres enrolled.”

However, Gorman thinks pheasant hunters should look beyond the colorful parcels on their onX map. “When you find an area with birds, don't hesitate to try to get private land hunting permission.” It may be possible after deer seasons wind up, which is when pheasant hunting often gets the best anyway.

SEASON AND REGULATIONS

Colorado’s 2024 pheasant hunting season runs from November 9, 2024 through January 31, 2025 across the core pheasant zones east of I-25. West of the interstate, the season ends on January 5. The daily bag limit is three roosters, with a nine-bird possession limit.

Josh Tatman adventures and writes from home in northern Wyoming.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Idaho

A GOOD FALL FOR UPLANDING IN IDAHO

By Jack Hutson

“Things look quite good for upland birds this year,” said Jeff Knetter, Game Bird Coordinator based at the Idaho Fish & Game (IDF&G) headquarters in Boise. “We’ve had a couple years of very good weather conditions, and the birds have responded very well,” Knetter continued.

Further north in Idaho’s Clearwater Region, IDF&G biologist Kenneth Randal, shared his winter observations: “This year’s over-winter conditions were fairly mild. Snow fell early but total snow accumulation was lower than average and, aside from a cold snap in early January that dropped temperatures into the negatives, winter conditions seemed favorable for upland game birds across the region.”

Though winter was not severe, spring precipitation in the state’s agricultural zone known as the Palouse (puh-loos) may have hampered some early nesting attempts. Pheasants showed signs of rebounding as witnessed by the strikingly obvious age differentials among observed pheasant broods.

Hailing from south-central Idaho, IDF&G biologist Brandon Tycz shared his views on early season conditions. “Normal to above normal snowpack along with moderate spring conditions seemed to have resulted in good nesting and early brood rearing opportunities for some of our gamebird species.”

A bit further east, Nick Gailey, co-chair of habitat projects with the Upper Snake River Chapter of Pheasants Forever, was upbeat about pheasant prospects in southeastern Idaho. He reported: “I am expecting bird season for pheasants, Huns, and valley quail to be outstanding. Brood sightings for all three species have been impressive, and upland bird numbers look good for the fall.”

Randall concluded his views for the Palouse: “Though the early summer was warmer and drier than average, early June rain helped prolong forage and insect resources around the region. Despite drier than average conditions for this time of year (late summer and early fall), most upland game birds appear to be doing well, and brood survival looks promising. Overall, pheasant numbers appear to have fared well.”

As is generally the case everywhere pheasants are hunted, Tycz points out the main drawback to hunting pheasants is where they are found. He said, “The pockets in the south-central region with higher pheasant numbers are generally located on private property where obtaining permission can be an issue.”

“Overall, wild pheasant numbers continue to be lower than average in our region,” said Tycz.

Knetter summed up the statewide preview: “While other game birds have their ups and downs, there has been a general downward trend in pheasant numbers.” Knetter adds, “This year, hunters should notice a slight up-tick in pheasants from last season, with a more noticeable increase in other game birds.”

Idaho’s pheasant management is separated into three areas, it is important to know which area you are hunting and, if a non-resident, note the delayed opening day.

SEASON DETAILS

AREA 1 – Northern Idaho
Resident: October 12 through December 31
Nonresident: October 17 through December 31

AREA 2 – Northern Idaho
Resident: October 19 through November 30
Nonresident: October 24 through November 30

AREA 3 – Northern Idaho
Resident: October 19 through December 31
Nonresident: October 24 through December 31

The daily bag limit in all areas is 3 roosters, with 9 roosters in possession.

Jack Hutson is a gun dog trainer, vagabond upland bird hunter and freelance outdoor writer.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Illinois

UPTICK IN SURVEY DATA POINTS TO INCREASED PHEASANT NUMBERS THIS FALL

By Casey Sill

While not traditionally seen as a pheasant powerhouse, Illinois still provides some enticing upland opportunities for both public and private land hunters. This year, after an unusually mild winter and decent spring, survey data shows populations in the Land of Lincoln should be in decent shape heading into the fall.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

Illinois winters can provide challenging conditions for birds, but 2023-24 was very mild according to Illinois Department of Natural Resources field operations section chief Don Kahl.

“We didn’t have a lot of snowfall up in the northern part of the state,” he said. “So we had very good conditions as far as winter survival for pheasants.”

Spring and early summer was a mixed bag in Illinois. Some parts of the state were slightly dry with variable rainfall, while other areas were unseasonably wet. As the summer progressed, hot temperatures moved in across much of the state.

“In June we were above average for temperatures, it got pretty hot,” Kahl said. “Rainfall was again variable. We’re probably at average or a little below average for rain. June was not ideal for pheasants in-Particular.”

HABITAT AND BROOD-REARING

Even with some hot and dry conditions as summer progressed, habitat is in good shape across the state, and reports from the field indicate broods are in good health overall.

“We’re seeing a lot of mixed brood sizes. There was definitely some re-nesting that went on in July when conditions became a little more favorable,” Kahl said. “In the last few weeks we’re getting a lot of reports of various brood sizes, anywhere from three-quarter grown birds to week-old birds.”

Chicks likely had excellent food sources available throughout the summer, as there were plenty of bugs on the landscape. This may have been bolstered by an unusually large cicada hatch across the state, according to Pheasants Forever Farm Bill biologist Caleb Worley.

“Northern and Southern Illinois had two different cicada broods that hatched this spring,” he said. “Cicadas are typically seen as impacting turkey populations more than upland birds, but I think having that food source in such a heavy quantity would help with pheasant survival as well. Those insects are still out in the fields where trees are nearby, so I could definitely see pheasants taking advantage of that.”

Kahl agreed, and said while pheasant chicks likely couldn’t eat an entire cicada, that doesn’t mean they’re ignored all together as a food source.

“It’s not necessarily something they could swallow whole, especially a young chick,” Kahl said. “But they can pick away at them.”

SURVEY DATA

Anecdotal reports from across Illinois point to a good year for pheasant hunters. Recently compiled data from the state’s upland route survey back up those reports. Data shows a 19 percent increase in birds-per-stop along the survey route when compared with 2023.

“So it definitely looks like the trend is positive this year,” Kahl said. “Overall I think we’re looking at a good year for both pheasants and quail wherever you can find good habitat. Folks that can dial in on those areas should have a pretty decent year as compared to the last few.”

TOP SPOTS

As is typically the case, East-Central Illinois should be the to-go region for pheasant hunters this fall. The area has less tree cover than many other parts of Illinois, and generally boasts higher quality habitat than elsewhere in the state. Counties such as Livingston, Ford and Vermillion are among the top destinations.

“The East-Central part of the state is where our population thrives,” Worley said. “There are typically good numbers down there, and a smattering of public ground as well.”

IF YOU GO

The Illinois pheasant season is split into north and south zones. The northern zone opens on November 2 and runs through January 8. The southern zone also opens November 2, and runs through January 15.

The limit is 2 roosters per day in both zones. Click here to access the complete 2024 Illinois hunting and trapping regulations.

Casey Sill is Senior Public Relations Specialist for Pheasants Forever.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Indiana

OPTIMISM IN THE AIR FOR HOOSIER ROOSTERS

By Tori J. McCormick

While Indiana might not be mistaken for a ringneck mecca like South Dakota, optimism is in the air for the 2024 season. A mild winter and likely better-than-average spring production has set the table for back-to-back quality seasons.

HINSHAW REPORTS

“We had a good season last year, and I think we’re poised for another one this year,” said Will Hinshaw, a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist who works with landowners in the upper west-central part of the state. “I’m actually really looking forward to the season.”

Hinshaw’s optimism is based on reports from landowners, state wildlife officials, hunters, and his own observations traveling for work in roughly the northern third of the state — Indiana’s primary pheasant range.

“I’m seeing broods, particularly in the northwestern part of the state, and hearing good things from others as well,” said Hinshaw, an Indiana native who lives in Monticello. “It’s good to see.”

NEW UPLAND BIOLOGIST

While the Indiana Department Natural Resources did not conduct any formal bird surveys in 2024, the good news is that will change in 2025. In January, the agency hired a new upland gamebird biologist. The position was vacant for two years.

“I’m very excited to take over the position,” said Nicole Alonso-Leach, who started with the agency in January 2023 as its outreach and engagement specialist. “There’s definitely a learning curve to the job, but I’m really enjoying it. We have a lot of work to do.”

Alonso-Leach grew up on different national wildlife refuges in Oregon, Utah and Texas. Her father worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 25 years before retiring in 2014. A hunter and angler, Alonso-Leach has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Texas State-San Marcos and a masters in range and wildlife science from Texas A&M-Kingsville. Her first job was as farm bill coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The position, she said, taught her how volunteer conservation programs on private land can boost wildlife production.

“Habitat is the key to more viable populations of pheasants and quail,” she said.

SURVEYS RETURNING

Alonso-Leach said next year the agency will once again conduct spring crow counts for pheasants and quail. A summer roadside bird survey will also come in the near future. “A year or two down the road, I’m hoping,” she said.

Another priority, Alonso-Leach said, is developing relationships with state conservation groups, especially Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “We need strong partnerships to get more habitat on the ground,” she said.

HUNTING FORECAST

Meanwhile, Hinshaw’s optimism for the 2024 season hinges on the weather from last winter and this spring. Both seasons were good for pheasants.

“We had a very mild winter with very little snow, and a good carryover of adults birds, with hens going into spring nesting in good body condition,” he said. “Nesting conditions were really pretty good for the most part. We got timely spring rains, which helped with grassland habitat and insects. We did have some localized flooding that may hurt some early nesters, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.”

Added Hinshaw: “I think we’ve had a good hatch, with good brood sizes. In the areas that got wet, re-nesting has taken place, based on my observations and talking to landowners. We’ve started to grow our pheasant numbers back over the last two years.”

John Kinney, Indiana State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever in Evansville, said he’s looking forward to the season. Like Hinshaw, he’s also optimistic. Kinney said he’s getting “good reports” from northwest Indiana. “I was up there last week … and my contacts were mentioning seeing more pheasants and maybe more quail on private lands,” he said.

BEST BETS

Hinshaw said the best bet for hunters is to concentrate their efforts in the northwest part of the state — particularly in Benton, Jasper and Newton counties. “Those are the top counties, with the most public land and private land with the best habitat,” he said. “The counties in the far northeast — LaGrange, DeKalb, Noble, Steuben — have decent numbers of wild birds.”

Hunters have other options, too. Pheasants are released for put-and-take hunting on Atterbury, Glendale, J.E. Roush Lake, Pigeon River, Tri-County, Willow Slough and Winamac Fish and Wildlife Areas.

“Some of those areas, like Willow Slough, which is bordered by Nature Conservancy land, have quality habitat and good numbers of wild birds — pheasants and quail — too,” said Hinshaw.

Gaining access to hunt private land with quality habitat isn’t always easy. Hinshaw said he’s helped several landowners enroll some of their lands in State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE), a voluntary program that helps restore wildlife habitat, including grass and wetlands important to upland birds. It’s a practice under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

“It’s not impossible, but most of that land is hunted by family and friends early in the season because those acres produce birds,” said Hinshaw. A late-season “ask to hunt” might be met with a positive response.

IF YOU GO

The Indiana pheasant season runs from November 1 – December 15. The daily bag limit is two roosters. The possession limit is four. For more information, including licensing requirements, go to www.in.gov/dnr.

For details about put-and-take pheasant hunting, check the Reserved Hunt Information page at www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/hunting-and-trapping/reserved-hunts.

The Indiana DNR Where to Hunt Finder is an interactive map to find public for hunting, fishing and other outdoors activities.

The Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide: www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/hunting-and-trapping/hunting-trapping-guide.

The Indiana Private Lands Access Program provides public hunting opportunities on private land enrolled in the program. Hunters can apply online during the open application period.

Freelance writer Tori McCormick has been reporting and writing on the great outdoors for many a year.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Iowa

BIRDS BEAT THE WET, IT SHOULD STILL BE A GOOD HUNT

By Jennifer Felton

There were very few days this summer that I haven’t thought about this coming pheasant season.

At dawn, five out of seven days, I ride my bike 10 miles on a gravel route that takes me past nine areas of prime upland habitat. Part of the thrill of these rides is the wildlife I encounter when I roll past Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ground, tallgrass prairie, pasture and wide buffer strips.

Three days ago I saw a skunk kit, a doe and three fawns, a great blue heron, a red-tailed hawk, three coyote pups – and last but not least—a hen pheasant that exploded out of the ditch a few feet from me followed by her brood.

I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head at how startled I was. I had better get used to that explosion again! The rest of my ride was consumed by thoughts of pheasant seasons past and the one quickly approaching. So good!

This year’s annual August roadside survey in Iowa confirmed that weather conditions—primarily a wet spring —gave way to a 14% decrease in pheasant numbers statewide as compared to 2023. While 14% might raise some eyebrows, this fall’s survey results were nearly identical to not only one but two historically good pheasant hunting years—2021 and 2022.

“A combination of the southwestern region being significantly down by 72% and six out of nine of the other regions being slightly down — albeit not in a statistically significant way — factored into a tipping point that affected the lower statewide result,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Generally there needs to be a 20% change or more in the numbers to be significant,” added Bogenschutz. “It is very likely hunters won’t even notice a decline in many areas of the state. It is shaping up to be another good fall.”

The 2021 and 2022 survey count and harvest numbers were within a run of five seasons with good hunting trends. Taking a closer look at comparable data between 2021, 2022 and 2024, two key takeaways bode well for hunters.

*First, the birds counted per 30-mile route are statistically parallel – with 20.1 birds counted/route in 2021, 19.6 birds counted/route in 2022 and 19.3 birds counted/route in 2024.

*Second, the harvest numbers forecasted for this season are identical to the 2021 and 2022 harvests, which totaled 350,000 to 400,000 roosters — those years exceeding the 10-year average by 31% and 46%, respectively.

The slightly milder than normal winter, followed by a wetter than normal spring, had a significant impact on this year’s lower count numbers juxtaposed to last year.

Comparing 2023 and 2024, there were gains in both winter seasons with average to above average overwinter survival for small game statewide.

But the difference in spring conditions was dramatic. Dry conditions parched 2023, and historic rainfall and flooding hit 2024. It was warmer than usual, but every region reported rainfall during nesting season that was 3 to 7 inches above normal, ending Iowa’s four-year string of dry nesting seasons. The unfavorable spring weather likely offset any gains seen from the milder winter and good carryover of birds that resulted.

“While every region reported above normal rainfall, the northern third of Iowa was the hardest hit with multiple instances of extreme rainfall and significant flooding,” said Josh Divan, Iowa State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever.

Iowa research indicates overwinter hen survival, brood survival and nest success are the major factors in influencing annual changes in pheasant numbers. Total cocks and hens counted on the routes were essentially unchanged from 2023. However, statewide data on total chicks, chicks per brood and the age of a hen’s brood were all lower than last year. The Roadside Survey Report trends match up well with the weather Iowa experienced over the past year.

“Thankfully winter didn’t deliver too many severe storms and when it did, the wind cleared the areas of the fields for birds to find food,” says Nick Thompson, Farm Bill Biologist for Pheasants Forever in southwestern Iowa. “Nesting season has been favorable, and I have flushed multiple groups of broods that are all different sizes from one another.”

“Brood sizes are smaller in this area, but I'm hopeful we'll still benefit from the gains we've seen over the past few years,” says Rose Danaher, Outdoor Skills Specialist with the Iowa DNR. Danaher is located in east-central Iowa, and an active PF volunteer. “Last year we enjoyed expanded ranges on both quail and Hungarian partridge, which, if you're lucky, offered the chance to see three species in a day's hunt!”

The second most critical factor that determines the abundance and distribution of upland game populations in Iowa is habitat. Implementing habitat conservation projects remains critical, with 74,312 enrolled CRP acres set to expire in September 2024 in some portions of the state. Given that news, Terry Haindfield, a Winneshiek County Pheasants Forever Chapter board member and retired DNR biologist, says there are a lot of people signing up now who will be seeding upland habitat this coming spring. In his region, an increase in CRP enrollment is adding diversity interspersing the croplands.

“The condition of the existing habitat is good, with increased height and density because of good moisture. Looking forward, given the input costs for corn, some may be thinking it is conducive to consider going to CRP. It could be an opportune time,” says Haindfield.

Iowa’s quail populations were most prevalent in west-central and southwestern regions – with the west central up 70%. Bogenschutz said that route after route, he had staff recording quail further into the west central region.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff reported that coveys appeared very stressed in the south-central region during the mid-January blizzard, but in other regions like west central the blizzard was less severe.

"When I have been out in the countryside, I have been seeing and hearing reports of people who have been both seeing and hearing quite a few quail this year. I am hopeful we will be able to find some birds this fall,” said Holly Shutt, a volunteer for the Louisa County Chapter of PF & QF in southeastern Iowa.

The partridge population was most present in the north-central and northwestern regions of the state. The most favorable counts came from Buchanan, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Pocahontas, Poweshiek and Wright counties.

According to local farmers, Pro Farmer and USDA yield predictions could be bigger this fall — that is, if the weather holds and harvest conditions are steady. I can’t help but think harvest could potentially be slower than average in some areas of Iowa due to larger yields. This could impact the opener.

Regardless, I’m anticipating a cloudy, crisp morning, silently closing the truck door, loading my gun and releasing the dog while chanting in my mind, “Aim for the pupil, not the whole bird … hunt ‘em up!”

See the full 2024 Iowa Roadside Survey Report here.

Jennifer Felton follows her pack of English Labrador Retrievers every fall, chasing west-central Iowa’s ringnecks.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Kansas

“DRY AND HOT” HAMPER SUNFLOWER STATE RINGNECKS AGAIN

By Casey Sill

With varied terrain across the state, Kansas is one of the most diverse upland destinations in the country. Opportunities are vast, including for ring-necked pheasants. While this will continue to be true in 2024, drought is once again a concern for Kansas bird populations.

“The annual droughts, for pheasants especially, seem to be hitting them hard,” said Tyler Rafter, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Kansas state coordinator. “It’s burning up much of our wheat, which was in fairly poor condition over much of the spring. Coupled with the emergency release of CRP, nesting and brood-rearing habitat was limited again this year.”

If you’re currently checking to see if you clicked on last year’s Kansas forecast, you didn’t.

Drought has dogged Kansas for years, and by all accounts that continues. But the state seems to be on the back end of the dry spell. And despite the gloomy news of emergency CRP release, there are some opportunities for optimism heading into fall.

WEATHER AND HABITAT CONDITIONS

While many pheasant states north of Kansas struggled with flooding this spring, the Jayhawk birds saw very little of that historic rainfall.

“In our pheasant range, too much water is never an issue,” said Jeff Prendergast, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) small game specialist. “It’s always not enough water. That’s the problem.”

The state came out of winter dry, hampered by lingering conditions from 2023. This led to a tough spring for much of Kansas. However, as late spring turned to summer, conditions did turn around in places.

“We started picking up some rainfall across the western third of the state,” Prendergast said. “The north-central part of Kansas, which has been a little better than other regions the last few years, did not catch as much of that rainfall. So where it’s been kind of our saving grace recently, it likely did not get as much production this year.”

Late summer saw another turn in the weather, as stereotypical hot and dry conditions enveloped much of the state. But by that time most birds were on the ground, and this hot spell likely did not have a significant effect on broods, according to Prendergast.

NESTING AND BROOD-REARING

Emergency CRP release is never good news for nesting pheasants. Available habitat has been hard to come by the last several years, and that trend continued in spring 2024. That said, with slightly improved moisture conditions and warm summer weather, chicks who did make it on the ground are likely in good shape.

“We maintained decent conditions through the primary nesting season,” Prendergast said. “By the time that hot weather showed up in July and August, most of our birds were pretty well made.”

Chicks were buoyed by excellent food sources this summer. High numbers of insects were reported across the state, including a borderline historic grasshopper boom.

“There was an extreme abundance of grasshoppers this year,” Prendergast said. “To the point where our extension service even wrote an article recognizing the record numbers and talking about the control issues they were going to have. But on our side of things, that created very good brooding conditions for the birds that remained. Even into the hot, dry periods, there would’ve been abundant food resources.”

TOP SPOTS

The western half of Kansas typically produces the most robust populations of wild pheasants. Luckily, that’s where more rainfall hit this summer. Statewide survey data is not yet available, so field staff are relying heavily on anecdotal reports at the moment, but there is some tempered optimism for certain areas of the state.

“That communicates to me that pheasants are still down pretty significantly, just because the last couple of years that’s been the trend,” Rafter said. “But there is a possibility of increased numbers compared to 2023.”

Prendergast echoed Rafter’s take, and said particular regions should see improved numbers this fall, despite some tough habitat conditions.

“We don’t have any numbers yet, but based on the weather, production should have been better in the Northwest and Southwest,” he said. “We’re optimistic that most regions will be improved, although north central will probably be limited without a lot of good, early spring moisture.”

In talking to farmers and landowners, Prendergast is hearing reports of more birds on the landscape than last year, but said that should be taken with a grain of salt.

“The problem there is, we’re seeing more birds this year, but we were starting from a much lower point, coming off of a couple years of significant drought,” he said. “So we’re optimistic that things will be better, but that doesn’t necessarily mean great or exceptional based on our starting point.”

REGIONAL REPORTS

Northwest

“I've talked with KDWP on our upland bird populations this year, and they forecast ‘fair to good’ for pheasant numbers. Due to drought in our area the last two years, pheasant populations declined while bobwhite quail seemed to slightly improve. Overall, based on this year's precipitation, we expect our numbers to bounce back to a near-normal level. However, near Colby we have lost habitat as CRP acres expire and are put into row crops. Maintaining current grass/CRP acres and enrolling new acres into the program will be key in maintaining our populations here in northwestern Kansas.”

- Jessica Butter, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist

Southwest

“It seems like things are stable, despite the drought. In talking to people down in Morton and Stevens counties, they’re seeing pheasants, as well as prairie grouse. Haskell County as well, I’ve heard from multiple people that are seeing birds there. I haven’t seen any broods myself, but of course that doesn’t mean they’re not there. I have been seeing both hens and roosters when I’m out and about. Overall it seems fairly similar to last year, with the way the drought is continuing. The birds are still utilizing CRP ground.”

- Elizabeth Eney, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist

Northeast

We had a really wet spring in our area this winter, then it got dry. We had several weeks throughout the summer that have been super-hot. Habitat-wise, I’ve been working with a lot of great landowners who are putting in habitat. Just this week I was talking to a CRP owner who is going above and beyond on his property. Jackson County in particular has a lot of great habitat projects going on. Last summer we were in severe drought, and I’m not seeing that this year.

- Amanda Long, Pheasants Forever Coordinating Wildlife Biologist

Central

From some of the CRP I’ve been walking, everything seems dry and there’s not a super high amount of growth. Of course this varies from property to property, but I haven’t seen many pheasants on privately managed ground at this point.

- Elija Cairo, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist

South Central

I cover eight counties in south-central Kansas, and I believe all eight of them are still under drought. We are starting to come out of it, we’ve had some recent rainfall, but we’re still in those drought limitations. We’re still seeing upland birds on the properties that are well-managed. We are mostly in quail country here in our area though.

- Krista Ward, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist

SEASON DETAILS

The Kansas pheasant season runs November 9 to January 31, 2025, with the youth season falling on November 2-3.

The daily bag limit is 4 roosters for both the regular and youth seasons. Pheasants in possession for transportation must retain intact a foot, plumage or some part that determines sex. Possession limit is 16 for the regular season, 8 for the youth season.

Casey Sill is Senior Public Relations specialist for Pheasants Forever.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Michigan

HABITAT AND BIRD NUMBERS IN GOOD SHAPE

By Casey Sill

While ruffed grouse typically reign supreme in the eyes of Michigan uplanders, the state is also home to some high-quality pheasant habitat. In recent years bird numbers have remained fairly consistent across Michigan, and that seems to be the case again in 2024.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

Winter across Michigan’s pheasant range was largely uneventful in 2023-24, with one small blip late in the season.

“Winter was more or less negligible until late February,” said Ben Beaman, Pheasants Forever’s Michigan state coordinator. “Then we had one ice storm that had everything caked in ice for two or three days. That made me a little nervous. But even with that I think we were in pretty good shape.”

Heavy rains punctuated much of the early spring, but Beaman said that likely didn’t have much impact on nesting birds. Summer has been mostly dry, but not to the point of causing major issues.

“The moisture came early enough that it was likely not much of a concern,” Beaman said. “It dried out enough by the time we expect birds to be sitting on nests that I would imagine they had a pretty good hatch.”

HABITAT AND BROOD-REARING

While the wet spring didn’t hurt nesting conditions across the state, it most definitely helped habitat conditions. Quality rains had cover looking good as the peak hatch approached, and that trend continued throughout brood rearing.

“CRP and public land habitat that I’ve driven by is all been in really, really good shape,” Beaman said. “The flowering season for wildflowers was really good as well. I don’t anticipate any negative effects from anything that went on here during the summer as far as pheasants are concerned.”

The high-quality habitat should have led to good brood production, and while Michigan’s rural mail carrier survey data is not yet available, Beaman said he’s optimistic about numbers.

“I haven’t seen many broods myself so far,” he said. “But I’ve been hearing good reports, and I’m hopeful that nesting went well. There’s lots of grasshoppers on the landscape right now. Between that and the habitat conditions I’d say brood rearing has likely been good.”

TOP SPOTS

Just as pheasant numbers in Michigan have been reliable the last several years, so too are the areas where birds can be found. Traditionally, the southern third of Michigan holds the best habitat.

“Southeast and South-Central are our agriculture dominated landscapes, and that’s where our best habitat is,” Beaman said. “You can find some success outside of those areas as long as you’re in the southern two-thirds of the lower peninsula, but it gets spottier as you go north.”

Overall, given current habitat conditions and weather trends, Beaman is optimistic about the season as we head closer to October.

“We typically don’t notice a whole lot of fluctuation year-to-year, but in 2023 bird numbers were noticeably up. I’d love to say I expect the same again this year,” he said. “I think conditions are such that they could be — so we’ll see.”

Michigan has several public access programs available for anyone who’s not able to hunt private land. The state’s Hunter Access Program (HAP) lands offer private lands leased to provide public access. There are numerous properties in southern Michigan, which can be found on the Department of Natural Resources website. And Michigan’s Adopt A Game Area program is also providing excellent places for the public to hunt roosters.

SEASON DETAILS

The Michigan pheasant season runs October 10-31 in zone one (upper peninsula), October 20-November 14 in zones two and three (lower peninsula), and December 1-January 1, 2025 in a portion of zone three. More specific information on the boundaries for each zone can be found in the complete 2024 Michigan Hunting Regulations Summary, which will be available on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website in late September. The daily bag limit in Michigan is 2 roosters, and possession limit is 4.

Casey Sill is Senior Public Relations Specialist for Pheasants Forever.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Minnesota

GET OUT AND HUNT, BIRDS ARE THERE

By Tom Carpenter

As spring and summer rain systems lined up like a choo-choo train and chugged across Minnesota relentlessly from May through July and even well into August, Minnesota pheasant hunters’ spirits lagged and dragged like an old hound dog’s butt at the end of a long day afield.

How could hens bring off broods in the ongoing deluge?

What a change after the drought of 2023.

Some counties across Minnesota’s vast pheasant range got hit harder than others. But no place escaped outright.

Yet pheasants are tough, and always full of surprises.

When the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) August Pheasant Roadside Survey results came out, along came one of those surprises:

Pheasant numbers in the Minnesota roadside survey, the gold standard among states in the pheasant range, were similar to 2023 and 19% above the 10-year average — welcome news after the wet spring and summer.

BY THE NUMBERS

“Our milder winter meant more hens were available for nesting this year,” says Steven Woodley, Wildlife Research Biologist with the Minnesota DNR’s Farmland Wildlife Group, “which likely offset chick losses that occurred due to wet conditions during the breeding season.”

This year’s statewide pheasant index was 52 birds per 100 miles of roads driven, compared to 51 birds per 100 miles of road driven in 2023. Pheasant numbers increased the most in the east central region (increase of 70%), followed by increases in the central (34%), south central (8%), and west central (6%) regions. Though pheasant numbers declined in the southwest (decrease of 29%), the region still had the greatest number of birds at 82 birds per 100 miles, and as usual should provide some of the best hunting opportunities in the state.

The full written report is available here.

WOODLEY WEIGHS IN

“The above-average rainfall in the spring and summer months almost certainly impacted nesting success,” says Woodley. “Compared to the 10-year average, the number of broods per 100 hens and chicks per brood declined by 21% and 12%, respectively.”

Some years, survey results get couched by poor conditions. But “the weather conditions for this year’s roadside counts were good,” says Woodley. “Temperature, dew, wind and sky conditions were all similar to the 10-year averages.”

Still, in the survey, broods and young birds were under-represented. “With more adult birds carrying over from last year due to the milder-than-average winter conditions and the decline in broods and chicks, it is safe to say that mature birds played a larger part in this year’s counts,” Woodley points out.

“Overall, pheasant hunting this year in Minnesota should be comparable to last year,” says Woodley. “The rooster index this year was 8.8 roosters per 100 miles driven, and in 2023, it was 8.6 roosters per 100 miles driven. The regions that should provide the best hunting opportunities in the state are the Southwest and West-Central, followed by the South-Central region.”

“Hunters can expect pheasants to be a little more educated this year,” predicts Woodley, “with a higher proportion of adult birds on the landscape compared to last year. This means hunters may see more singles and more birds running earlier in the year than normal.”

MAPPING THE BIRDS

Following is Minnesota’s Pheasant Hunting Prospects Map. Keep reading after taking a look, though. We’ll embark on our annual tour of Minnesota’s pheasant country and get insights from hunters, staff and chapter leaders on details from their areas.

One thing you can expect to see consistently in the regional reports that follow: It looks like a second hatch and batch of birds started showing up as August wore on. Another gift from hen pheasants. Those new young birds likely didn’t get counted in the surveys. Hunting should be good, and probably improve, as the season wears on and:

ADAMS’ OBSERVATIONS

“I have mixed feelings about the season,” says Sabin Adams, Minnesota State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever. “Obviously, we got way too much water this late spring and summer to have a good nesting season. That said, two years of droughty weather, and the mildest winter on record, meant we probably had more hens out there giving it a go than I can ever remember.”

“Despite the rain I have seen, a fair number of broods whilst out and about driving, but not as good as last year,” he says.

“My greatest sorrow is wondering what this year would have been if, after the no-show winter, we would have had good nesting conditions.” That said, those late hatches may be the Minnesota pheasant hunter’s savior this season.

NOBLES COUNTY / WORTHINGTON AREA

“I conducted my usual DNR Roadside Survey routes August 2, 3 and 4,” says Scott Rall of the Nobles County Chapter of Pheasants Forever.

“On the first route I took, I saw 15 birds,” reports Rall. “Fifteen to 20 is about normal. But 13 of the birds ere adult hens with no broods.”

“I saw about the same number of birds on my second and third runs, but had a few chicks show up,” he adds. “But they were very young – under two weeks old.”

As is his way, Rall ran routes a few more times on his own, and travels the backroads often anyway. This is where some more positive news comes in. “I started seeing more young birds as August went on,” he says. “They were very small, young birds – under four weeks of age. This indicated to me that second and perhaps third nesting attempts saw some success in our area.”

All the rain is almost certainly to blame. “Every year I monitor rain fall from mid-May to mid-June,” he says. “The average is six inches. This year, we had 15.2 inches in the same timeframe.”

Second- and third-attempt hatches of young birds will be the name of the game in southwestern Minnesota this year.

“I also saw good numbers of mature roosters during my travels,” adds Rall. “Carryover from our mild winter was good.” But as well know, those will be tough birds to outsmart!

KANDIYOHI COUNTY / WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA

“We should have come into spring with one of the highest bird counts in many years with the mild winter,” begins Aaron Wilson, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist in Kandiyohi County. “Everyone I talked with was saying they couldn’t believe how many birds they were seeing before nesting.”

“We did have consistent rains like most of the state,” Wilson says, “but since many of our low areas were wet prior to nesting, that should have kept the hens from nesting there, preventing nests from being flooded out.”

“Looking for areas that had lower rain totals and/or were missed by the torrential rains might be a good factor to take note of for this fall,” Wilson offers as a tip.

“Most of the landowners I’ve been working with have been reporting seeing broods,” says Wilson. “I go out toward the state’s western border a couple weekends a month, and every trip I’ve seen at least one brood; but by early August, I saw 3 broods in a half-mile stretch.”

“One positive of the excess rain is this: The cover is awesome this year,” says Wilson. “Most of the native grass and forb seedings from the last couple of years got a huge kick, and the seedings from this year took off quickly, meaning there is better early successional habitat out there this year than the last couple.”

“My outlook is positive,” Wilson says. “Chicks may have taken a hit from the rain, but there should have been more hens to start with on the landscape compared to years past. That could translate into good bird numbers.”

He finishes: “Either way, my dog Obe and I will be out there getting after them!”

LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY AREA

“With the heavy rains we had in June, we lost a lot of nests,” reports Gary Hauck, a longtime Pheasants Forever supporter and volunteer from Lac qui Parle County.

But the news isn’t all bad out on the border country.

“Re-nesting happened,” says Hauck. “Of course, these broods are smaller. Four to six chicks on average. Folks in my area were seeing quite a few small broods of small birds in August.”

“We had good carryover of birds from that mild winter we had,” adds Hauck. That means more hens to produce those smaller broods … and more of those big old (but smart!) roosters to start with.

And finally: “The habitat is just lush,” says Hauck. “The big bluestem is six feet tall. So are the cattails. The wildflowers were still hanging on.” Plenty of cover for hens to rear those broods.

But the ample rain was an issue. “There will be some good pockets of birds, and some not so good,” says Hauck. “You’ll just have to hunt.”

To that end, Hauck says: “As the season goes on, hunting will only get better.” Why?

“The corn is very far behind,” says Hauck. “I am betting the amount of corn harvested will be minimal by opening day. Don’t expect much coming out of the fields until the end of October.” In other words, don’t be a “one weekend and done” hunter this year.

Plus, those young roosters will be coloring up good!

EAST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA

“I started seeing young roosters out on the gravel roads in mid to late August,” says Jared Wiklund, Director of communications for Pheasants Forever, land baron in east-central Minnesota and late-season pheasant hunter extraordinaire. “There seems to have been a late hatch in my area.”

“I don’t think there was much if any of a first hatch in my area,” he says. “The water took its toll. But then hens persisted, and there were some (albeit smaller) broods out there,” says Wiklund. “It’s clear that second nesting attempts saw some success. The birds have some growing to do though!”

“We had good numbers of birds going into spring,” adds Wiklund. That helps.

“There will be some good hunting this fall,” he predicts. “East-central Minnesota has pheasants. It is a very non-traditional place to hunt, for sure, but there are birds. My recommendation is to go later on, after deer season. Hunting permission is easier to get. The crops will be in. There is not much traditional CRP here, and lots of forest, but you will find birds on the wetland and brush edges, cattails, grassy edges to crop stubble, and fallow fields. It’s a different kind of pheasant country.”

And the DNR roadside survey counts were very good.

MORRIS AREA

After a mild winter, “we seemed to have avoided all the late-spring and early-summer flooding,” says Dave Jungst, a Pheasants Forever fan, serious pheasant hunter and prairie enthusiast from Stevens County.

“I don’t think the rain had a lot of impact here,” he says. “We didn’t get the heavy flooding here that was a problem in so many other places.”

“Folks are definitely seeing birds,” he says, “and the young birds are of all sizes … little ones (as of mid to late August) to roosters starting to color up. I think there will be plenty of roosters to hunt.” Many birds will be just coming into color at the start of the season, so keep on hunting.

Jungst says the habitat looks great. “We are coming off three summers that were very dry, and this one was wet. The grass is noticeably thicker.”

Echoing Hauck down in Lac qui Parle, Jungst says the corn harvest is going to be delayed. As of the end of August, “the crop is still making grain,” he says. He can’t wait for the later season – November and December pheasant hunting.

PIPESTONE AREA

“We started off with a mild winter,” reports Marty Wallin of Pipestone County Pheasants Forever. “So we had good survival of birds. No deep snow, and plenty of open ground for the pheasants to get something to eat.”

The Pipestone area seemed to thread the needle on spring and early summer’s rains. “I think our first hatch did okay,” Wallin says. “We got some high water late in June, but the broods that had hatched may have been big enough to follow the hens up to some higher ground.”

“We are seeing second-hatch broods too,” he adds. “The weather got better for any hens that had to re-nest.”

“All in all, I think we will have bird numbers about like last season,” he says. And last season was pretty good. “I talk to a lot of folks, and more people think bird numbers are a little up, than down. Driving the backroads early and late in the day, people are seeing pheasants, and the young ones are of varying sizes.”

Additionally, summer’s rains seem to have helped the grasshopper population, and other insects. “There plenty of bugs for those young birds to eat,” says Wallin.

LYON COUNTY AREA

"Looks like here in Lyon County and surrounding areas in the southwestern corner of the state, the pheasant's population is looking pretty heathy,” reports Mark Peper, PF Farm Bill biologist out of Marshall.

“We will see what the DNR has with their roadside counts,” he commented before the report was out. “With the wet spring and summer, I am sure it had some negative impact on the nesting season” here. It did.

“Fortunately,” he interjects, “I have been seeing quite a few broods while driving around. The landowners that I have talked to say they have seen birds as well.”

“Crops are behind,” he says. Expect a lot of corn up, early on. Don’t feel bad if birds are tough to get. Come back later too. “The food plots might be utilized little later in the year than in the past,” says Peper. “All in all, this season is setting up to be another good year. We shall see."

SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA

“The habitat here in the southeastern portion of the state is slightly different than the rest of the state, and pheasant numbers aren't anywhere near the western half of Minnesota, so getting eyes on birds can be tricky,” says Zack Glaunert, PF Farm Bill Biologist based in Caledonia.

“However, I have been hearing and seeing a fair number of birds,” he says. “I suspect our warm winter, with the abundance of available food and cover, brought a good number of mature birds through to our very wet spring.”

“I hadn't/haven't seen a large number of broods this spring and summer,” Glaunert says, “so I fear predictions of numbers being down due to the amount of rainfall are accurate. I am in Houston county, so the topography helped move some of that water, but the further west you go into Fillmore and Mower county, there was A LOT of standing water in both ditches and fields.”

“I think the rain was both a blessing and a curse this year,” he says, “very hard on initial nesting but very much needed for habitat, and growing new habitat for birds. Coming off two years of drought and having the spring/summer we've had, newly planted habitat has exploded, which is a huge plus long-term.”

Southeast Minnesota pheasant hunters know the story. Pockets of habitat will have birds. CRP grasslands are more common the farther east you go into the Driftless, and the hillier it gets. Public ridgetops “farmed on top” can hold birds. There’s nothing like a rugged rooster from this rugged country!

LARK SAYS …

I told my little doggy Lark all this, and she just wagged her stumpy stub tail and, I suspect, was saying, “Big deal, let’s just go pheasant hunting!”

Tom “Carp” Carpenter and Lark team up to explore Minnesota’s fine public lands and pheasant country all season long.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Missouri

MISSOURI PHEASANT NUMBERS HOLD STEADY

By Ryan Sparks

Missouri’s 2024 pheasant numbers are expected to be consistent with last year, showing no significant increases or decreases. Missouri is not widely known for pheasant hunting. Rather, pheasants are typically considered a “bonus bird” encountered while quail hunting. However, for those wanting to specifically target pheasants the northern regions of the state offer opportunities, particularly for those willing to scout and work for their birds.

HABITAT CONDITIONS AND PHEASANT NUMBERS

Missouri pheasant numbers were slightly higher than the previous year in 2023, and also higher than the long-term average. 2024 is looking to be similar to 2023, with pheasant populations remaining stable to slightly up in the northern two to three tiers of counties, where the best pheasant habitat is found.

“Brooding and nesting conditions in northern Missouri, where our primary pheasant population is located, were pretty ideal this spring and summer,” says Beth Emmerich, research scientist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). “There were no periods of heavy rains and weather has been suitable for nesting.”

Josh Marshall, a Missouri Senior Farm Bill Biologist with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, agrees that habitat is looking healthy, and spring conditions were good for nesting and brooding.

“Our winter was relatively mild which should have helped survival,” he says. “There was also the 2024 cicada emergence. When there have been emergences like this in the past, bird numbers have boosted from the high-quality protein rich food that is easily available,” he adds.

Marshall also notes that recent habitat and conservation efforts are making a difference.

“We have plenty of nesting cover thanks to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Coupled with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and MDC programs, we are increasing native forbs for brood rearing through monarch and pollinator plantings,” he says. “Last year we funded over a million dollars dedicated to Working Lands for Wildlife bobwhite projects. These projects will benefit bobwhite quail and therefore benefit pheasants.” Healthy habitat means healthy bird numbers, and thanks to conservation projects like those mentioned by Marshall, Missouri pheasant numbers remain steady, if not slightly up in some areas.

“This summer, Missouri has experienced a notable increase in bird populations,” says Andrew White, Missouri State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, “and that includes pheasants.”

Those increased pockets of pheasants will be found north of I-70, in the northernmost counties, particularly those near Iowa where CRP or other grassland conservation efforts have taken place.

Anecdotal reports align with White’s hopeful forecast, as many landowners have reported seeing and hearing more pheasants on their properties this spring and summer. One landowner reported seeing pheasants in areas where he has not seen them in several years.

“With a normal summer behind us, no emergency haying in most of the state, and good to excellent crops for most of the north half of the state, I would say we should expect a higher-than-average number for the season,” adds Marshall. “Bird numbers have had the weather condition in their favor, and I think that will allow good successful hatches that lead into the season.”

ACCESS

Hunters should check the Missouri Department of Conservation’s interactive map showing conservation areas and Missouri Recreational Access Program sites (MRAP), where private land is leased for hunter access. Hunters also shouldn’t overlook Missouri’s Quail Restoration Landscapes (QRL), where habitat work on both public and private land has led to quail densities of up to a bird per acre. Pheasant and quail habitat often overlaps, and you will often find both birds in QRLs.

For current drought conditions the U.S Drought Monitor is an invaluable resource.

MISSOURI PHEASANT HUNTING TIPS

If you want to specifically target pheasants in Missouri, Marshall recommends scouting before a hunt.

“I like to go out to my hunting spot before sunrise and listen for coveys breaking the roost and roosters crowing in the morning,” he says. “That can help reduce the amount of travel and miles you put in looking for birds.”

Marshall also recommends using mapping software like onX Hunt to locate MDC public lands and MRAP ground. Still, he notes Missouri pheasants can be tough and that hunters should be prepared to cover a lot of ground.

“It can be tough, but it is worth it for a wild Missouri pheasant,” he concludes.

IF YOU GO

Missouri’s 2024 youth pheasant season is October 26–27. The regular pheasant season is November 1 to January 15, 2025. The bag limit is two roosters daily, with four in possession. A foot or fully feathered head must be left attached during transportation and storage. Missouri’s quail season matches its pheasant season dates.

Ryan Sparks is Editor of Quail Forever Journal.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Montana

MONTANA BIRDS WILL TAKE SOME WORK

By Jack Hutson

After multiple years of drought, Montana’s notoriously fickle weather has been generally pleasant to the prairie side of the state. Will Montana’s Big Sky be tickled by feathery wings and longtails? I contacted experts from the state’s three primary pheasant regions to find out.

REGION 4: NORTH-CENTRAL

“The winter in north-central Montana was relatively mild,” reports Matthew Strauch, the regional Game Bird Specialist of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MT FWP), centrally based out of Great Falls.

“Snow was slightly below average for most of the region, and what extreme cold events we did have were relatively short-lived,” he says. “As for the region’s pheasants and winter survival, pheasants likely weathered well due to the better conditions – cover and access to ample food resources.”

Moving into spring, Strauch notes a point of concern: “Much of the region received average rainfall for the spring months though there were a few cold spells in the Highwoods, Little Belts and Snowy Mountains that produced heavy wet snow in April and early May. These large weather events could have impacted nest survival in the foothills of these mountain ranges.”

Reporting from the region’s southeastern edge, Josh Hobbs, Coordinating Wildlife Biologist for Pheasants Forever, seems optimistic. Hobbs reports, “Winter was mild and we had a great spring with good moisture providing ample nesting cover locally.”

However, the summer conditions in far eastern portions of the region weren’t optimum. “Grasshoppers and heat, in late summer going into fall, have drastically reduced vegetation in many areas,” he says.

About regional summer perspective, Stauch notes, “Although we are still recovering from severe drought conditions in ‘21 & ‘22, in some areas, habitat conditions and brood numbers have improved.”

Hobbs and his Chesapeake Bay Retriever look forward to a good season of prairie birds. “But pheasants are still spotty and will be found mostly on private ground where permission can be an issue,” he concludes.

“Crow counts showed a 15% to 20% increase from last year and, in areas with quality habitat, the pheasants seem to be doing well,” declares Strauch. “I would anticipate hunters seeing similar bird numbers to that of last season.”

REGION 6: NORTHEAST

The northeastern corner of Montana seems to have been the least affected by bouts of drought in recent years. Things may be different this fall.

“There were periods of extreme cold, but they lasted no longer than usual, and snow depths remained low. Basically, conditions were dry across much of the region throughout the entire winter,” reports Kenneth Plourde, Regional Upland Bird Specialist for MT FWP.

Pheasant-finders know that it’s the spring nesting that predicts the fall season. Plourde’s take: “Early spring weather (March-April) was slightly warmer than usual and roughly average precipitation. May was wetter than average across the entire region, leading to good habitat conditions as nesting season began.”

The all-important nesting period during late May and June saw a divergence in precipitation, with the center and western portions of the region receiving above average precipitation while the very eastern edge of the state dried out and received below average rainfall.

“Overall, I believe it’s been a better year for birds than the last three,” reports Martin Townsend, Pheasants Forever biologist and a member of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance based near Malta. “Coming out of that drought we still aren’t ahead, but maybe caught up to average.”

“The region had a number of cooler than average nights during the peak hatching weeks in the middle of June. In some areas, especially the very northeastern corner of the state, these cold nights during peak hatch did impact chick survival, as witnessed by fewer chicks than normal being observed in that area,” reports Plourde.

“Yeah, spring stayed chilly,” Townsend agrees. “I’m seeing a few more pheasant broods. However, the chicks range in size from super little to larger ones. So, I think there was substantial second or later nesting attempts this spring and summer.”

Late summer, pheasant broods become increasingly mobile. Plourde notes, “Brood counts in the northeastern corner of the state showed good numbers of broods and adult pheasants, although a bit less than last year. More notable was that brood sizes seem to be below average.”

“Brood observations in the center and western portions of our region are back around average levels,” Plourde adds, “and for the first time in 4 years it is expected that pheasant populations will be at least average across the entire region.”

Based out of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s regional office, PF Farm Bill Biologist Stephanie Berry concurs: “So far, pheasant broods are looking good. Anecdotally, I've seen quite a few while driving throughout the county.”

Headed into fall, Berry believes pheasants are in good shape. Her prediction: “We had a few scattered rains which has meant a bit of a late summer green-up. This should bode well for the pheasants in keeping good cover on the ground for them as colder months approach.”

Plourde’s outlook: “Overall, for the first time in 6 years, pheasant hunters coming to northeastern Montana may find pheasant numbers closer to average across the entire region. While pheasant numbers in the northeast corner of our region remain higher than average, they have certainly declined from last year due to those cold nights in June.”

Last year there were many reports of over-crowding by upland bird hunters in some parts of this region. This season, pheasant hunters are encouraged to spread some wings and explore improving opportunities across the entire Northeast region.

Plourde advises, “The prime pheasant habitats that run across the center of our region. The Milk River Valley and adjacent mixed farmland-pasture habitats may have pheasant numbers equal to those further east this year.”

So to make your hunt more enjoyable, and perhaps more successful, it may be a good year to head west in Region 6.

REGION 7: SOUTHEAST

Justin Hughes, MT FWP’s Regional Game Bird Specialist based out of Miles City, shares his weather observations: “Winter in southeastern Montana was relatively mild with some periods of extreme cold and snow one week followed by rain and above freezing temperatures the next.”

Concerning pheasants, Hughes continues, “The cover over most of the region was good, the mild weather and good habitat suggests that pheasants entered spring in good condition.”

With winter survival not in question, what of the all-important spring nesting conditions?

“Spring across the southeastern part of the state started off dry, Hughes says, “but precipitation picked up through the month of May when hens may have begun to initiate early nesting activity.”

“Conditions varied across the region,” he adds. “Some areas didn’t receive the moisture that other areas did – some, perhaps too much. Overall, I’d say, conditions were favorable for nesting upland birds.”

Montana’s legendary weather flexed its muscles in the form of sporadic cells of severe weather over the course of June and July. These extreme weather events can have a localized effect on upland bird numbers.

Hughes sums up his report with this thought: “Overall, I would anticipate pheasant numbers to be on track with what folks saw in 2023. There is plenty of habitat across the region, which may have pheasants spread out on the landscape and have them holding in places we haven’t seen them in most years.”

GOOD TO KNOW

All experts warned that early conditions – warm with plenty of dry vegetation – call for prudent wildfire precautions:
*Have an extinguisher and a shovel available.
*To prevent wildfires, keep tire rubber on gravel and use boot leather to hunt for birds.

It is likely that dogs will be greeted by warm temperatures in the early season. Pack plenty of water, and know when to say “when.” To keep your dog moving, I strongly suggest packing rubber-soled dog boots due to prickly cactus spines and rocky footing in some regions.

Townsend observed an increase in rattlesnake sightings in the northwestern and central portion of Region 6. His warning: “We have had huge increases in ground squirrels, and I believe rattlesnakes have reacted in kind. I would avoid areas with high concentrations of squirrels and take appropriate rattlesnake precautions, perhaps vaccinations, for dogs.”

It is extremely important that hunters go out of their way to pick up rubbish and keep out of the way by parking away from structures and field access sites. Be courteous and thank landowners for the privilege to enjoy our sport.

PHEASANT SEASON DETAILS

Jack Hutson is a gun dog trainer, vagabond upland bird hunter and freelance outdoor writer.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Nebraska

CORNHUSKER PHEASANTS ON THE REBOUND

By Ryan Sparks

Nebraska’s 2024 pheasant hunting season is shaping up to be better than last year. Thanks to favorable weather conditions, habitat is looking good, and bird numbers are responding well. Here is what pheasant hunters can expect when they head into the field this season.

HABITAT CONDITIONS

Drought has plagued Nebraska pheasant hunters the last few years. Since 2021, a lack of rainfall has led to declining habitat conditions, especially in the central and western parts of the state. In turn, the pheasant population declined.

In 2023, moderate rainfall somewhat relieved drought conditions, but the rains came too late in the spring to make much of a difference for nesting and brooding. Although habitat conditions were better compared to previous years, emergency haying and grazing were authorized in many counties due to dry conditions early in the year. There were reports of hunters showing up to their hunting spots only to find them hayed or grazed.

The winter of 2023/2024 was relatively mild except for one frigid spell in January. And so far, 2024 has been a return to normal in terms of rainfall for much of the state.

“With adequate rainfall compared to previous years, our working lands and conservation projects in the whole state saw some superb broadleaf growth and a large uptick in insects,” says Robert van Lieshout, a Nebraska Farm Bill Biologist.

With healthy habitat and good nesting and brooding conditions, pheasants should be on the rebound in Nebraska in 2024.

PHEASANT NUMBERS

Nebraska’s pheasant population is analyzed based on annual rural mail carrier surveys conducted each July. Looking at the entire state, this year’s pheasant survey increased by 19%.

According to the Nebraska Upland Game Bird Hunting Outlook: “The Panhandle and Southwest pheasant management regions should support some of the higher pheasant densities this fall, with increases of 22% and 41% respectively compared to 2023. All other management regions also saw increases this year compared to 2023, except for the Northeast, which decreased 19% but was comparable to both the five- and 10-year averages.” Despite the upswing from 2023, it is important to note that pheasant numbers are still 30% below the 20-year average for Nebraska.

“While numbers are not fully recovered there should still be some good hunting out there,” says Ben Wheeler, a Coordinating Wildlife Biologist for Pheasants Forever. “There is some promise, and people should be able to get on some birds.”

Hunters looking for the highest concentrations of pheasants should look to Cheyenne, Box Butte and Morrill Counties in the Panhandle; Hitchcock, Gosper, and Harlan county in the Southwest; and Antelope, Cedar and Knox county in the Northeast.

“In regions that have received routine rainfall with quality habitat, anticipate seeing the same or more birds than in the previous year,” adds van Lieshout.

ACCESS

Nebraska is more than 97% privately owned, but still offers fantastic public hunting opportunities through its Open Fields and Waters Program, which provides public access to private lands. Nebraska currently has more than 350,000 acres enrolled in the Open Fields and Waters Program with an additional 30,000 acres expected by fall.

The most up-to-date information can be found in the Nebraska Public Access Atlas. Be sure to check the guide before heading into the field. Properties are added and removed each year so there is no guarantee that a productive hunting location from last year will be available in 2024. The onX Hunt app is a good resource for finding these lands too.

Nebraska’s Open Fields and Waters Program is funded through the purchase of a habitat stamp, federally matched funds, as well as by conservation groups like Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.

Nebraska also publishes a Stubble Guide, which shows fields of wheat stubble available for public access.

For current drought conditions the U.S Drought Monitor is an invaluable resource.

HUNTING TIPS

In many ways, hunting pheasants in Nebraska is like hunting pheasants anywhere else in their range – locate good habitat adjacent to a food source and you are in the game. Still, that is always easier said than done. Here are a few tips from Nebraska biologists to help you find roosters in the Cornhusker State.

Andrew Houser, Senior Coordinating Wildlife Biologist in southwest Nebraska stresses the importance of staying mobile.

“If you are striking out in one area of Nebraska, I would encourage you to drive an hour or two in a different direction,” Houser says. “Nebraska has an interesting annual rainfall amount ranging from 16 to 36 inches. A few extra inches in one area can make all the difference when it comes to habitat and nesting success.”

In northeastern Nebraska, Rob van Lieshout suggests waiting for the opening day crowds to fade … and checking the Husker football schedule before hitting the field.

“The opening weekend of pheasant and quail opener is practically a Nebraska holiday,” he says. “Likewise, the majority of Nebraskans are also passionate Husker football fans. You can often have your pick of prime public land when residents are cheering for the Huskers.”

Lastly, Ben Wheeler offers an excellent tip for scouting during drought conditions.

“Pay attention to where you find birds now,” he says. “It gives you a sense of good habitat and where birds will be when the going is tough. These are examples of habitat to look for. It shows you where to look for birds in future years as the drought hopefully continues to subside.”

IF YOU GO

Season Dates and Limits:

Nebraskan Ryan Sparks is Editor of Quail Forever Journal.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: North Dakota

COULD BE THE BEST PHEASANT SEASON IN A DECADE

By Tori J. McCormick

Most upland biologists are loathe to oversell the hunting prospects for any given year. But there’s no getting around the fact that North Dakota’s 2024 pheasant season could be the best in nearly a decade.

Numbers from North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual late-summer roadside pheasant brood counts show statewide numbers up 25 percent from last year — the second increase in as many years — with the best overall numbers found in northwest and southwest North Dakota.

“Based on the numbers, and thanks to a mild winter, it should be really good,” said R.J. Gross, upland game biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish, of the upcoming season. “We’re getting back into territory before the 2017 drought. Last year we had an uptick in participation and harvest, and I don’t see that trend changing all that much this year.”

For example, last year, 53,819 hunters (39,736 residents) harvested 319,287 roosters. Both numbers were increases from 2022, when 51,270 hunters harvested 286,000 birds.

“We’re probably looking at one of our better seasons in the last seven or eight years,” added Gross. “There’s plenty of cover out there right now. But we’ll see when the season opens. I won’t speculate about harvest.”

BY THE NUMBERS

In addition to total pheasants observed (94.5 per 100 miles) being up 25 percent from 2023, broods (11.6) per 100 miles are up 33 percent from last year. Meanwhile, the average brood size (5.5) is down 13 percent, a number that state officials said likely decreased in some areas because a wet, cold June impacted production.

The final summary is based on 274 survey runs conducted along 100 brood routes across the state.

*In the northwest, 20.8 broods and 164 pheasants per 100 miles were counted, which is up from 19.1 broods and 159 pheasants in 2023. Average brood size was 5.3 chicks.

*Southwestern North Dakota came in at 13.8 broods and 119 pheasants per 100 miles, up from 9.7 broods and 86.2 pheasants in 2023. Average brood size was six chicks.

*Results from the Southeast showed 7.9 broods and 57 pheasants per 100 miles, up from 5.9 broods and 53 pheasants in 2023. Average brood size was 4.6 chicks.

*The Northeastern part of the state, which has less quality upland nesting habitat and traditionally has lower pheasant densities, showed an increase with 4.3 broods and 37 pheasants per 100 miles, compared to two broods and 19 pheasants last year.

“I’m not surprised by the increase—it’s something I would have guessed, given how we got through the winter pretty much unscathed,” said Emily Spolyar, North Dakota state coordinator for Pheasants Forever. “I think production has been pretty good overall, too.”

FIELD REPORTS

Spolyar, who lives near Regent in southwest North Dakota, said weather drives annual fluctuations in pheasant populations, while weather and habitat combine to drive long-term trends.

Thanks to last winter’s noticeably warmer weather, with little snow accumulation across North Dakota’s pheasant range, she said pheasants entered the spring nesting season in good body condition. Ample spring rains improved habitat conditions and spiked insect production across much of the state, though rain and cold during parts of the June, state officials say, likely contributed to some lost nests and roughly average overall pheasant reproduction.

“We have a good carryover population of adult birds,” said Spolyar, echoing state officials, who also say a larger portion of adult birds in the population could make hunting more challenging this fall. “Overall, I’m pleased with what I’m seeing, and I’m looking forward to the opener.”

Jesse Hermanson, of Beulah, is excited about the season, too. Hermanson, 36, is vice president of the Knife River chapter of Pheasants Forever. He hunts private and public land in a 70-mile radius from his home.

“Habitat conditions are good right now,” he said. “It’s getting a little dryer now, of course, but we had good spring and summer rains that went through early July.”

As a result, Hermanson said pasture lands and ditches “are probably taller than I’ve ever seen them.” “Many areas haven’t even gotten hayed, which could make things interesting on the opener,” said Hermanson, laughing, adding he’s seeing broods of various ages throughout his hunting area. “There’s just a lot of cover out there, which is good for the birds. I’m hoping it’s a great season.”

Jim Martin of Dakota Pheasants Forever, a chapter in Bismarck, said he’s looking forward to the opener, regardless of how bird numbers look.

“I know things look good for this year, but I’m ALWAYS going to hunt no matter what,” said Martin. “On the opener, I like to go with friends and explore and see where the corn and sunflowers are for hunting later in the season.”

Added Martin: “Last year I thought the hunting was pretty spotty, but it sounds like it could be better this year. Let’s hope so.”

IF YOU GO

Jesse Kolar, upland game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish, said pheasant hunters in North Dakota have ample public land from which to choose.

There are state wildlife management areas (WMAs), federal waterfowl production areas (WPAs) and federally managed national grasslands in the western part of the state.

In addition, the state’s school trust lands, which are leased for livestock grazing, are good options. Those public lands are the so-called blue squares on the state’s PLOTS maps. PLOTS is the state’s Private land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) program for public walk-in hunting access. North Dakota will have 836,000 acres enrolled in PLOTS this year, a slight increase from 2023.

“Public land gets hit really hard, but there’s a lot of it,” Kolar said. “Birds that get pushed off will eventually come back when hunting pressure eases and when the weather turns cold.”

Kolar said he highly recommends scouting for pheasants. “Not enough hunters do it for upland game, but it pays off,” he said. If you’re hunting public land, target areas that have corn, sunflowers and other crops nearby. Then keep on eye when those fields get harvested. That’s when you want to hunt. But it takes some work.”

Other Upland Opportunities
According to state roadside counts, sharp-tailed grouse numbers were down 20% statewide (23 sharptail per 100 miles), but remain above the 10-year average. Partridge numbers were down 20% percent too, but remain at high densities (29 birds per 100 miles). Both seasons opened September 14 and run through January 5, 2025.

Pheasant Season Dates
October 12* – January 5, 2025.
*Note rule that nonresidents cannot hunt state wildlife management areas, or PLOTS land, for the first week of pheasant season.

Licenses
Nonresident Small Game License (must choose between a 14-consecutive-day or two 7-consectutive-day license periods and may purchase more than one license per year)—$100.
Nonresident Small Game License under age 16 (same period choice as above)—$10.
Resident Small Game License—$10.
The above prices do not include the General Game and Habitat License, which is required—$20.

Daily Bag and Possession Limits
3 pheasants daily bag limit / 12 in possession.

Shooting Hours
30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

PLOTS Guide
https://gf.nd.gov/plots/guide

More Pheasant Hunting Information
https://gf.nd.gov/hunting/pheasant

Freelance writer Tori McCormick has been reporting and writing on the great outdoors for many a year.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Ohio

BUCKEYE STATE HABITAT AND UPLAND BIRDS TRENDING GOOD

By Andy Fondrick

After a few years of friendly weather conditions, there should be some great opportunities to test the healthy cover and chase upland birds in The Buckeye State this fall. Some early indications point toward upland habitat, and bird populations, trending in the right direction.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

For the last couple of years, Mother Nature has dealt upland birds a fairly friendly hand when it comes to winter survival, nesting and brood-rearing conditions. The last 12 months have been no different.

“Most of the pheasant and quail range in Ohio experienced a relatively mild winter during the winter of 2023-24,” says Joseph Lautenbach, wildlife biologist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). “As a result, both the pheasant and quail populations likely experienced above average over-winter survival.”

The mild winter weather was followed by warmer, and drier, conditions making for a nice set of ingredients for pheasants to not only survive, but in some cases thrive.

“Because much of the available upland habitat in Ohio is adjacent to floodplains, drier than average weather can yield conditions conducive for good nest and brood-rearing,” Lautenbach explains.

HABITAT, BROODS AND COUNTS

According to Lautenbach, the amount of upland habitat available to pheasants has remained relatively stable from 2023 to 2024. “Most of the CRP looks to be in excellent condition,” he says. “Staff have done an excellent job maintaining upland habitat on Ohio’s public wildlife areas.”

Lautenbach goes on to say that there have been some anecdotal reports from staff reporting signs of a decent hatch.

“Ohio completes a spring crow counts for pheasants and whistle counts for quail each spring,” he says. “Results from the 2024 survey indicate that Ohio’s pheasant population remained stable to slightly increasing from 2023. Similarly, preliminary results from the whistle count indicate that Ohio’s quail population is stable compared to 2023.”

After a few years of holding on, it looks like Ohio’s wild pheasants may have finally found an opportunity to regain some of their numbers, even if only slightly.

TOP SPOTS

Lautenbach offered a few key areas to target if you’re looking to chase birds in Ohio this fall.

“Visiting Deer Creek Wildlife Area and nearby Wildlife Production Areas in south-central Ohio (in Madison, Pickaway, Ross and Fayette counties) can be very productive,” he said. “Deer Creek Wildlife Area is managed with crops and grassland interspersed throughout the area, creating excellent pheasant habitat. Hunters can easily visit a few Wildlife Production Areas in a day with a number of them in close proximity and can be very productive, especially after crops are harvested on adjacent private lands.”

He went on to add that many private lands in this region are associated with Scioto River CREP and can be very productive. Lautenbach reminds hunters to obtain written permission before hunting these areas.

Lautenbach also suggests Big Island Wildlife Area (Marion County) and surrounding private lands are popular for many of Ohio’s wild pheasant hunters. “Big Island Wildlife Area provides large blocks of grassland habitat,” he said. “Pheasants may be readily found on many fields of the wildlife area. Many surrounding landowners are enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), providing excellent private land opportunity as well.”

Lake La Su An Wildlife Area (Williams County) and surrounding private lands with suitable cover in Fulton, Williams and Defiance counties are also popular destinations for pheasant hunters in Ohio. The wildlife area provides a mix of cropland and large grasslands and is interspersed with forest and wetlands. Lautenbach mentioned that CRP grasslands on private lands can provide excellent opportunities in this corner of the state.

Visit the Ohio Division of Wildlife website to find public land hunting opportunities and check out walk-in access opportunities through ODNR's OLHAP program.

INSIDER TIPS

Lautenbach offers up the following tips to raise your chances of success while hunting pheasant in The Buckeye State this fall.

“If hunters prefer to hunt public lands, going during the week often results in fewer hunters and can improve the quality of the hunt,” he suggests. “With a little bit of effort, folks can find some of the less visited portions of the wildlife areas, even during the busy weekends.”

“​Another strategy to avoid crowds,” he adds, “would be securing permission to hunt on private lands with CRP or the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in central Ohio. While there are excellent opportunities on our Wildlife Areas and Wildlife Production Areas, the private lands typically get a lot less pressure. Again, remember that hunters should make sure that they have written permission on private lands.”

SEASON DETAILS

Pheasant season in Ohio runs from November 1, 202, to January 12, 2025. As a reminder, the small game season, including pheasants, no longer closes during the deer gun season (Dec. 2–Dec. 8); however, all hunters must where orange during that timeframe.

Ohio DNR, Division of Wildlife has a relatively new private lands access program. This program provides additional access to pheasant hunting opportunities. More information on the Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership is available on the Ohio DNR website.

Andy Fondrick is Digital Marketing Coordinator at Pheasants Forever, and looking forward to a first season in the uplands with his new GSP pup, Willa.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA PHEASANT HUNT PROSPECTS BREAKING GOOD

By Tori J. McCormick

Oklahoma might be on the southern fringe of the U.S. pheasant range, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t the potential for some quality ringneck hunting.

The good news is that the 2024-2025 forecast is shaping up to be a good one.

“We’re never going to be the Dakotas or Minnesota, but we do have a respectable number of ringnecks in the state and this year we’re sitting on a good season,” said Tell Judkins, upland game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “We had a mild winter, which was good for the birds, and timely spring rains, which improved habitat.”

One of the primary limiting factors for pheasants and pheasant habitat in Oklahoma is drought. Two years ago, 97 percent of the state was in severe drought or worse. During such periods, pheasant numbers often dip. “Drought impacts the whole system when it comes to pheasants in Oklahoma,” Judkins said.

But weather and habitat conditions have improved incrementally over the last two years.

Judkins said the state’s pheasant range in the northern tier of the state, which includes the Panhandle, received above-average rainfall this spring, thanks to an El Nino weather pattern. The extra moisture improved habitat conditions and was the catalyst, he said, for robust spring reproduction. As a result, the agency’s spring and summer counts improved.

According to Judkins, spring crow counts for pheasants in the state’s traditional survey area were up from last year, from 2.33 crows-per-point to 5.1. That 5.1 number is, he said, slightly below the long-term average.

Statewide, crow counts were up from 1.33 last year to 3.05 this year.

In addition, Judkins said the agency’s summer roadside brood count survey improved from last year. The annual survey measured .05 broods per route this year compared to .015 last year.

“The bottom line is that if you hunt Oklahoma this year, you can expect to encounter roughly double the pheasants you did last year,” he said. “Rain makes weeds, weeds make birds, and birds make my bird dogs frisky.”

Pheasant hunting in Oklahoma is limited to several counties in the northern tier of the state. They include Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Garfield, Grant, Harper, Kay, Major, Noble, Osage, Texas, Woods and Woodward, as well as portions of Blaine, Dewey, Ellis, Kingfisher and Logan counties north of the State Highway 51.

Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Grant and Texas counties traditionally have the highest densities of pheasants, he said. “But other counties will have pockets of birds, too.”

Tanner Swank, 28, of Woodward, in northwest Oklahoma, is the national grasslands biome coordinator for Pheasants Forever. An avid bird hunter who has a deep love of grasslands and grasslands preservation, said his field observations make him optimistic for the upcoming season.

"Spring production for both pheasant and quail were very favorable, and hunters should expect to find more success than prior seasons within traditional pheasant range of our state,” said Swank.

Swank said a “relatively mild winter” provided a “decent crop of birds rolling into nesting” season. The spring was temperate “with plenty of spring and summer moisture.” There were very few long, sustained heat waves to “reduce or shutdown nesting attempts.”

“Birds have pretty much had all spring and summer to continually attempt a successful brood, as evidenced by seeing multiple age classes of broods all summer long,” said Swank.

Swank said several variables have to come together to have a “good crop of birds every year” in Oklahoma. But when a few variables go wrong, he said, “successful recruitment is dramatically hindered.”

"But the stars seem to have aligned this year, so it should be a fun season,” he said. “I’m excited.”

Swank, who regularly hunts pheasants and quail in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, said uplanders scouting for potential spots to hunt should concentrate their effort near grassland habitat — which can vary from tallgrass prairie to shortgrass prairie to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres—that has an “ag component” next door or nearby.

“Corn, milo, wheat or other crops or even the weedy cover of failed crops are all good,” said Swank, adding that “everywhere you find pheasants in Oklahoma, you’re likely going to find quail, too. Having that food component near weedy ditches, CRP corners or other habitat is the best way to find birds.”

Laura McIver, Pheasants Forever’s regional field representative for Oklahoma and southern Kansas, said that while public land is limited in Oklahoma’s pheasant range, there’s still plenty to have a quality hunt. She recommends hunting during the week to escape weekend hunting pressure.

“You can also try your luck getting on private land,” said McIver. “It isn’t always easy…and some of the best ground is spoken for, but it certainly isn’t impossible to get permission. All you can do is ask.” The best old trick to getting access is not bothering to ask until after deer season.

Hunters can search available public lands on the state’s Where to Hunt page .

Discover more about Oklahoma upland hunting on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Pheasant Page and Quail Page.

To read a comprehensive analysis of state pheasant numbers, Judkins’ 2024 season outlook will be available on the agency’s website (go to the Pheasant Page) at the end of October.

Oklahoma’s pheasant season runs from Dec. 1-Jan. 31, 2025. The daily bag limit is two roosters. The possession limit is four birds. Shooting hours are from sunrise to sunset.

Freelance writer Tori McCormick has been reporting and writing on the great outdoors for many a year.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Oregon

OREGON ROOSTERS IN DECENT SHAPE DESPITE SUMMER FIRES

By Casey Sill

Like much of the country, Oregon’s pheasant range has struggled with drought for the last several years. However, a good winter and spring in 2023-24 reversed some of that damage, and things are looking fair across Oregon as fall approaches.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

Winter was close to ideal this year for Oregon pheasants, with plentiful rain and negligible cold, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s upland game bird coordinator Mikal Cline.

“We had a nice winter,” she said. “Plenty of precipitation and not too much bitter cold. So I’m expecting that over-winter survival was quite good.”

Moderate conditions continued into spring, which came early across much of the range and provided plenty of moisture. This led to an excellent situation for pheasants, as well as Oregon’s other wildlife.

“It’s not just birds either,” Cline said. “Mule deer finally had a good year of production as well. It’s just amazing what adding a little bit of water on that dry old landscape will do, and the wildlife seems to be taking advantage of it.”

HABITAT AND BROOD-REARING

The wet winter and spring meant habitat was booming as brood rearing began, but conditions shifted a bit as summer approached.

“There’s so much cover out there, but the flip side is we got really hot this summer,” Cline said. “We had a spell of over 100 degrees. All that forage dried up and was very fire susceptible.”

The dry, hot weather led to a number of serious fires across Oregon, from the foothills of the Blue Mountains in the far Northeast to the Cascades further west. These fires typically impact other species more significantly than pheasants, but it is something to be aware of, particularly in southeastern Oregon.

“We will have impacts to birds in Malheur County. I don’t know specifically what species, but I would guess quail, areas of sage grouse and possibly pheasants as well,” said Alexander Dohman, a rangeland biologist with the Harney County Soil and Water Conservation District in Burns, Oregon. “I don’t know the exact number, but there was probably more than 400,000 acres that burned in the northern part of that county. So far that’s really our only big area that’s been hit. We’ve had other forested areas hit, but for our rangelands and our upland bird populations, northern Malheur County is the main area to pay attention to.”

TOP SPOTS

Eastern and central Oregon are the go-to pheasant areas of the state, while the western side is much more conducive to mountain quail and grouse species. The Columbia Basin is traditionally seen as one of the top rooster destinations, and that will remain true again this year.

“All the way from The Dalles to La Grande,” Cline said. “The Columbia Basin is the heart of our pheasant population.”

Areas to the southeast, near Dohman’s home base of Harney County, have also been seeing some good production this year.

“As I was out and about this spring I was seeing a good male to female ratio,” Dohman said of ring-necked pheasants. “The birds are definitely hitting riparian areas that are still holding water – spring-fed creeks and habitat like that.”

Regardless of your exact location, Oregon is not typically seen as a destination state for pheasants. Much of the upland hunting across the state focuses more on quail, chukar and grouse. But while Oregon roosters may be more sporadic than in other western states like Montana, birds can still be found if you know where to look.

“You’re not just going to wander off and find birds. They’re going to be concentrated in areas around water,” Dohman said. “Oregon is not really a pheasant stronghold, but if you know good areas, especially here in the East, you can definitely get into birds and be filling limits.”

IF YOU GO

The Oregon pheasant season runs from October 14 to December 31, with a bag limit of 2 roosters per day. For more pheasant and upland game bird regulations, visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Upland Gamebirds Page.

Casey Sill is Senior Public Relations Specialist for Pheasants Forever.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: South Dakota

HOPE RUNS HIGH, DON’T MISS OUT

By Andrew Johnson

October can’t get here fast enough.

After years of drought and severe winter weather dominating the headlines, the stars finally aligned and reports from across the state are that prime habitat conditions have produced a bumper crop of birds this spring.

“It’s looking like it will be the best fall in a long time,” says Matt Gottlob, Pheasants Forever’s state coordinator in South Dakota. “Pheasant harvest totals from last year were above the 2022-2023 season, and most of the people I talk to in the state are saying bird numbers are as good as they can remember. And that’s not just pheasants. They’re seeing sharptails, chickens and even lots of partridge in places. It’s going to be a heckuva fall for birds.”

What has Gottlob even more excited are two additional public land opportunities that await hunters this year:

*Now in its second year, the Big Sioux Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is helping establish public acres of grassland habitat in 18 counties in eastern South Dakota.

*Plus, last September Pheasants Forever kicked off the Public Access to Habitat (PATH) program, which aims to enroll lands in long-term conservation programs while bolstering participation in GFP’s Walk-In Area (WIA) program.

“We set out with a goal of enrolling 10,000 acres in the first year of the PATH program, and to date, we’re over 16,000 new acres open to public access across the state,” Gottlob reports. “We see and recognize that access is the No. 1 factor limiting hunter opportunity, so that’s why Pheasants Forever and SDGFP got together — to provide habitat and access.”

REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS

According to Pheasants Forever Farm Bill biologists and other sources who helped with this report, winter conditions had no impact on bird populations this year. Even better, spring nesting conditions were above average across the primary pheasant range, unless otherwise noted in the reports below.

With those two positive factors in mind, let’s take our annual tour around South Dakota’s pheasant country.

ABERDEEN AREA (Brown, Edmonds, Day and McPherson Counties)

“For the second year in a row, we had nice, cool weather this spring with no excess rain or hail, and our summer has been mild all year long with just a few days of excessive heat,” says Casey Weismantel, executive director at the Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It was nothing we couldn’t handle, though, and boy did the habitat and birds respond!”

Cody Rolfes, PF’s Senior Farm Bill Biologist in the region, says that timely rains spurred on healthy habitat conditions and bug production — two factors that often correlate to strong bird production.

“I have heard and seen good things as far as broods this year,” Rolfes reports. “Also, the number and size of broods seem to be good.”

Weismantel also oversees HuntFishSd.com, the digital outdoor arm of the Aberdeen CVB, and he’s hearing consistent reports of 10-14 chicks per brood from the landowners, guides and outfitters he talks to on a daily basis.

“We also hear from local UPS, FedEx and mail carriers, who say they’ve seen really good numbers this year as they make deliveries on rural routes,” Weismantel adds.

Rolfes says timely rains continued throughout the summer, and that the region never entered drought conditions. As a result, he says no CRP or CREP areas were hayed aside from normal mid-contract management.

That’s a key factor, considering the local Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition has added more than 4,000 acres of CRP designed for nesting habitat that’s also open to public hunting access. “If the land does not meet the criteria of producing optimum nesting conditions, it’s not enrolled into the program,” Weismantel says. “And that ground, along with all the other public access we have available, looks really good heading into fall.”

Thanks to strong bird production and favorable habitat conditions, Weismantel believes hunters coming to northeastern South Dakota will have some of the best hunting they’ve had in the past 6 to 8 years.

“The weather cooperated, the brood numbers are strong, the conditions are there and the public access is available,” he says. “The only thing missing this year is the hunter that has taken the last few years off. If they miss this year, they are really going to miss out!”

REDFIELD AREA (Spink County)

Nesting and brood-rearing conditions in Spink County were very good, says Sam Fryman, a Farm Bill biologist from Redfield.

“We had consistent rains and no major flooding events, and the pheasant hatch was very good,” he says. “I’ve seen and heard plenty of reports that people are seeing lots of broods — and lots of big broods.”

The consistent weather lasted all summer, so Fryman says that habitat conditions are very good heading into fall … and that no CRP acres were touched for hay.

“Hunters should see plenty of birds this fall,” he reports. “Put in the time and effort, and limits should be attainable if you shoot straight.”

MOBRIDGE AREA (Campbell, Edmunds and Walworth Counties)

Senior Farm Bill Biologist Tom Zinter says that spring nesting conditions were very good in the north-central part of the state.

“Coming off of an abnormally mild and open winter, I was concerned it could be easy for us to get behind on moisture,” he says. “Spring rains came through for us though, and that led to great growth of our cool-season grasses to make prime nesting conditions.”

Zinter says brood-rearing conditions were also very good, because as soon as it seemed the area was on verge of drying out, rainshowers would roll through.

“Leading into last fall we had stacked two positive nesting seasons in a row, leading to good chances for hunters to come across birds. And this year, from what I’ve seen and from talking with a lot of landowners that have habitat on their property, it looks like a third good hatch in a row in this area,” he believes. “I have seen a lot of broods this year, with good-sized broods from first nesters being a majority of them.”

A severe storm with strong winds, hail and a few tornadoes went through the area along the North Dakota border at the end of August that did cause some significant crop damage, but overall Zinter says he is very comfortable with where conditions are sitting for this time of the year.

“We should get another push of cool-season grasses here this fall with the way conditions have been,” he concludes. “There wasn’t any authorization of emergency haying in this area, and public opportunities are looking pretty good, as well. In fact, we have recently added a few new Walk-in Areas through the PATH program, all with great undisturbed habitat across them.”

PIERRE AREA (Hughes, Stanley, Sully and Lyman Counties)

“There's an old adage that says great wheat fields produce great pheasant populations. In this area, pheasants rely heavily on wheat crops for nesting habitat, and this year central South Dakota saw record-breaking yields with wheat,” reports Robert Hettinger, a pheasant hunter and agronomist from Pierre who works with producers in Hughes, Sully and Lyman counties.

“Brood survival rates have appeared to be very good,” he continues. “With exceptional vegetation around the area, insect and grain availability have provided plenty of food for the young birds. I have heard a few different farmers say that pheasant numbers are better than they've seen in a long time. One thing we've noticed this year is a secondary hatch that seemed to occur around late June and early July. These chicks have had favorable conditions throughout the spring and summer months.”

Hunter Bridges is PF’s Farm Bill biologist for this region, and he admits he’s been surprised at how many broods he’s seeing.

“I hunted pheasants in Hughes County last season and did very well,” he reports. “With the warm spring and above-average moisture this summer, we should have even better numbers this year, and for what it’s worth, I’ve been very impressed with all the broods I’ve seen this summer.”

In summary, Hettinger believes hunters should expect great hunting opportunities this fall. “Growing conditions continue to be favorable, both for row crops and CRP acres,” Hettinger contends. “The exceptional growth the vegetation in our area has been experiencing will provide great late-season cover for survival as well as hunting opportunities this fall, as well as late-season cover for survival.”

There have been no reports of emergency haying or grazing practices in the area, and Hettinger says hunters should know that there were a substantial number of public hunting areas, primarily Walk-in Areas, added along the west side of the Missouri River.

“I would encourage hunters that are pursuing public land and might not be familiar with the area to download the GoOutdoorsSD app on their phone,” Hettinger advises. “This app allows you to access virtual maps to help navigate the public land opportunities that exist, as well as all current regulations hunters need to follow.”

WINNER AREA (Gregory, Lyman and Tripp Counties)

“Spring was pretty wet in the area, but then we did dry up and the nesting cover looked great,” reports Trent Walrod, a PF Farm Bill biologist based out of Kennebec.

“I believe the spring moisture drowned out a few nests, but I also believe there was plenty of renesting throughout the spring and into summer, as I have seen a lot of large chicks already changing colors and some that are still quite small,” he says. “Also, Lyman County had quite a bit of winter wheat planted, and wheat harvest was later than usual this year, which I believe helped with the nesting success in the area.”

Walrod also says brood-rearing conditions were great this year, with good habitat conditions and plenty of bugs and grasshoppers to sustain the birds.

“I’m pretty optimistic and think hunters can expect another great fall in the area,” Walrod states. “The mornings when I have been able to drive around looking for birds, I have seen quite a few, usually with big broods. We didn’t have any emergency haying, and things look great going into fall.”

CHAMBERLAIN AREA (Brule, Buffalo and Aurora Counties)

“Spring nesting conditions in my area were very good,” reports Kendall Hettick, a PF Farm Bill biologist based out of Chamberlain. “A very large rain event in some of my area forced some renesting, but good cover was plentiful, allowing birds to have a successful hatch.”

Several timely rain showers kept things green and blooming, Hettick says, and the region was able to avoid long hot spells that usually come midsummer.

“The pheasant hatch is looking good this year, and I’ve seen a lot of broods along gravel roads while in the field — even into late morning and afternoon when most birds have moved back to cover,” Hettick says. “Talking to producers in the area has me optimistic, as most have said they are seeing a lot of birds while in the field, as well.”

Hettick says habitat conditions are looking good going into the fall hunting seasons, and that the area was able to avoid emergency haying, which took some pressure off of areas that often get cut during dry years.

“I think hunters can expect to find plenty of birds this fall,” Hettick says. “But there is a lot of habitat out there for birds to spread out in, so be ready to do some walking. Use the late season to revisit areas that were hunted hard early. Oftentimes pressure dies down after the first few weeks of the season when birds are given a chance to settle back down, especially after the temperatures drop and snow falls.”

MITCHELL AREA (Davison, Douglas, Hanson and McCook Counties)

Excessive rainfall events this spring likely impacted pheasants during the nesting season and peak hatch, says Sydney Settles, a PF Farm Bill biologist based out of Mitchell.

“June brought rain that wouldn’t quit, which naturally would have driven pheasants out of any lowland areas that were flooded,” she says. “As a result, nesting sites and brood-rearing conditions were altered accordingly.”

From a personal standpoint, I hunt public lands in this area quite a bit and have a vested interest in how the pheasant population fares each year. And while spring rains definitely had an impact on initial pheasant production in isolated, low-lying areas, I’ve seen decent numbers of broods of varying sizes on scouting trips I’ve taken in the Salem and Mitchell areas. A few landowner friends of mine have also confirmed they’re seeing decent numbers, despite the wet conditions this spring.

Even better, there are no emergency declarations in this region, so the Walk-in and CREP areas dotting these counties are in prime condition heading into fall. Taking all factors into consideration, I expect this fall to be very similar to last year — just with a lot more cover on the ground. With that in mind, I would add that hunters should be prepared for heavy, thick cover and damp conditions. So, bring your muck boots, and if you and your dog aren’t in shape to handle the thick stuff, chances are you could have a short-lived hunt.

WOONSOCKET and HOWARD AREA (Jerauld, Kingsbury, Miner and Sanborn Counties)

Justin Enfield, a PF Farm Bill biologist based out of Woonsocket, admits numbers aren’t back to the population levels of the ‘90s, but he says the last two years have been the best for bird production in recent memory.

“I was worried that the heavy rains in much of my area were going to have a negative impact on nesting and early broods, but from what I’ve seen, it hasn’t had much of an impact on the hatch,” says Enfield, who grew up in the region he now serves. “In my area, CREP has really increased in new acres, and very little haying and grazing has taken place. So, in my coverage area, you are going to have as many public acres of opportunity as you have seen in a while, if not ever. With the wet weather we had early on, crops may be slower to come out of the field than the last couple years, but hunting will still be awesome.”

HURON AREA (Beadle and Jerauld Counties)

“Our area did receive some heavy rain, but with the good nesting conditions, the hatch appears to have come out in good shape,” reports Darwin Weeldreyer, a landowner and habitat manager who grew up in Wessington Springs.

Weeldreyer says brood sightings, with good-sized broods, have been common this summer, and that local coffee talk is positive with many saying they are seeing a good number of pheasants.

“Going into fall, the habitat looks really good,” he says. “There are the usual patches of CRP that have been managed per the contract requirements, but there was no emergency haying because of drought. The public hunting areas also look good, and hunters should expect to see a good number of birds.”

Weeldreyer says he anticipates the crop harvest might get pushed back a bit, thanks to fog and cool spells the region experienced in late August and early September.

“It is possible that there will be plenty of standing crops when the pheasant season opens, unless we see a continued warm spell which would help mature the crops,” he adds. “Also, people should be aware that sloughs and low areas may have standing water. For hunters traveling to South Dakota, if you don't have the onX Hunt app, I would encourage you to purchase the app and do your homework in advance. Also, if you are planning a trip to a specific area, reach out to the visitor's bureau in the area for current conditions and information.”

MILLER AREA (Faulk, Hand and Hyde Counties)

“Spring weather was extremely conducive to a successful pheasant hatch this late spring and early summer,” reports Michael Hagan, a PF Farm Bill biologist based in Miller. “There were some heavy rains in the late spring that could have affected some of the hatches, but I have seen plenty of large broods this summer. Overall, you couldn't have asked for better spring conditions here.”

Hagan said the relatively cool temperatures and abundance of rain in the southern part of Hand and Hyde counties have kept a lot of grass stands in fantastic condition, providing tons of cover for young birds.

“I believe we’ve had another successful hatch in this area,” he says. “You can hear plenty of birds when walking through fields, and I have seen multiple large broods. Last year a lot of CRP was cut due to the drought conditions we were experiencing in the late summer. Most of the CRP was cut down. This year is the exact opposite, and I would tell hunters to expect a solid year of pheasant hunting in my three counties. I wouldn't say it will be an exceptional year where there are birds everywhere, but I will say if you spend the time out here this fall, there will be plenty of wild birds to chase.”

WATERTOWN AREA (Codington, Deuel and Hamlin Counties)

“Spring nesting conditions were fair to good. Some areas really got hit with some heavy rains this spring, but most of those events seemed to be more localized. In general, we did have a wet spring, and that may have had an impact on birds in certain areas,” reports Joe Mayrose, PF Farm Bill biologist from Watertown.

Brooding conditions improved as the summer progressed, and as he spent time in the field, Mayrose says he noticed plenty of insects that would provide ample food for hatching chicks.

“I have heard mixed reports of broods — some good and some not so great,” he says. “But there is plenty of great habitat out there. From what I have seen, brood sizes have ranged from 4-6 chicks, while I have also spotted some broods upwards of 8-10 chicks. In general, I would say the hatch was fairly good and hunters should expect a great fall with plenty of habitat to cover.”

BROOKINGS AREA (Brookings, Lake and Moody Counties)

“Spring was fairly wet, but pheasants were able to renest in the uplands and have success,” says Cole Neibauer, a PF Farm Bill biologist reporting from Flandreau. “Brood-rearing conditions were dry but favored good cover growth.”

Neibauer says he has seen a good number of broods while doing CRP status reviews, and that landowners are reporting the same thing.

“Only a handful of haying plans came in this year, and public areas are also looking good,” he says. “I would expect similar results to last year.”

SOUTHEAST CORNER (Clay, Lincoln, Turner and Union Counties)

Nick Goehring, Senior Farm Bill Biologist based in Elk Point, says the far southeastern corner of the state had numerous spring rainfall events, one of which caused major flooding shortly after peak hatch.

Goehring says in June there was a lot of water moving through the Vermillion River and Big Sioux River watersheds. As a result, many crop fields were lost, and permanent habitat that sat under water for weeks was still looking pretty for most of the summer.

“There's a large portion of floodplain CRP and buffer strips that fall along the river corridors,” Goehring says. “Higher elevations that weren't under water for extended periods shouldn't have been impacted as severely. I anticipate areas that were not impacted by the flooding to be pretty good, however.”

Goehring says so far that brood reports have been mixed, and areas that weren't impacted by flooding are seeing broods.

“We’ve had no emergency haying down in this corner of the state, and we've been working hard to incorporate new hunting areas through CREP/WIA for the public to enjoy within the Big Sioux CREP program,” he adds.

IF YOU GO

South Dakota has a youth-only season that runs September 28 to October 6.

A resident-only season that opens October 12 and closes October 14.

During youth season, hunters can hunt on public and private lands, while public lands are the only areas open during the resident-only season.

Those two seasons are followed by South Dakota’s traditional pheasant season, which is open from October 19 to January 31, 2025.

Regardless of season, shooting hours are from 10 a.m. to sunset, and Central Time is used for opening shooting hours statewide.

The daily limit in the regular season is 3 rooster pheasants, with a possession limit of 15.

Andrew Johnson is a key correspondent for Pheasants Forever in South Dakota.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Texas

DROUGHT KEEPS A DAMPER ON TEXAS ROOSTERS

By Casey Sill

Texas has historically offered opportunities to hunt wild roosters alongside the state’s more highly sought after quail species. That opportunity still exists in 2024, but as key portions of Texas move into their eighth year of drought, prospects for fall roosters are dwindling. Other weather anomalies also played a factor in Texas this year, according to Pheasants Forever Texas state coordinator Thomas Janke.

“We’ve had our fair share of weather and environmental extremes here in Texas this year — including wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, drought, tornadoes and hail,” Janke said. “So conditions really vary depending on what part of the state you’re talking about.”

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

In the short-term, winter conditions were quite good for Texas pheasants, according to John McLaughlin, the upland game bird program leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“Overall we had mild winter conditions, with warmer than average temperatures, slightly above average rainfall and below average snowfall in most areas,” he said. “Only a mid-January cold snap put any pressure on birds.”

Massive winter wildfires kicked off across north Texas in February, eventually burning over a million acres and causing untold damage to property, livestock and habitat. However, much of that fire missed the state’s core pheasant range according to McLaughlin, and likely did not have much impact on birds.

Following the fires, spring and summer weather was again a net positive across much of the state — with ample rainfall and cool temperatures. Birds were likely well-positioned to take advantage of these conditions, but two good seasons don’t make up for long-term trends.

“Extended and varied drought conditions since 2017 have left pheasant populations in Texas at probably one of their lowest points in recent memory,” McLaughlin said. “This is related to a degradation of habitat conditions.”

HABITAT AND BROOD-REARING

With habitat in its current condition, it’s tough to imagine a very successful spring for hens according to McLaughlin, even with decent weather.

“We do not have estimates, but brood sightings were far and few,” he said. “Conditions were good this year and rangeland/grassland recovery is underway, but that does not negate the drought conditions that persisted over the past few years. Those conditions led to a lack of quality nesting cover and a decrease in overall population numbers, leaving fewer hens to nest this year.”

In addition to drought, the loss of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres is also impacting Texas pheasants. Bad news seems stacked against the birds this year. But McLaughlin said if the state has a good winter in 2024-25, birds could start to make a small recovery.

“Much like other states, we are losing CRP acres faster than they can be replaced, a net negative for our birds,” he said. “That said, last year we gained habitat, and this year we’re gaining ground. And while a brutal heatwave is ongoing, we expect residual cover to give birds a head-start next year — if the winter allows.”

TOP SPOTS

The northern panhandle is typically the stronghold for pheasants in Texas. Counties like Dallam and Sherman generally produce decent bird numbers, and the northern and western border counties also see good production. While those historical norms remain true this year, that doesn’t mean opportunities will be widespread given the current state of habitat.

“Prospects for the fall hunt are looking poor,” McLaughlin said. “It’ll likely be restricted to core areas in the northern Panhandle and High Plains counties bordering New Mexico. Other hotspots may be out there, but they will need to be sought out.”

IF YOU GO

The general season for pheasants in Texas runs from December 7, 2024 to January 5, 2025. However, only 37 of the state’s 254 counties have a season. Local regulations for each county can be found here. The daily limit is 3 cocks, the possession limit is 9.

Casey Sill is Senior Public Relations Specialist for Pheasants Forever.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Utah

IMPROVING RINGNECK NUMBERS FOR THE BEEHIVE STATE

By Josh Tatman

It will be a good year to explore pheasant habitat in Utah. Opportunities won't be equal everywhere, but in 2024, you'll only be limited by habitat quality and access.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

Like other states, wild pheasant hunting in Utah is largely defined by weather trends. In 2023, populations came back well after surviving a record-breaking winter. Last winter wasn't record breaking, but it was respectable. Average to better snowfall brought a good spring green-up. Weather was relatively mild during this year’s hatch and early brood-rearing season.

Even though June and July were warm with below-average precipitation, the soil bank retained good moisture through the summer. In addition, last winter's snows helped irrigated land stay green well into the summer heat. Even though Utah is currently reporting mild drought statewide, it likely won’t set back wild bird numbers.

With a helpful shot of cool, wet weather in August, an ideal weather pattern sets this year's pheasants up for success. Dr. Chris Wilson is a Cache Valley PF Chapter member and avid hunter. He has observed excellent food resources for this summer's crop of young pheasants, including “a plethora of insects (mostly grasshoppers) which is important for the growth and nutrition of young birds.”

BEST BETS FOR UTAH ROOSTERS

Northern Utah always harbors the best wild pheasant numbers in the state, especially along the river valleys flanking the Wasatch and Bear River Ranges.

Heather Talley is the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Upland Game Coordinator. She says the northern region can expect great hunting this fall: “Overwinter survival was likely high due to average winter conditions in most areas. Brood sizes have been large, and many young birds have been observed.”

Wilson points out that the current boom is due in part to PF’s efforts in the region. “The work that our chapter is doing to support habitat projects on DNR wildlife management areas and [private lands] should bear fruit in the coming years,” he says.

Although wild pheasant populations exist along the central Wasatch Front stretching west to the Great Salt Lake, hunting in this area can be difficult. “It’s getting harder to find places to hunt every year due to urban sprawl,” says Talley.

Opportunities for wild roosters also exist along river valleys in southern and eastern Utah, especially along the Green, Duchesne and Sevier Rivers.

Hunters should focus on brushy irrigation ditches, Russian olive stands, and weedy patches that flank hay and grain fields. Tall riparian sagebrush should also be considered, especially near livestock feed grounds.

Although pheasant hunting is very limited outside of the river corridors, the Utah DNR augments opportunities for upland hunters with their pheasant release program. Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) throughout the state are intermittently stocked with pheasants during the season.

Most of Utah's wild pheasants live on private property. Although the state’s access laws are a bit loose when it comes to hunting, they specifically prohibit hunting cultivated land without written permission. That means that you'll likely need to knock on some doors if you are serious about hunting wild roosters in the Beehive State.

SEASONS AND REGULATIONS

Utah’s 2024 pheasant hunting season runs from November 2 through December 1. The daily bag limit is two roosters, and the possession limit is six. The state also holds a youth hunting season from October 26 through October 31. Be sure to check WMA regulations, as some have temporary or season-long closures. See the Utah DNR website for more information.

Josh Tatman adventures and writes from home in northern Wyoming.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Washington

WASHINGTON ROOSTERS HOLDING THEIR OWN

By Andy Fondrick

With weather patterns across Washington similar to the past few years, pheasants across the state likely had some ups and downs, but survival rates should be holding similarly to last season.

Another mild winter for the Pacific Northwest followed by a dry spring should have given pheasants across Washington a nice start to the year even if nesting cover may have been a bit limited.

Some of the state’s top-producing pheasant areas should expect similar results as the past few seasons. Some of the early anecdotal evidence from the field suggests there is some reason for optimism for the upcoming hunting season.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

After another mild winter for the state of Washington, winter survival rates should have been fairly high again this year.

“This past winter was mild with temperatures above average, and precipitation close to average through most of pheasant range in eastern Washington,” says Sarah Garrison, small game specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “Spring temperatures were also about average, but it was dry, which has tradeoffs of limiting nesting cover but also limiting risk of hyperthermia to newly hatched chicks.”

The summer months were dry once again, with parts of the state experiencing drought conditions.

“Parts of central Washington are experiencing severe to extreme drought, but most of the pheasant range is under moderate drought,” says Garrison.

“Summer wildfires are settling down for the most part, but hunters will need to keep up to date on burn bans,” Garrison added.

HABITAT, BROODS and COUNTS

While there aren’t any official counts to provide a more concrete outlook for the state of Washington, WDFW asks for incidental brood counts from the public during July and August: Wild turkey and upland bird survey for broods and distribution | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. However, reports of pheasants have been few so there’s not enough data to forecast the upcoming season. Garrison encourages wild turkey and upland hunters across the state to report their observations during next year’s surveys for more accurate forecasting come fall.

As this forecast was being created, one piece of anecdotal evidence from this year’s hatch did come across Sarah’s desk.

“A Spokane area biologist reported they’re seeing decent numbers of juvenile pheasants (group sizes averaged 10-15 individuals in August) in and along the wheat fields in Whitman County,” she said.

TOP SPOTS

If you’ve followed along with our Washington Pheasant Forecast in the past, some of Garrison’s recommendations for where to find birds are true again this year.

“Grant County in central Washington and Whitman County on the eastern edge of the state provided the most pheasant harvest last season, and are likely to be good producers again,” said Garrison, noting that there were more than 5,000 pheasants harvested reported in each of these counties. She adds, “Walla Walla County came in third at about 2,500 pheasants harvested, with nearby Franklin and Garfield counties not far behind.”

INSIDER TIPS

“Pheasant hunters can benefit from WDFW’s Private Lands Access Programwhich offers multiple access and reservation types throughout the state,” says Garrison. WDFW does release some pheasants in areas where wild pheasant populations don’t exist. You can find more information on those areas here.

Garrison also wanted to remind hunters that that local wildlife biologists are finishing up the annual hunting prospects and those reports should be available soon. These will be great resources once again this year for learning about hunting opportunities and conditions in each district.

Click here for locally produced hunting reports for each district within the state.

Andy Fondrick is Digital Marketing Coordinator at Pheasants Forever, and looking forward to a first season in the uplands with his new GSP pup, Willa.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Wisconsin

WISCONSIN WILD PHEASANT NUMBERS SHOW INCREASE

By John Motoviloff

Wisconsin hunters pursuing wild pheasants may flush a few more roosters in the uplands this fall, according to the Wisconsin DNR spring pheasant surveys.

“The crowing counts were up quite a bit this year,” said Cody Tromberg, Wisconsin Pheasants Forever Senior Farm Bill Biologist.

What Tromberg is referring to are roadside crowing surveys conducted by Wisconsin DNR staff each April across the state’s core pheasant range. The average number of pheasants recorded crowing at each stop was .62 per stop in 2024, compared to .46 per route in 2023—an increase of almost 26 percent.

While year-to-year population comparisons need to be taken with a grain of salt, comparisons against longer trends tend to be more informative. Fortunately, 2024’s count also stacks up well against surveys conducted between 2018 and 2023. The average in this five-year period was .52 crows heard per stop; 2024’s count of .62 is 20 percent higher than this average.

“We are happy to see our pheasant numbers … back up to the level that we had seen prior to 2020,” said Taylor Finger, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Gamebird Specialist.

“WHERE THERE IS HABITAT, THERE ARE BIRDS”

Wisconsin’s crowing counts are conducted in three regions throughout the state: Region 1 in the Northwest; Region 2 in the Greater Fox River Valley; and Region 3 in the South. Crowing counts in Region 1 averaged 1.94 per stop, compared to .13 in Region 2 and .27 in Region 3. The hilly Driftless counties in the west and forested counties of the north do not hold significant pheasant populations and are not surveyed.

There’s a reason Region 1 crowing counts are so much higher than those in Regions 2 and 3: the presence of quality grassland habitat. In contrast, blocks of grassland are rarer in Regions 2 and 3. The few areas where these grassland blocks exist do hold higher numbers of wild birds, driving home the old axiom, “Where there is habitat, there are birds.”

“Northern St. Croix and Southern Polk county typically have good numbers of birds due to the expansive grassland complex of Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) and Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the region. Those areas and surrounding counties also hold huntable bird numbers on smaller private and public land areas due to the integration of wetlands, grasslands, pasture and cropland that exist in that area,” said Tromberg.

That quality habitat exists in this part of the state is no accident. Numerous state and federal parcels — along with properties like the McCann Creek Fishery Area acquired through Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area® program — provide a dependable base of public lands, while Tromberg and other farm bill biologists work with landowners to create and maintain quality private land habitat.

IT ALL DEPENDS ON BROOD SURVIVAL

While Wisconsin wild bird numbers going into spring were relatively strong in the Northwest, actual pheasant numbers encountered by hunters this fall will depend on brood survival, as most pheasants harvested are young-of-the-year birds. The weather in 2024 has been a mixed bag. While the winter was mild — which tends to help breeding populations going into spring, The spring was wet—which tends to hurt nesting success.

“Despite wet conditions, we retained above-average temperatures which may have helped mitigate some of the issues. With regard to brood rearing conditions, we are expecting average to perhaps slightly below average production,” Finger said.

There may, however, be cause for cautious optimism regarding this year’s pheasant hatch, according to Cody Strong, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources St. Croix Area Wildlife Supervisor.

“This past spring and early summer were wet, but field staff and members of the public have anecdotally reported a promising number of brood sightings so far this year,” said Strong.

There is another public land option available for pheasant hunters who do not have access to wild bird hunting. The Wisconsin DNR stocks some 75,000 pheasants per year on select public hunting grounds in the southern part of the state. To learn about this program, visit the Department’s Pheasant Stocking webpage.

IF YOU GO

Hunters looking to home in on pheasant stocking locations (as well as dove, grouse, and woodcock habitat) can visit Wisconsin DNR’s Field & Forest Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool (FFLIGHT). The DNR’s public lands site is another helpful resource.

The 2024 pheasant season runs from October 19 (9 a.m.) to January 5, 2025. The daily bag limit is one rooster on opening weekend and 2 roosters for the rest of the season. The possession limit after opening day is 3 times the daily bag limit.

John Motoviloff is R3 Outreach Coordinator for Pheasants Forever in Wisconsin.

Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2024: Wyoming

SPOTTY WEATHER FORETELLS A SPOTTY HUNTING SEASON

By Josh Tatman

Rollercoaster weather conditions have put Wyoming’s wild pheasants against the ropes for several years. Consequently, the statewide population is wavering at or below average. Cowboy State hunters can expect variable success, depending on where they target wild ringnecks.

WEATHER AND CONDITIONS

Keaton Weber is a biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD)’s southeastern region. He describes a mixed bag of recent weather. “The wet spring and summer of 2023 [preceded] favorable overwinter survival conditions for pheasants. Our 2024 spring pheasant crow call surveys indicated some areas responded well to the mild winter conditions and experienced above average overwinter survival.”

However, the state’s popular southeastern region has seen sub-optimal weather over the last few months. “Some portions of southeastern Wyoming entered moderate drought conditions as early as the first week of June," says Weber. “Drought conditions have continued throughout the summer in all of Goshen, Platte and Laramie counties. These dry conditions caused very poor growth of both cool and warm season grasses, and likely translated into poor bug production for chick survival.”

Drought conditions are less pronounced in central and northern Wyoming, giving these regions a leg up on pheasant production this year. Sam Stephens is a WGFD biologist in north-central Wyoming. He says, “We don’t have formal crow counts in this region. The last few years pheasant numbers have been down, but based on weather and anecdotal brood observations, I’d say this year should be good.”

BEST BETS FOR WILD ROOSTERS

Pheasant hunting in Wyoming can be good, but only for hunters willing to do their homework. Focus on agricultural field margins, especially near farms and livestock feed yards. Don’t relegate yourself to walking corn stubble. Instead, look for zones where grain fields and weedy patches flank good thermal cover. Cattail sloughs, Russian olive stands, and plum thickets are all good bets.

Southeastern Wyoming has long been Wyoming’s most popular pheasant hunting zone, especially along the North Platte River corridor. Nick Yashko is PF & QF’s new Wyoming State Coordinator. He encourages hunters to explore less obvious areas. “The Big Horn Basin seems to be an overlooked area since most hunters head toward the southeastern portion of the state.” Central Wyoming doesn’t look like South Dakota, but arid basin river bottoms do hold wild pheasants. Similarly, the Casper and Sheridan areas have some birds along small creeks and draws.

Most of Wyoming’s wild pheasants live on private land, but don’t be afraid to knock on a few doors. Some landowners are happy to grant permission, especially late in the season.

The WGFD puts a lot of effort into their pheasant release program. Two gamebird farms stock walk-in sites stretching from Riverton to Torrington. Even if you can’t find a wild longtail rooster this season, chances are you will get some shooting in at one of the state’s release sites. An additional permit is required to hunt these state game farm pheasants.

SEASON AND REGULATIONS

Wyoming’s 2024 pheasant hunting season runs from November 1 through December 31, 2024 for most of the state. The daily bag limit is three roosters, and the possession limit is nine. Special season and bag regulations apply to youth hunts and bird farm release areas at Ocean Lake, Table Mountain, Springer and Yellowtail wildlife areas. See the WGFD website for more information.

Josh Tatman adventures and writes from home in northern Wyoming.