Pheasant Numbers

[BlackDogs3]

I just saw the 2009 road and nesting counts for ND and Iowa and the results are dismal. For those of you who live in the pheasant areas, is this season going to be as bad as it looks?

[tucker301]

I would expect that the same rains that made things so good for ducks had the opposite effect on non-waterfowl species.

[timb99]

Forecast for Kansas isn't out yet. I expect it in a week or two. I've heard rumors it won't be good.

[duker33]

Hello i live in North Dakota and around here the phesant numbers and gonna be just like last year i and seeing alot of birds in my drives so i have no idea where they get there numbers from but for around here it is gonna be Awsome again cant wait till season is here

[timb99]

Just talked to my favorite landowner in western Kansas. He says by his observation, it'll be as good or better than last year.

Too bad season doesn't open for TWO MONTHS!

[Matt D]

I talked with two landowner friends in South Dakota, one in central and one in western. Both said they have as many or more birds as last year

[Novaking]

Any bad season in Kansas and ND is a 1000 times better than a good day in Illinois.

[BlackDogs3]

Let me rephrase the question:

How are the pheasant numbers on public land. I really don't care about pheasant numbers on game farms.

I learned last year that the great pheasant hunting in SD only pertains to $400 a day game farms or private land. Spent a week in pheasant central, saw hundreds of pheasants, but nothing in the land open to the public. Won't waste my money in SD again.

The ND report is promising, but I have driven 94 between Dickensen and Bismarck six times this year and I have only seen 5 birds. Last year, on my April trip I counted 57 dead and 30 live pheasants in the 100 miles. This year 4 dead birds at the same time of year. I have seen more pheasant wandering around in MT than ND this year.

Thanks.

[ArtL]

You are lucky as here in Massachusetts we are at the mercy of the state to stock the pheasants. There is almost no native population of pheasant or quail. We do have turkeys up the butt though. Just yesterday there were over 20 walking around in my backyard. They are so thick that people are running them over on the streets in highly populated areas.

[tyson129]

Originally Posted by ArtL

You are lucky as here in Massachusetts we are at the mercy of the state to stock the pheasants. There is almost no native population of pheasant or quail. We do have turkeys up the butt though. Just yesterday there were over 20 walking around in my backyard. They are so thick that people are running them over on the streets in highly populated areas.

You can thank New York's Turkey Program for that. Good Turkey Hunting is what its all about..except when your talking about upland.