Pheasant Survey Down 61%

zoops

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[h=1]Game and Fish Summarizes Pheasant Brood Survey[/h]Mon, 09/11/2017


North Dakota’s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August indicates total birds and number of broods are down statewide from 2016.
R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants observed per 100 miles are down 61 percent from last year. In addition, brood observations were down 63 percent, while the average brood size was down 19 percent. The final summary is based on 279 survey runs made along 103 brood routes across North Dakota.
“Brood data suggests very poor production this spring when compared to 2016, which results in less young birds added to the fall population,” Gross said. “The majority of the state was in extreme drought conditions during critical times for pheasant chicks. This resulted in poor nesting/brood habitat and more than likely a less than ideal insect hatch.”
Statistics from southwestern North Dakota indicate total pheasants were down 59 percent and broods observed down 60 percent from 2016. Observers counted eight broods and 68 birds per 100 survey miles. The average brood size was 4.3.
Results from the southeast show birds are down 60 percent from last year, and the number of broods down 70 percent. Observers counted two broods and 24 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 4.7.
Statistics from the northwest indicated pheasants are down 72 percent from last year, with broods are down 76 percent. Observers recorded three broods and 24 birds per 100 miles. Average brood size was 5.2.
The northeast district, generally containing secondary pheasant habitat, with much of it lacking good winter cover, showed one brood and six birds per 100 miles. Average brood size was 3.5. Number of birds observed was down 54 percent, and the number of broods recorded was down 63 percent.
The 2017 regular pheasant season opens Oct. 7 and continues through Jan. 7, 2018. The two-day youth pheasant hunting weekend, when legally licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger can hunt statewide, is set for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.



 


Bfishn

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And 61% is sugarcoating it. They don't want to scare away all the out of state revenue.
 

MarbleEyez

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Realistically it's more at 80%.... Sad to see, going to take several favorable years to rebound back to normal.
 

tikkalover

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Yep, no birds around here ;:;banghead, go to Minnesota!!.............:;:smokin
 


Rowdie

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I got roosters right in town LOL, but yeah I think the drought kept the hatch way down. You're going to want to target areas that had access to water during the first few weeks after the hatch.
 

SDMF

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I got roosters right in town LOL, but yeah I think the drought kept the hatch way down. You're going to want to target areas that had access to water during the first few weeks after the hatch.

I'm going to target Pembina.
 

eyexer

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There are roosters around they just aren't everywhere like they have been. Good habitat will hold a bunch of birds.
 

Wild and Free

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The population seems as thick as ever in my area. Dodging herds of the bastages almost daily.
Turkey population seems to have exploded the last 2-3 years as well in my area.
 


Allen

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Yeah, bird numbers are down around 95% at my place. Last few years I've had around 100 birds at my place, and if we looked really hard today...we could maybe find 5.
 

Duckslayer100

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Good thing I hunt the east side and am used to piss-poor phez numbers. As long as I keep my historically low expectations in proper proportions, hunting should be great this fall.
 

Bacon

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My guess, that December ice storm killed a lot of birds and the drought screwed up the hatch. But I'm no biologist, just a dumb farmer.
 


dean nelson

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The weird thing at least near me is we had pretty good numbers into spring but when summer came they disappeared into the grass never to be seen again. Saw allot of guys out hunting pheasants today although I only saw one group walking but it's just been nothing but bleak out there with seeing more then one well scouting ducks being a real fluke.
 

savage270

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I know of 3 groups today, including me, that typically limit on the opener who didn't even fire a shot today. Pretty disappointing.
 

eyexer

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we usually limit out by noon. got four all day. I didn't think the numbers would be down that much. Older birds should have been fine and they are few too.
 

dean nelson

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To me it's more like 95% then 61% but that's probably a more localized phenomenon.
 

USMCDI

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So let's lengthen the season and keep the daily limit at 3. What a bunch of dipshits that passed that law, it's all about the money and screw us that live here and pay taxes.
 


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