The first bad news came in July, when the Game and Fish Department reported a 14 percent decline in the pheasant population index based on spring counts of crowing roosters. Going into breeding season, pheasant numbers were down anywhere from 6 to 10 percent in the state’s primary pheasant regions, Game and Fish said. Results from the department’s annual roadside pheasant survey in late July and August showed pheasants observed per 100 miles were down 61 percent from last year. Brood counts were down 63 percent, and the average brood size was down 19 percent. Game and Fish bases the summary on results from 279 survey runs conducted along 103 brood routes across the state.
The survey broke down pheasant numbers across the state as follows:
- Southwest: Total pheasants were down 59 percent and brood counts declined 60 percent from 2016. Observers counted eight broods and 68 birds per 100 survey miles. The average brood size was 4.3.
- Southeast: Pheasants declined 60 percent, and brood counts were down 70 percent. Observers counted two broods and 24 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 4.7.
- Northwest: Total pheasants declined 72 percent from last year, and broods were down 76 percent. Observers tallied three broods and 24 birds per 100 miles, and the average brood size was 5.2.
In northeast North Dakota, a marginal pheasant hunting area under the best conditions, the survey tallied one brood and six birds per 100 miles. The number of birds observed fell 54 percent, and brood counts were down 63 percent. The northeast generally lacks adequate habitat to carry pheasants through the winter.
Source: Bismarck Tribune, Oct 1, 2017
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/pheasant-numbers-are…
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