The pheasant season opens this Saturday and DNR Wildlife Biologist Todd Bogenshutz says their survey shows the wet spring did have some impact on bird numbers.
“Counts were down 14% statewide. So we were 23 birds throughout last year, 19 this year. So a little bit down, but kind of on par with where we’d seen in 22 or 21 and we shot close to 400,000 birds both those years,” Bogenshutz says. He says hunters will likely not duplicate last year, but will get some birds. “Last year was one of our really better years in the last two decades. We were just shy of 600,000 roosters and 80,000 hunters. So hunters did really well last fall,” he says.
Bogenshutz says the success of last year will likely bring in some new hunters. “Definitely see that with our bird hunters, both resident and non-resident. You know, I think the word’s gotten out we’re the second best state in the country behind South Dakota,” Bogenshutz says. “So, you know, we’ve always been recognized as one of the top pheasant states in the country, and so over the last couple years, harvest kind of climbing back up.”
Most of the soybeans have been harvested and large portion of corn as well, which Bogenshutz says will help hunters. “Generally on our opener, the more crops that are out, the better success on our hunters see, just less standing crops for the birds to utilize. And so yeah, I mean, last year, most of the crop harvest was complete by our opener at the end of the month,” he says.
Bogenshutz says the weather is the wildcard in the season opener and the forecast now looks favorable. The pheasant season runs through January 10th.
