Kansas Pheasant News

Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill Biologist Program Lands in SW Kansas - Dec. 20, 2010
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announce Adam Kester of Clearwater, Nebraska, as its newest Farm Bill Biologist, providing assistance in Grant, Hamilton, Kearny, Finney, Stanton, Haskell, Morton, Stevens and Seward counties in Kansas. Kester will provide wildlife conservation and land-use consulting to area farmers and ranchers.

HUNTERS PREP FOR UPLAND OPENER, YOUTH SEASON - Oct. 28, 2010
PRATT ? The 2010 Kansas youth pheasant and quail season runs Nov. 6-7, and many adult hunters are set to use this time not only to pass the hunting tradition on but to stretch their legs, scout fields, and work dogs. During these two days, youth 16 and younger may hunt under the supervision of an adult 18 or older, but the adult may not hunt. It?s a great time to get kids out before the birds are stirred up, improving the opportunity of bagging game under uncrowded conditions. The daily bag limits during this season are two rooster pheasants and four quail (half the regular season limit).

2010 UPLAND YOUTH SEASON CHALLENGE IN RUSSELL NOV. 6-7 - Oct. 28, 2010
RUSSELL ? On Nov. 6-7, the Black & Gold Pheasants Forever Chapter 794 (Russell) and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) will sponsor the 2010 Upland Youth Season challenge. The event will be headquartered at Sportsman?s Corner, 231 E. Wichita Ave. in Russell.

2010 SHOULD BE ANOTHER BANNER UPLAND BIRD SEASON IN KANSAS - Sep. 22, 2010
Upland bird hunters who thought we had a good season last year should be pleased to know that the trend should continue in 2010. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has completed summer surveys, and the results, compiled in the Upland Bird Hunting Forecast, suggest that Kansas will have abundant upland birds for the second year in a row. Although some hunters have been concerned about a significant amount of federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land turned back to crop production, this apparently has not hurt bird production to date.

2010 Kansas Pheasant Hunting Forecast - Sep. 13, 2010
Forecast: Kansas pheasant hunters bagged 746,000 roosters last year - up approximately 10 percent from 2008 - and tops in the nation this side of South Dakota. Despite a colder and snowier winter than normal, it wasn't enough to impact pheasant populations. In fact, spring crowing counts were up one percent. Jim Pitman, small game coordinator with the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, says the best pheasant hunting will likely be in northwest and west-central Kansas, but southwest Kansas should be very good too. Pitman is expecting numbers in northwest Kansas to be similar to last year or slightly improved, which will put the population at or above the 20-year high, while expectations are for a bit of a dip in portions of north-central Kansas due to heavy rain and hail that hit that region. The pheasant population in northeast Kansas will also likely be down due to deep snow cover for a good chunk of last winter and heavy rain during the nesting period this summer. Kansas' full August roadside survey results will be released in mid September. Season Dates: November 13 through January 31, 2011 Daily Bag Limit: 4 Possession Limit: 16 Field Notes: Kansas' popular Walk-in Hunting Access Program contains lands in CRP, native rangeland, wheat or milo stubble and riparian or wetland areas, with many of the approximately 1 million acres in the program providing excellent upland hunting opportunities.

Survey Suggests Nesting Pheasant Numbers Stable - Jul. 07, 2010
From April 25-May 21, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) conducted its annual spring survey of pheasants in the Sunflower State. As the mating season approaches, roosters increase crowing, and KDWP staff drive established routes to listen for the birds. Data from this survey, combined with the summer brood count survey in August, helps determine the outlook for the fall pheasant crop.

Opportunity Knocks for Late Season Hunters - Jan. 27, 2010
PRATT - Upland bird and waterfowl seasons have been open for more than two months now, but that doesn't mean it's time for hunters to put up their shotguns. Quail, pheasant, and prairie chicken (Northwest and East units) seasons are open through Jan. 31, and rabbit and squirrel seasons provide additional opportunities for the avid hunter.

Why No Pheasants in Southeast Kansas? - Dec. 03, 2009
PRATT - With Kansas annually ranking in the top three states in the nation for pheasant hunting, hunters often ask why this popular game bird cannot be found in southeast Kansas. Like all wildlife, pheasants need four things to survive: food, water, cover, and space. If these things are not present in the proper mix for an individual species, it will not thrive. But sometimes it can be more complicated than that.