Pheasant Hunting News

Youth Pheasant Weekend Oct. 2-3 - Sep. 20, 2010
North Dakota?s two-day youth pheasant season is Oct. 2-3. Legally licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger may hunt roosters statewide.

DEC Announces Release of Pheasants for 2010 Hunting Season - Sep. 14, 2010
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that approximately 30,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting for the upcoming fall pheasant hunting season.

2010 preliminary brood survey shows mixed results - Sep. 14, 2010
A wet spring may have resulted in lower production of grouse and pheasants, while turkey production may be up slightly, according to preliminary results of brood observations made over a 10-week period this spring and summer.

DNR, outdoor groups offer free program on Upland Bird Day - Sep. 13, 2010
Adults and youth interested in learning how to hunt upland game birds such as pheasant and grouse are invited to Upland Bird Day. This hands-on clinic runs from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Dakota County Gun Club.

Pheasant Numbers Rebound from Last Year - Sep. 13, 2010
North Dakota?s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August revealed the pheasant population is in much better shape than last year, especially in the southern half of the state.

2010 California Pheasant Hunting Forecast - Sep. 13, 2010
Forecast: In what's become typical, the Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and the Sacramento River/San Joaquin River delta area remain the talked about pheasant hunting destinations in California. An uptick in rainfall this spring appears to have boosted production for a host of "The Golden State's" myriad upland species, including pheasants. Season Dates: November 13 through December 26, 2010 Daily Bag Limit: 2 for first weekend of season, 3 for remainder of season Possession Limit: Twice daily bag limit Field Notes: In addition to ringnecks, California's diverse upland platter includes chukar, sage grouse, sooty grouse, ruffed grouse, white-tailed ptarmigan, California (valley) quail, mountain quail and Gambel's (desert) quail.

2010 Colorado Pheasant Hunting Forecast - Sep. 13, 2010
Forecast: Pheasant crow counts on Colorado's Eastern Plains this spring were up over last year by 27 percent, the highest they've been since 1982. Pheasant hunting should be good across the region, bordering on excellent in some locations, according to Ed Gorman, small game manager with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Top counties for ringnecks will be Phillips, Yuma, Kit and Carson, though hunters would be wise not to overlook Sedgwick County and the extreme southeast portion of Baca County. This year, Colorado is making its Walk-In-Access Program free to small-game license holders. The popular program provides access to more than 220,000 acres of private land for pheasant and other small game hunters. The Colorado Division of Wildlife and local Pheasants Forever chapters have been working since 1992 on the cooperative Pheasant Habitat Improvement Program. The program assists landowners in developing and enhancing habitat for ring-necked pheasants, and has also helped increase opportunities for enrollment in the Walk-In-Access Program. Season Dates: November 13 through January 31, 2011 Daily Bag Limit: 3 Possession Limit: 9 Field Notes: Colorado's 2010 Small Game Hunting brochure has a fresh new design that simplifies the rules and regulations and includes a free DVD titled, "Pheasant Hunting Colorado."

2010 Illinois Pheasant Hunting Forecast - Sep. 13, 2010
Forecast: The winter in Illinois was the 19th coldest on record with snows 10" above normal. Follow that up with a wet the second wettest May and June in history, and pheasant production appears to have been down this year, especially in northern Illinois according to Michael Wefer, ag and grassland program manager with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Illinois changed to a new spring audio count protocol that should lead to better population density and habitat data in the future. This year's data suggests numbers were up in central Illinois, but down throughout the rest of the state's pheasant range. One bright note for hunters is the corn harvest appears to be ahead of schedule this year. If this trend continues, hunters could still have a better season than last year, when 22,244 hunters entered 64,262 roosters into their game bags. As always, Wefer says, hunters that have access to quality habitat should still enjoy a successful season. Season Dates: November 6 through January 8, 2011 (North) November 6 through January 15, 2011 (South) Daily Bag Limit: 2 Possession Limit: 6 Field Notes: Illinois Pheasants Forever's Build a Wildlife Area campaign helped add more than 100 acres open to public hunting and outdoor recreation in the state this year, the initial results of this unique fundraising effort.

2010 Indiana Pheasant Hunting Forecast - Sep. 13, 2010
Forecast: A less-than-harsh winter led to a spring pheasant call count survey increase that jumped nearly 24 percent in Indiana, according to N. Budd Veverka, farmland game research biologist with the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. Overall, pheasant numbers should be similar to last year when 11,000 hunters harvested 43,000 ringnecks. Indiana pheasants are found almost exclusively in the northern third of the state, and while Benton, White and Newton Counties in northwest Indiana have been traditionally considered the best areas, pheasant numbers are looking good this year in northeast Indiana. Season Dates: November 5, 2010 through December 19, 2010 Daily Bag Limit: 2 Possession Limit: 4 Field Notes: A game bird habitat stamp must be purchased to hunt pheasants in Indiana. The state has used funds generated from the stamp to purchase land across the primary pheasant range and establish game bird habitat areas. These limited access areas are managed specifically for ring-necked pheasants and can produce some of the best hunting in the state. Hunters can register for a chance to hunt game bird habitat areas in Benton, Newton, and White Counties by October 2, 2010.

2010 Iowa Pheasant Hunting Forecast - Sep. 13, 2010
Forecast: No state is in need of some good pheasant news as much as Iowa, but it won't be this year. Coming off a record low year of just 74,017 hunters bagging 271,136 roosters, Iowa's statewide August roadside survey count showed a decrease of 30 percent from last year. Iowa hasn't been able to escape moisture, with the period from December of last year through this February as the snowiest period in state history, only to be followed up by a June through August stretch that was likely the wettest in state history. Mix in the previous years that haven't been good for pheasant production, and CRP acreage losses, and it's easy to see why Iowa pheasants have dropped to such historically low levels. Pheasant hunters not deterred by this news will find the highest concentration of roosters in northwest Iowa, where the roadside survey averaged 30 birds per route compared to 11 across the rest of the state. North central Iowa checks in as the next best option. As for the remainder of the state, pockets of good bird numbers may still be found in regions with exceptional habitat, according to Todd Bogenschutz, upland game Biologist/Farmbill coordinator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Season Dates: October 30 through January 10, 2011 Daily Bag Limit: 3 Possession Limit: 12 Field Notes:Pheasants Forever has placed five Farm Bill Biologists in Iowa as part of its "Reload Iowa" campaign, a three-year statewide effort to improve 1 million acres of wildlife habitat on private and public land in the state. Pheasants Forever plans to establish more such positions across Iowa in the coming years.