Drought Could Impact North Dakota Pheasant Population.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Bad weather last winter and drought this summer might combine to put a damper on the fall pheasant hunt in North Dakota.
A spring crowing count survey conducted by the state Game and Fish Department indicated the population might be down about 14 percent from a year ago, with a drop in bird numbers statewide.
Gross.
"In addition, last year’s production was below average, so we entered this spring with a lower-than-average number of adult upland birds."
Brood surveys that will begin in a couple of weeks will provide a better indication, but officials aren’t overly optimistic.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping drought-impacted farmers and ranchers by allowing emergency haying and grazing of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program — land that provides good habitat for pheasants.
The agency’s unofficial benchmark for a successful pheasant season is 500,000 birds killed.
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