N.D. Pheasant counts rise

[Lee Borgersen]

Statewide pheasant counts rise in N.D.

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There was good news for North Dakota pheasant hunters this week, when the Game and Fish Department announced roadside pheasant counts were up statewide from last year   .

 


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According to Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for Game and Fish in Bismarck, the survey shows total pheasants are up 30 percent from last year. In addition, brood counts were up 23 percent, while the average brood size was up 9 percent.

The roadside count is based on 259 survey runs made along 105 brood routes across North Dakota.

"Our late-summer roadside counts indicate pheasant hunters are going to find more birds in the southern half of the state this fall, with the southwest having the strongest population of young roosters," Kohn said. "Hunters will also find average habitat conditions on the landscape."


Here's a look at pheasant counts by region:

• Southwest: Total pheasants are up 34 percent, and broods observed increased 31 percent from 2014. Observers counted 25 broods and 207 birds per 100 survey miles. The average brood size was 6.2.

• Southeast: Birds are up 27 percent from last year, and the number of broods increased 21 percent. Observers counted eight broods and 62 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 5.5.

• Northwest: Pheasants are down 18 percent from last year, with broods down 32 percent. Observers recorded six broods and 46 birds per 100 miles, and the average brood size was 6.3.


• Northeast: A marginal pheasant area, this year's survey in northeast North Dakota tallied two broods and 15 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 4.3, the number of birds observed was down 17 percent, and the number of broods recorded was down 7 percent.

The 2015 regular pheasant season opens Oct. 10 and continues through Jan. 3. The two-day youth pheasant hunting weekend, when legally licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger can hunt statewide, is set for Oct. 3-4.

  -- N.D. Game and Fish Department