California
Pheasant production appears to have been below normal in the southern San Joaquin Valley and average in the northern San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento River delta area and Sacramento Valley. Pheasant production is generally associated with rainfall and supplemental irrigation. Regardless of geographical location, areas that provided supplemental irrigation of upland habitats during May and June continued to show increased survival of chicks compared to what typically occurs on private lands. Pheasant populations on these areas are generally stable or increasing. Habitat on public lands managed for wildlife remained in good to excellent condition.
Season Opener: November 8
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: Varies, please see regulations
Colorado
Last year, Colorado hunters harvested an estimated 43,300 pheasants. Mixed winter and spring weather conditions across the state's primary pheasant range lead to a mixed forecast for the upcoming season. Much of the western portion of northeast Colorado (Morgan, Washington and Weld Counties) was extremely dry during the early summer period, resulting in relatively poor nesting and brooding habitat. The eastern portion of northeast Colorado (Logan, Phillips, Yuma and Sedgwick Counties) experienced much better precipitation, resulting in excellent nesting and brood rearing habitat. A lack of snowfall in southeast Colorado induced a severe spring drought, which greatly reduced nest success and chick survival. Generally, crowing counts were slightly above average in the northeast corner of Colorado and near average in the southeast portion.
Season Opener: November 8
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 9
Idaho
Last year, drought conditions did a number on bird populations, including pheasants. Compared to stronger years like 2005 and 2006, this year won't match up. Southwest Idaho, between Weiser and Boise, and north central Idaho between Lewiston and Moscow, offer opportunities for roosters as well as quail and grey partridge.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 6
Illinois
Illinois hunters can expect fewer pheasants than last fall, when nearly 36,000 hunters bagged nearly 103,000 roosters. Some reporting stations in northern Illinois had over 90 days of continuous snow cover - rare for that part of the country - and spring weather conditions brought below average temperatures and above average rainfall. Call counts were down 29 percent in the state (minus 35 percent in northern Illinois, minus 25 percent in central Illinois) and the August roadside survey was down 25 percent from 2007. The north-central and east-central parts of the state remain the best places to find birds.
Season Opener: November 1
Daily Bag Limit: 2
Indiana
Because pheasants only inhabit the northern third of the Hoosier State, pheasants escaped the flooding that affected other parts of the state. The population has remained fairly stable over the past few years, and hunters are again looking at a harvest upwards of 20,000 roosters. The best hunting can be found in Newton and Benton Counties, and there are increasing numbers of birds in Steuben and DeKalb Counties in northeast Indiana.
Season Opener: November 7
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 4
Game Bird Habitat Stamp required
Iowa
For the third consecutive year, Iowa pheasant numbers are down. The Iowa pheasant population is lower by 32 percent this year, and that may be good news in light of the extremely harsh weather conditions the state's pheasant population has endured the past seven months. During last year's August roadside survey, a statewide average of 27 birds were seen per route, and hunters followed by harvesting nearly 632,000 roosters. This year, that number dropped to an average of 18 birds per route, but that was about half of the loss originally feared, according to Todd Bogenschutz, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The decline can be directly attributed to a long period of snow and ice cover from December to mid-March, which hurt hen carry-over, and the heavy rains and cooler temps in the spring and the early summer floods that killed chicks and wiped out nests. The population is expected to rebound next spring if the weather cooperates, but losing over 300,000 CRP acres to the plow will hurt recovery efforts. Bogenschutz also expects the number of pheasant hunters in Iowa to drop this year from 110,000 to 100,000.
Season Opener: October 25
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 12
Habitat Stamp required
Kansas
An estimated 887,000 roosters were taken in Kansas in 2007, the best harvest in the state since 1987. The good news for Kansas pheasant hunters is that it will be another year full of flushing roosters, and this year's harvest could even exceed that of last year! The state's pheasant crowing survey index increased 35 percent in 2008 over 2007, with the highest values recorded in the northwest region. Though results of the state's 6-week pheasant observation survey were not yet complete, the initial summarized data indicated overall pheasant numbers are a bit better than those of 2007. Much of northwest Kansas will have outstanding numbers of pheasants this fall. The best pheasant hunting in the state will likely occur in an area bounded by and including the following counties: Rawlins south to Logan, Logan southeast to Ford and Kiowa, Kiowa north-northeast to Russell, Russell north-northwest to Phillips, and Phillips west to Rawlins. North central Kansas will be similar to last year, and southwest Kansas will be variable with areas north and east of Dodge City very good. Areas south and west of Dodge still have good numbers of birds but will be significantly down from 2007, with very substantial declines in far southwest Kansas - areas west and south of Dodge City were unusually dry and far southwest Kansas was extremely dry this spring. South central Kansas, while not one of the top pheasant regions, should be much better than last year.
Season Opener: November 1
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 4 / 16
Michigan
Michigan suffered its most severe winter in eight years, according to Michigan Upland Game Specialist Al Stewart. What definitive impact the winter had on pheasants is unknown, but Stewart expects Michiganders to be at or slightly below recent averages, such as 2006 (the most recent harvest data available) when 56,000 hunters harvested 100,000 roosters.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 4
Minnesota
Minnesota's 2007-2008 pheasant harvest of 655,000 roosters is the highest-recorded total since 1964, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Despite a cool, wet spring that caused a 24-percent drop in Minnesota's pheasant index, the estimated number of pheasants in Minnesota remains at its 10-year average. The annual August roadside count of wildlife showed a pheasant index of 81 birds per 100 miles driven. The index exceeded 100 birds in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Once again, southwest Minny will provide the best opportunities for pheasant hunters, but the south central and east central regions will also likely provide good looks at flushing roosters. Quality habitat has played a critical role in the ring-necked pheasants' resurgence across Minnesota’s farm country, and four out of the past five years have produced a harvest of over a half million birds in Minnesota, including the last three consecutive seasons. Minnesota suffered lower attrition of CRP than the neighboring Dakotas (80,000 compared to 800,000), and had its seventh consecutive mild winter, so another harvest eclipsing the half million mark is expected. Minnesota's new SAFE practice is also aimed directly at ringnecks. The Minnesota Back Forty Pheasant Habitat program, as the practice is called, has been allocated 23,100 acres for enrollment in establishing small blocks of grassland (10-40 acres) and enhancing existing habitats.
Season Opener: October 11
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 6 (Note: Changes to 3 / 9 from December 1 to end of season)
Pheasant Stamp required
Missouri
During the 2007-08 season, 10,000 pheasant hunters harvested 30,000 pheasants in Missouri. Unfortunately, thanks to cool spring temps and record rainfall from April to July, nesting conditions were poor. The preliminary results from the August roadside surveys indicated pheasant abundance down about 40 percent from last year. The bright spot is that pheasants potentially benefited from a delay in haying caused by frequent rains. Good nesting conditions in late July and August could result in slightly more pheasants than indicated by surveys. Pheasants are concentrated north and west of Livingston County in the northwest and around Scotland County in the northeast. Overall, pheasant hunting will be fair to poor in the north and poor in southeast.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 4
Montana
Last year, hunters harvest 151,000 pheasants in Montana, totaling 23 percent above the 20-year average. The northern, far eastern, and southern counties in Montana are looking comparable, favorable or improved from last year. The remainder of the state's pheasant areas will be mixed due to considerable rains and cool weather that tracked over the core and western parts of the state during the first three weeks of June, culminating in cold rains and snow in the higher elevations in early June. These areas will likely have lower production and late broods.
Season Opener: October 11
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 9
Nebraska
The severe winter storms and early spring rainfall did not have as severe an impact on statewide pheasant populations as would be expected. The results of the April and July Rural Mail Carrier Surveys showed that statewide numbers were comparable to those in 2007. Summer surveys indicated that the Northeast (Burt, Cuming, Dixon, Stanton, Wayne Counties) and Southwest (Dundy, Furnas, Harlan, Hitchcock and Perkins Counties)-two of the most heavily hunted regions- had the highest abundances among all regions. July Rural Mail Carrier Surveys indicated declines in the Southeast, but increases in the Panhandle and Southwest.
Season Opener: October 27
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 12
Habitat Stamp required
New Jersey
Based on the most recent hunter survey, New Jersey hunters harvested an estimated 7,000 wild pheasants last year. Hunters can expect similar numbers again this year. Of the few available places in New Jersey that still harbor wild birds, the top options are along the Delaware River and south of Trenton.
Season Opener: November 8
Daily Bag Limit: 2
New York
Some rainy and cold days during the hatching and early brood-rearing periods made it a poor production year. And that may be the good news - a survey of farmers in New York's best pheasant range indicates that pheasant populations are at all-time lows. That translates into minimal hunting opportunities for wild pheasants in the state this fall. But if you're willing to work hard for your birds, venture to the Lakes Plain area of western New York, the area south of Lake Ontario, which is home to some of the best agricultural land in the state and traditionally held the highest pheasant populations.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag Limit: Varies, please see regulations
North Dakota
It was another banner year last year in North Dakota, where hunters put 907,434 roosters into their game vests. Though crowing counts were up in all four pheasant districts of state - from 23 percent in the southeast to 50 percent in the northwest - early indications from the August roadside survey were that pheasant numbers will be down about 30 percent from the high 2007 counts in southeast, southwest and northwest portions of the state. The northeast and central portions of the state could be down close to 60 percent from last year. According to Stan Kohn, Upland Game Management Supervisor with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, this season is shaping up to be similar to 2005, when hunters harvested 809,000 birds, by no means a bad year. Some of the counties on the east side of Lake Sakakawea will have good numbers of pheasants, as will some of the counties in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the state, south of I-94. The North Dakota landscape is changing, however, with over 400,000 acres of CRP expiring last year and over 1.8 million acres set to expire over the next four years. Those potential habitat losses will eventually lower the pheasant population, and hunters will see the impact as well.
Season Opener: October 11
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 12
Ohio
Ohio has experienced 2 years in a row of February snow storms followed by wet, cool springs and dry summers. These conditions affected winter survival as well as summer reproduction and as a result, pheasant numbers are lower in all areas of the state. Statewide, 2008 call counts were down 25 percent from 2007 and down 33 percent compared to 2006, so hunters will likely check in below the average of 160,000 wild pheasants harvested in the state each year. In recent years, northwest Ohio (Williams & Defiance Counties), north central Ohio (Wyandot and Marion counties), and central Ohio (Madison County) have had a consistent record of producing pheasants and will still provide opportunities for successful hunting in 2008, but pheasant populations are expected to continue to decline in future years due to massive loss of CRP in these areas. In the upcoming years, the counties to watch will be Ross and Pickaway Counties, where tens of thousands of acres of Scioto CREP have been enrolled in the last several years. Ross County, with over 17,000 acres of newly enrolled Scioto CREP, has surpassed Williams County for the most CRP in any Ohio county. Also, Ohio's SAFE project is expected to roll out later in 2008, and will provide over 11,000 acres of CRP for grassland and wetland priority areas around the state.
Season Opener: November 7
Daily Bag Limit: 2
Oklahoma
A usually stable pheasant population in Oklahoma made a huge jump last year thanks to the right mix of habitat, weather and food. Sooner hunters reaped the benefits, harvesting an estimated 71,000 birds. This year, the majority of the western panhandle was in a drought during nesting season, and bird numbers will probably drop slightly in that area. The rest of the state's pheasant range received rain, however, and though numbers may not reach last year's level, it should be close. Public hunting opportunities aren't the greatest, so bring your knocking hand and a warm smile.
Season Opener: December 1
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 6
Legacy Permit required
Oregon
Poor production in 2007 resulted in below average harvest and participation, with an estimated 9,000 pheasant hunters harvesting 25,200 roosters. Initial indications from the state's August roadside survey suggested larger brood sizes, so expect a few more birds than last year, with more young roosters in the population. Columbia Basin from Sherman County east through Umatilla County and the area of northern Malheur County remains the best place to target.
Season Opener: October 18
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 8
Pennsylvania
A stable, wild, reproducing pheasant population hasn't been able to gain momentum in Pennsylvania due to years of declining habitat. However, the state continues ambitious efforts. There are two wild pheasant restoration projects occurring in Washington, Northumberland, Columbia and Montour Counties. The state is also finalizing its "Wild Pheasant Management Plan," an aggressive 10-year plan aimed in part at pheasant habitat restoration.
Season Opener: October 25
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 4
South Dakota
Last year, approximately 78,000 residents and 103,000 non-residents hunters harvested just over 2.1 million pheasants. Simply put, hunters again should experience a very memorable fall season. Another mild winter and timely spring precipitation set the stage for widespread habitat conditions that were ideal for nesting, most notably in the central portion of the state where pheasant production was phenomenal. Results from the 2008 pheasant brood survey indicate the statewide Pheasants Per Mile (PPM) index increased by 9 percent (7.85 to 8.56) compared to the 2007 index and is the highest PPM recorded in the past 45 years! Unlike 2007 when pheasant numbers were up across the state, local survey results were mixed this year, with pheasant counts down in the eastern regions of the state while overall counts in east-central regions are largely unchanged from 2007. That said, excellent hunting opportunities should be available in all areas of the South Dakota pheasant range. Lost in all the excitement, however, is the fact that 300,000 CRP acres expired in 2007 - equivalent to a one mile wide strip of nesting habitat positioned from Sioux Falls to the Black Hills of South Dakota - and hundreds of thousands more are set to expire in the near future. Landowner interest in CRP remains, however, as South Dakota's SAFE program for pheasant habitat was fully subscribed within two weeks (20,200 acres) and a CREP proposal for the James River Watershed Basin will give landowners an opportunity to voluntarily enroll more acres by early 2009. The equation is simple - if pheasant numbers are to remain high, some of those lost acres need to come back. "The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has helped increase South Dakota's pheasant population to a level not seen in nearly 40 years," said Chad Switzer, the state's Sr. Upland Game Biologist.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 15
Texas
Pheasant hunting within the borders of Texas is a "tail" of two regions - the consistent panhandle area versus everywhere else. Once again, this year's outlook for the 37-county panhandle area is good. There have been more grain crops planted this year than in the past and this created a nice mosaic of agricultural and CRP lands benefitting pheasant numbers. The Dalhart region will be a hunter's best bet to flush some roosters.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3/6
Upland Game Bird Stamp required
Utah
Utah pheasant habitat continues to dwindle with urban sprawl and improved agricultural efficiency, which reduces habitat quality and abundance on the remaining farm lands. Therefore, pheasant hunting is being condensed into smaller areas. Still, some areas in Utah appear to have had fair production this year, so hunters should expect fair to good hunting similar to 2007.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 / 4
Washington
Last year, 22,850 hunters harvest nearly 70,000 pheasants in eastern Washington, down 18 percent from 2006. Spring weather conditions varied, with cold rains hard on some areas and a dry, cold early summer decreasing insect production. That varied weather leads to a varied outlook, with reports of some early hatch success and some re-nesting success in some areas. Generally, hunting success will likely be lower than in previous years. The best areas of the state will be in dry land wheat country.
Season Opener: October 18
Daily Bag Limit: 3
Wisconsin
The southern half of Wisconsin was hit with a double whammy, receiving twice as much snowfall as normal, then an extremely wet and cool spring, including 12 inches of rain in June and damaging flooding in some areas. DNR biologist Sharon Fandel reported that though final numbers weren't available, statewide pheasant numbers are looking to be down 30 percent. West-central Wisconsin looks to be the best Badger State destination this year. Not only does it contain what's regarded as some of the state's best public land, the area avoided the snow and rain that plagued the southern half and surveys showed an increased numbers of birds. And be sure to mark your calendars for Pheasants Forever's National Pheasant Fest, coming to Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, February 6-8, 2009.
Season Opener: October 18
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 2 /4
Pheasant Stamp required
Wyoming
A wetter spring perked up the hatch, some better news after a period of drought and an improvement over last year's below average year. Hunters should look to Goshen County in southeast Wyoming and Big Horn County in the north-central part of the state.
Season Opener: Multiple
Daily Bag / Possession Limits: 3 / 9
Conservation Stamp required
