Upper Midwest Pheasant Field Reports

Good and bad. Wet weather isn't ideal for nesting and early broods, but in parts of the country the precipitation has delayed mowing.

Field reports on pheasant numbers are starting to trickle in. At Pheasants Forever, we work in August to compile the annual Pheasant Hunting Forecast. Until then, it’s nice to have something to talk about.

Iowa

In a nutshell, this could be another thin year for bird hunters in many areas of Iowa. At the mid-summer mark, Iowa pheasants continued to be under assault from the elements.  And, while the full story for fall is still more than a month from being told (after the Roadside Surveys are complete in mid-August), the abridged version is not a fun read.  Statewide, pheasants and quail suffered through the third in a string of unusually cold and snowy winters in 2009-10.  December through February snowfall was nearly double the usual amount, and stayed on the ground for the entire period – accelerating over-winter losses.  March brought Iowa an early warm up which continued into April, undoubtedly contributing to several brood sightings at month’s end – holding promise for reversing the recent downward spiral of Iowa’s pheasants.  As easily as Mother Nature gave hope, however, she snatched it away with a cold/wet May – a precursor to the wettest June in 138 years of state records. These two months, of course, are the peak of nesting and hatch for Iowa pheasants. The only bright spot in spring weather was the inability of hay producers to mow hayfields where birds were nesting. Potential nesting habitat acreage remained similar to 2009, however, Iowa’s loss of over 2,200 square miles of CRP in the last several years has not been kind to birds. Formal population surveys will not begin for another couple of weeks, but generally brood sightings have been sparse this summer and brood size appears to be low. In other related news, Iowa appears headed toward a habitat-based hunter access program (somewhat like those in the Dakotas and elsewhere). The timetable for starting the program has not been announced.

- Jim Wooley, Quail Forever’s Director of Field Operations

Clarion, Iowa

Michigan

Winter in Michigan’s pheasant range was relatively cold and snowy at times, but I would anticipate minimal impact on pheasants. Neither the cold nor snow lasted tremendously long, so pheasants should have survived just fine. I heard good reports of birds after the snow was gone, so I don’t think winter impacted birds significantly. Nesting conditions in Michigan this year have been good. It was relatively warm and dry in April, so we had a relatively early green-up producing good nesting cover early on. May and June were wet, but warm enough that I would think the impact on chicks would be minimal. All the rain in May and early June kept farmers off many hayfields, which will likely have a positive impact on nesting success. The delayed cutting was bad for farmers, but good for the birds. Reports the past few days have been much better than last year. One report from the Michigan DNRE in “the Thumb” reported twice as many broods observed so far as they had all of last year. I have had other similar reports from private landowners scattered across the state. Again, I think the hatch has been much better than last year.

- Mike Parker, Pheasants Forever Regional Wildlife Biologist

Okemos, Michigan

Minnesota

Some areas of the state, especially southwest Minnesota, was hit harder by winter storms than others in our pheasant range. Overall, above average pheasant mortality was observed across most of the pheasant range. Conditions started out favorable with an early spring, but then turned unseasonable cold during the incubation phase of the nesting season – what exact effect that had on the chick hatch remains to be seen. The peak hatch and weeks following were greeted by above average rainfall events. The bright spot in the cloudy sky was the temperatures remained relatively mild during this precipitation which gives the broods a better chance of survival compared to cold and wet weather. Reports indicate about average number chicks in a brood.  If I had to guess, we will experience a fall hunting season similar to last year.

- Eran Sandquist, Pheasants Forever Regional Wildlife Biologist

South Haven, Minnesota

North Dakota

Although more snow fell this winter as compared to last, pheasants pulled through very well and populations were stable as spring approached. There were snow showers into May this spring, but as pheasants prepared to sit on nests, conditions overall were good. With a wet spring and many rain showers, North Dakota greened up quickly. But these rain showers continued into the peak of the hatch with many severe storms, washing out nests and hurting the hatch. We will be waiting anxiously for brood surveys to be completed at the end of July and early August.

- Jesse Beckers, Pheasants Forever Regional Wildlife Biologist

Valley City, North Dakota

South Dakota

We had good carryover from last winter, but it was extremely wet during the primary nesting season here in South Dakota – not ideal conditions for nests and early broods. However, the wet weather meant haying was pushed back, which bodes well for chicks. Additionally, the wet pattern we’ve been in here meant a lot of crop fields were left fallow. Those ‘weedy messes’ are providing excellent brood cover. Overall, I’d expect numbers to be down a little bit from last year.

- Ben Bigalke, Pheasants Forever Regional Wildlife Biologist

Woolsey, South Dakota

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 and is filed under Habitat, Pheasants, Pheasants Forever. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.