# SD report



## DonC (Oct 9, 2005)

*Recent harsh weather tough on area pheasant population*

By Joe Kafka
Associated Press

published: 12/05/2005

Ice and snow that struck early last week could hurt the pheasant population in South Dakota, a Game, Fish and Parks Department official said.

But Tony Leif, state game program administrator, said the birds' ultimate fate will not be determined by a single storm.

"I've got a feeling that we've lost some birds but it's not devastating," he said.

"I've received a couple of reports that individuals have found birds that were frosted over. They were still alive but they were indundated with ice in their feathers and above their beaks," Leif said.

The blizzard struck the heart of pheasant country in eastern and central South Dakota.

Pheasants that lose protective cover when heavy snows fall will move so they can survive, Leif said.

"They won't just sit on a drift of snow and die. They will find the resources that they need to survive the winter, to find food and thermal protection from winter elements," he said.

GF&P earlier estimated the sate pheasant population at a 40-year high of nearly 9.7 million. That's 21 percent more than last year and 74 percent above the 10-year average.

Leif said pheasants have expanded in the last several years into areas of the state that can't always support birds because of harsh winter weather. Last week's storm may cause an exodus of pheasants from those places of marginal habitat, he said.

"The birds are either going to have to move or they will perish," Leif said.

Pheasants generally survive if there's an occasional break from cold temperatures and winters are not too long, he said.

"Snow is going to have a negative impact on bird numbers if it continues in this fashion until March," Leif said. "A thaw in the next two or three weeks sure would be nice."

Pheasant season began Oct. 15 and will end Jan. 1.

Hunters killed an estimated 1.6 million pheasants last year in South Dakota; the total a year earlier was 1.8 million.


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## mnswd (Oct 13, 2005)

Thanks for the report - any news on ND


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## DonC (Oct 9, 2005)

Two days to go ........Have u made up your mind yet :lol:


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