# Minnesota Pheasants



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Minnesota pheasant numbers down by half 
Doug Smith, Star Tribune 
October 13, 2004 DOUG1013

The grin on their faces last fall told the story: Minnesota's 105,000 pheasant hunters discovered a bonanza of roosters, and shot more than a half million ringnecks for only the third time in nearly 40 years. But when the season opens Saturday, things will be different. The bird's population dropped nearly 50 percent.

How could this happen?

WHAT WENT RIGHT

POST-HUNT 2003 RINGNECK POPULATION

Two consecutive mild winters coupled with a dry, warm spring in 2003 during the pheasant nesting season spurred the ringneck population explosion and last fall's spectacular hunting.

At season's end last December, after hunters bagged 511,000 roosters, a healthy population of hens and roosters settled in to try to survive winter. Prospects for the birds were excellent. In fact, there probably were more hens alive last fall then there were the previous year -- meaning the table was set for another gangbuster year in 2004.

A KIND WINTER

A typical Minnesota winter is tough on pheasants. Food often is buried under snow and ice. Cover is inundated with snow, exposing birds to predators. And the state's long winter exacerbates the problem.

It's a tough life.

"Annual survival rates of females is in the 21 percent to 46 percent range," Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist John Giudice said . "Think about that: at least half the birds die in any given year."

Fewer males survive because they are hunted. Giudice said a 7 percent survival rate for males would be typical. Because pheasants are polygamous, only a few roosters are needed to re-populate the species.

Good fortune continued to smile on pheasants last winter, with average precipitation but above-average temperatures. Snow depth was less than 8 inches throughout much of the pheasant range, and winter survival probably was average to above average, Giudice estimated.

"They should have come out in reasonable shape," he said.

The stage was set for another pheasant boom, maybe bigger than in 2003.

WHAT WENT WRONG

RAIN, COLD HAMPERS BIRDS

Good numbers of pheasants probably survived the winter, and March and April were warmer and drier than average, bringing more good news. But for Minnesota pheasants, warm and dry weather during their spring nesting season in May and early June is crucial.

And in May -- as the birds were laying eggs -- the rain and cold came. Precipitation was 81 percent above the long-term average of 3.2 inches and average temperature was 4 degrees below normal. Some nests likely were flooded (and destroyed), Giudice said.

Then more rain fell the first two weeks of June. "That's when most of our chicks are hatched and when they are most vulnerable," Giudice said. If they get wet and cold, they can die.

"Our best guess is yes, we did lose some chicks," Giudice said.

It was a double-whammy for pheasants and pheasant hunters, at least those who will hunt only in Minnesota.

In South Dakota, the pheasant picture is much brighter -- primarily, wildlife officials say, because that state's upland habitat is much more plentiful than Minnesota's, and also of a higher quality.

Additionally, South Dakota typically receives much less precipitation than Minnesota, increasing the chance that spring downpours won't wash away pheasant nests and chicks.

Hunting also begins Saturday in South Dakota, where ringnecks statewide only declined by 9 percent this year and remain at near-record levels.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The DNR's August roadside count showed pheasant numbers in Minnesota down 47 percent from last year. That came a year after the pheasant numbers were up 65 percent. It's been a rollercoaster ride for ringnecks.

But there is some good news. Though hens that lose their chicks won't nest again until next year, hens that lose their eggs before they hatch often will nest again -- but they generally produce fewer chicks. Renesting likely occurred in June, Giudice said. So hunters might see some young roosters come Saturday.

And the actual decline in pheasant numbers might be less than 47 percent, because late-nesting hens or hens with late-hatched chicks wouldn't likely be visible during the August roadside counts.

Either way, hunters will be confronted Saturday with vast fields of standing crops. Only 4 percent of the corn has been harvested, compared to 33 percent last year, and 42 percent of the soybeans has been harvested, compared to 83 percent in 2003.

Giudice predicts a harvest similar to 2002, when 358,000 roosters were killed. "I'd say its going to be an average Minnesota pheasant season," Giudice said.

So begins another cycle, one that could result in pheasant population upswings just as dramatic as this year's downturn.

"If you have good habitat and good weather to go along with it, you can see phenomenal reproduction," Giudice said.

Doug Smith is at [email protected].

Fewer pheasants

The average number of pheasants counted per 100 miles in Minnesota is about half of last year's total. A look at the pheasant counts of the past 24 years:

1981 133.5

1982 60.2

1983 56.2

1984 28.6

1985 34.6

1986 21.2

1987 50.0

1988 34.8

1989 39.8

1990 57.5

1991 76.9

1992 44.2

1993 24.3

1994 44.7

1995 58.9

1996 38.2

1997 31.6

1998 65.7

1999 62.4

2000 70.1

2001 34.8

2002 64.7

2003 108.0

2004 57.4

Pheasants taken

The number of pheasants harvested in Minnesota each year since 1988:

1988 332,000

1989 325,000

1990 483,000

1991 565,000

1992 411,000

1993 332,000

1994 319,000

1995 398,000

1996 341,000

1997 248,000

1998 309,000

1999 339,000

2000 375,000

2001 267,000

2002 358,000

2003 511,000


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Uh oh, they'll be crossing the border in droves! 

I am unfamilia with Minnesota pheasant hunting, but understand it is primarily in the SW. 1/4 of the state. I wonder if after last years great hunting numbers if the G/O's and landowners got the wheels spinning on fee hunting. I am sure it already exists but I bet they were working like mad to set up more!


----------



## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

Rem - I have been hunting the SW corner of the state for 15 years and have never encountered a guide or a farmer asking for fee hunting. But, I don't go looking for it either.


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Great to hear! I don't go looking for it either, but I have been amazed at the locations I have been told it was available for a fee. I purposely try to hunt areas that aren't the "top spots" and it seems the fee hunting is spreading into the very mediocre spots now!


----------



## RWHONKER (Dec 22, 2003)

I am in the SE corner of the state and I see pheasants all the time. Maybe in some parts of the state they are down but not everywhere. Also the nearest guide or outfitter is about 50 miles away, so I am safe for now.


----------



## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

I never knew Minnesota had pheasants because I see tons of people from Minnesota around here.


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Why do we get so many MN pheasant hunters if they have decent numbers down there? I think a lot of them are former ND residents that come back home, but I could be wrong.


----------



## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

Rem - my neighbor matches that description.


----------



## deacon (Sep 12, 2003)

MN guys come to ND to get away and for the land access!

That and we love to party with all the locals on Friday, as everyone knows Friday nights are the night out for the locals. :beer:


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Ahhhhh friday nights at the Sportsman's in Wilton, Captain's Cabin in Washburn, Harbor Bar in Coleharbor, Damn Bar in Pick City, Daisy Dukes in Pick City, Totten Trail at Audobon! Great memories! :bartime:


----------



## deacon (Sep 12, 2003)

You missed the Underwood bar, it has some the coldest beer in all of ND.


----------



## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

I wouldn't give up on the MN pheasants yet. Tons of corn and some soybeans still up so the best hunting is yet to come. We need about 2 weeks of dry weather....


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

deacon said:


> You missed the Underwood bar, it has some the coldest beer in all of ND.


Yep, been there as well. How could I have forgotten. 2 weekends ago they had free beef ribs, potatos, and rolls !!! YUMMMMM


----------

