Pheasant Forecast: 30 to 50 Percent Increases in Heart of Pheasant Range

St. Paul, Minn. – Pheasants Forever has released its 2015 Pheasant Hunting Forecast and based on late summer surveys, improved pheasant hunting opportunities will be found in all major pheasant hunting states. Boosted by mild weather and improved nesting habitat conditions, pheasant range hunting prospects appear to be the best in at least three years. Future prospects are far murkier, however, as the potential for big upland habitat losses loom.
Pheasant populations are led by South Dakota where their already substantial bird count showed a 42 percent jump over 2014. Iowa (up 37 percent), Kansas (up 51 percent), Minnesota (up 33 percent), and Nebraska (up 55 percent) also reported significant increases based on summer roadside survey counts. Pheasant counts are expected to improve greatly in North Dakota as well, with official results expected by mid-September. View the entire state-by-state outlook. Read more