Pheasant Outlook for Wisconsin

[Rick]

Contributed by Scott Walter and Krista McGinley

Visitors to the DNR’s ring-necked pheasant page this fall will find the 2013 pheasant stocking information sheet, which identifies public hunting grounds slated for pheasant stocking. This fall, the DNR plans to stock 92 public hunting grounds with approximately 75,000 pheasants, a significant increase from the 54,000 pheasants stocked on 70 properties in 2012.

The pheasant stocking program has become very popular among hunters, and the increased stocking efforts this year will provide additional opportunities on all of the previously stocked hunting areas plus 21 new properties. These 2013 stocking numbers are preliminary.

Final numbers will not be known until after the season is complete. This year’s pheasant hunting regulations are included in the 2013 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations booklet. Hunters will need to purchase a 2013 pheasant stamp and small game license and carefully verify which public hunting grounds have a 2 p.m. weekday closure and which allow hen pheasant hunting.

Results from the 2013 rural mail carrier pheasant survey show an increase in the number of pheasants seen during the April survey period. The number of pheasants seen per 100 miles driven was 0.36 in 2013, up 16 percent from the 0.31 recorded in 2012. The counties with the highest number of pheasants seen per 100 miles driven were Barron (1.19), Kenosha (0.84) and Polk (0.84).

Brood production was up for pheasants during the summer of 2012. This past winter was average for temperature and below-average for snowfall early in the season and normal to above-average late in the season across much of the pheasant range. However, despite good brood production in 2012 and favorable weather conditions for much of the winter, the increased number of pheasants seen in 2013 is still below the long-term average of 0.58 pheasants per 100 miles driven.

In 2013, the statewide ring-necked pheasant survey was redesigned based on the results of a collaborative study between DNR and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The survey redesign and survey protocol revision were aimed at improving the accuracy and efficiency of the survey. The redesign includes a modification of data collection procedures so pheasant detection rates can be estimated; these detection rates are vital in helping wildlife managers monitor population trends over time.

Wisconsin is one of the first states to incorporate detection estimates across a statewide annual gamebird survey, and this revision will provide DNR with better tools to effectively manage harvest and habitat management programs for ring-necked pheasants.

The number of pheasants recorded in 2013 (0.42 birds per stop) was slightly below the five-year average of 0.48 birds per stop. While there appears to be a slight increase in birds per stop from 2012 to 2013, the overall six-year trend shows a decline.

Estimated pheasant abundance was highest in west central Wisconsin and lowest in south central. Changes in agriculture and in land-use patterns are still contributing to long-term declines in ring-necked pheasant populations.

Enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a U.S. Department of Agriculture program which pays landowners to retire their cropland for 10 to 15 year periods – by planting it to permanent cover, such as grass or trees – has declined significantly in Wisconsin.

CRP enrollment in the state peaked in the mid-1990’s at more than 700,000 acres. Current enrollment is approximately 318,000 acres and current high crop prices will likely continue to push CRP acres back into row crops for the near future. CRP has been shown to provide important habitat for pheasants and other grassland wildlife and the loss of habitat in recent years is likely affecting pheasant populations statewide.

Looking Ahead to Fall 2013

Given the loss of grassland acres on the landscape and relatively low pheasant numbers, hunters may need to scout diligently to locate suitable pheasant cover. Those who do can expect moderate success during the 2013 season. Landscapes that include an intermixture of several cover types are most likely to yield birds. We recommend hunters scout for areas composed of at least 10-15 percent grassland or idle ground with quality winter cover readily available to pheasants.

Cattail marshes, shelterbelts and dense shrub thickets provide protection for pheasants during harsh winter weather, and landscapes that include these habitat elements will likely still hold pheasants. Brood survey information for 2013 will become available later in the season.

During the 2012 pheasant hunting season, an estimated 46,421 hunters spent a total of 432,460 days in search of pheasants and reported harvesting 220,869 birds. The top counties for harvest were Fond du Lac, Dodge and Dane.

The 2013 pheasant hunting season opens statewide October 19 at noon and closes December 31. On October 19 and 20, the daily bag limit is one cock, and the possession limit is two. For the remainder of the season, the daily bag limit is two cocks and the possession limit is four.

Some stocked public hunting grounds have both hen (which require free leg tags) and cock pheasant hunting. Others have a 2 p.m. weekday closure times, and some have both these features.