For those who don't already know this, North Dakota is a state where many of us enjoy the nature and the beauty of are great outdoors, wether this means hunting, fishing, camping, or just out bird watching, as our state is admired for its abundance of open land that is home to many forms of wildlife. So for that reason this weekend on October 13th our second favorite unofficial holiday behind deer gun opener is set to upon up this Saturday, many already now what I am talking about, but for those who don't know what I am talking about it is the North Dakota ringneck pheasant opener. While this is always a favorite holiday it might be better this year as the last four winters were really bad, which means poor survival and low pheasant number, as many pheasants are short lived and easily die during bad winters due to starvation or lack of thermal cover. But this year is going to be much better because we had one of our best winters on record, which usually means a good start to comeback on our current pheasant population. If you are not originally from North Dakota you probably didn't know ND has one of the better pheasant populations in the U.S, which is going to be a great year as most reports and newspaper read that the pheasant population has jumped up over 50% which makes this year a great year to be out in the North Dakota outdoors enjoying are great hunting opportunities, with that being said have a great and safe 2012 pheasant opener.
It should definitely be a better year for pheasant harvest than the past few years. Certain parts of the state, like southwestern ND, have enjoyed good pheasant numbers the past few years, while other parts of the state have not. This is partly, as you mentioned, the tough winters of previous years. Last years mild winter certainly had an affect on survival of pheasants.
ReplyDeleteThe other issue that any wildlife population faces is habitat loss or degradation. That is a major contributor in declining pheasant numbers the past few years. The price of soybean and corn have become very difficult to compete with. Farmers are turning over Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in hopes of planting them with crop. CRP and native grasslands provide pheasants, and a myriad of wildlife, with critical habitat, not only in tough winters, but for reproduction and food sources. If we are to keep pheasants, deer, ducks, and hundreds of songbirds and mammals, than we need to protect the habitat.
I am hunting with a friend near Bismarck this weekend and the reports are very good in that area. Scouting has been a great success with many more birds compared with last year based on qualitative observations. Good luck this weekend.
Personally I don't pheasant hunt but almost all of my friends do. I am glad to hear that the numbers are up and the more the better. I like to eat pheasant so knowing that there may be more is good news.
ReplyDeleteI heard that this year is good for the hunt, as compared to the past years--as you said. I've never been pheasant hunting--deer hunting, yes--but never birds. My brother hunts pheasants and is looking forward to the good weather and higher populations this year. I did read today in the news that although this year is good, the next upcoming years could get worse. This will be due to land being cultivated to put in crops, so it will be harder for pheasants to find areas to live. Hopefully this year goes well, though.
ReplyDeleteI am not a hunter at all, but I know a lot of people that love to hunt. A lot of my close friends go pheasant hunting and I usually hear about how they do and everything. I think it is great that the numbers are better, especially with how rough they had been the past few seasons.
ReplyDelete