Despite drought, South Dakota pheasant population still promising for the start of the season
Oct. 6—MITCHELL — Despite a punishing winter, pheasant hunting in South Dakota is looking promising this season.
But as promising as last year? Less likely.
Last year's pheasant season was a doozy. South Dakota's Game, Fish and Parks department estimated that hunters harvested 1,580,000 pheasants from Oct. 15, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map for South Dakota tells the story of the season, with Lincoln, Minnehaha, Moody and Brookings counties all suffering severe drought. The rest of the counties bordering Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska east of the Missouri River are experiencing moderate drought or abnormally dry weather.
Dry weather can stunt vegetation growth, and vegetation such as natural grasses are crucial for the birds to create their nests.
All wildlife populations, including pheasants, rely on ample habitat space, and it is GFP's priority to enroll as many acres to the James River Watershed and Big Sioux Watershed Conservation Reserve Programs as possible. The goals for each are 100,000 and 25,000 acres, respectively.
Trent Walrod, a farm bill biologist for Pheasants Forever based out of Chamberlain, said drought isn't the worst thing for the Chinese ring-necked pheasant.
"Usually if we have a super wet spring when the nesting season is going on, nests get flooded out and there's more predation," Walrod said.
Predators like coyotes can smell prey better when the vegetation is wet. The dryer the vegetation the pheasants are brooding in, Walrod said, the better.
Walrod said a dry summer like this is likely to result in better nest success and a bump in pheasant population.
The medium spring rains and small-scale drought throughout the state last year were the perfect ingredients for a booming pheasant population, unmatched in the previous half-decade.
"Last year was perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better nesting season we got in 2022," Walrod said. "We were catching some rain in March and April last year, and that helped the vegetation grow right before nesting season, and then during nesting season it dried out.
The resident pheasant season begins on Oct. 14 marks the start of resident pheasant season, which runs through Jan. 31, 2024. The pheasant season for all hunters starts on Saturday, Oct. 21.
