Midsummer Pheasant Review

With the passing of July 4 and this week’s MLB All Star Game, all the signs are in place that we’re halfway through summer. And with the buzz of the first cicada and the explosion of the last pack of Black Cat firecrackers comes the chance to examine the current state of all things pheasant-related in the region, along with a general view of other topics affecting hunting and conservation, from legislation to weather patterns.

Looking back on the latter, frequent rains, cooler than average temperatures and a disruptive weather pattern have been the trend as we enter the back half of the warm weather season. Multiple June monsoons, along with a generally chilly and damp May most likely impacted hatching and recruitment of pheasant chicks in northern edge of the birds’ range. Those factors, teamed up with severe weather events scattered throughout the upper plains with high winds, and huge hail have not been conducive for producing a bumper crop of pheasants for the fall.

While Minnesota has not released an indicating report (and probably won’t, due to the wizards in charge of the budget negotiations in St. Paul), other states in the upper Midwest facing similar weather conditions have. The first population report of the year for our region comes from North Dakota, where crowing counts in the southeast corner of the state dropped by a whopping 30 percent. The only area experiencing an increase in crowing count numbers was the southwest corner of the Peace Garden State, at just five percent to the good. All other areas reported decreases in crowing roosters this spring, following the third bitter winter in a row and continued loss of Conservation Reserve Program acreage.

And it is that element of habitat that ultimately swings the pheasant population pendulum. Because no matter how much corn gets set out in winter, no matter how many chicks are raised for release, no effort to improve pheasant numbers has a greater impact than setting aside marginal lands for wildlife. One need only glance at the historical graphs of CRP enrollment and annual pheasant harvest in any given state to see a direct correlation.

This year, the 2011 CRP enrollment numbers still fell well below the now-reduced 32-million-acre cap set by the most recent farm bill. Nationwide, a gain of 2.8 million acres brought the total enrollment to 29.9 million acres. In Minnesota, 33,000 acres were enrolled, but over 2011, the number of acres taken out of CRP in the state may be near 300,000.

But there is good news this summer! Conservation groups are making sure that future generations of sportsmen and conservationists have a chance to experience the enjoyment of the outdoors. I recently had the chance to put the final signatures on my Pheasants Forever chapter’s Angler and Hunter Recruitment and Retention Grant which will allow our group to start up an exciting and in-depth fishing program for local youth next spring, where they will learn the arts of fly tying and lure making and how to use their hand-made creations to catch fish, in addition to our annual youth hunt held in October. It’s likely that wildlife clubs in your area have similar opportunities for kids as well – reach out and get involved to help build young peoples’ interest in the sport, or get your kids off the couch and enrolled in a youth trap league or hunter safety course.

For example, my chapter is working with a local business, as part of the store’s Youth Hunting Day, where area youth will be introduced and instructed on a variety of hunting, safety and conservation topics. The booth will boast a laser-shot hunting game on a huge screen for attendees to test their aim, along with literature, prizes and more on hunting and conservation. It’s a combination of video games and hunting, which helps today’s tech-savvy youth transition from virtual reality to real reality.

In the end, it is important to focus on what we can control, what we can do, and what we can advance to make the experience in the outdoors a positive one. Whether it is enrolling lands in set-aside programs, or furthering the next generation’s interest in hunting, there’s something we all can take pride in regardless of the weather and the results of the most recent hatch. Sharpen your aim on these goals this summer, and look toward fall with renewed enthusiasm and optimism for the future in your particular part…of our outdoors.