Dynamics of South Dakota Pheasant Populations

If there's one common denominator in the pheasant hunting forecast business, it's an obsession with the weather. Year after year, when the time comes to start making forecasts for the coming ringneck season, the first factor that gets mentioned is the weather.

Obviously, in South Dakota the weather is always in the forefront. But there's another factor that could be even more important than the weather. That, of course, would be the "H" word. Habitat.

But first we need to understand the dynamics of upland bird populations.  

When it comes to pheasant habitat, effort should be focused on two important components:  reproduction and survival. 

The single most important habitat component needed on the landscape for successful reproduction is undisturbed nesting cover.  The most obvious source of nesting habitat is Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres, however other areas like Game Production Areas, Waterfowl Production Areas, hayfields, alfalfa, winter wheat, odd areas, pastures, and roadside ditches all can provide cover for nesting.

Survival habitat would be those that provide shelter during harsh winter conditions, as well as other times of the year when habitat quality is marginal.  Woody habitat plantings with dense, low to the ground stems provide exceptional cover during the most trying winter weather, while habitat areas such as cattails sloughs also provide secure shelter from wind and cold temperatures.

We know that past devastating winter weather in the northern half to two-thirds of South Dakota has caused significant winter-related deaths of pheasants. For as long as there have been pheasants in the state, severe winter weather has been one of the primary factors affecting the number of breeding birds available in the spring.

Even in an average winter, 10 to 20 percent of the birds that make it through the hunting season die before spring. If you look at the populations from August through the following spring, normal losses are probably close to 50 percent.

Pheasants can sustain those kinds of losses because, like most prey species, they are capable of producing an astonishing number of offspring. In those "normal" years, a good pheasant hatch will include from 7 to 10 young birds for every adult. In other words, upwards of 80 percent of the birds bagged will only be a few months old. This year, reproduction is again the key to hunting prospects.

To estimate how successful reproduction has been, department staff conducts summer brood surveys in early August. The numbers are usually tabulated by Labor Day, and pheasant biologist Tom Kirschenmann uses them to make an estimate of what the population has done since last year.

Understanding this is especially important in a year like 1997. Although we know that northern South Dakota lost plenty of pheasants during the winter of 1996-97, we also know that many survived. That's where habitat comes into the picture.

Even in areas where the winter was most severe, quality winter habitat allowed birds to survive. In most cases what made the difference were windbreaks--trees planted in large enough blocks to prevent them from drifting shut.

But other habitats can be equally effective, even in a bad winter. One conservation officer from northern South Dakota reported finding a cattail slough surrounded by unpicked corn that was doing a fine job even in the late winter. The corn acted as a giant snow fence, keeping the cattails almost free of snow. He said more than a thousand pheasants were making that slough their winter home.

Those birds will have nested in the surrounding area and could provide excellent hunting in the fall. On the other hand, birds trying to survive in the same slough without the protection of the standing corn would have little chance of survival.

As important as winter habitat was in 1996-97 for survival, so was the nesting habitat, CRP in particular, in the years following to allow pheasant numbers to rebound.  Without nesting cover and favorable weather conditions, many areas devastated by this particular winter would not be experiencing the pheasant numbers of today.

In most cases, the best person to talk to is the person who owns the land. In the course of doing their spring and summer field work, the farmers get a good idea of how the birds are doing on their land compared to previous years.

On public land it's up to the hunter. Although Game Production Areas and Waterfowl Production Areas are managed for wildlife, the amount and quality of roosting, feeding, and winter cover varies among them. Understanding the time of year, time of day, surrounding habitat and current weather conditions are important to hunter success.