South Dakota Pheasant Numbers Increase 42 Percent, Habitat Remains Critical Factor

By Justin Stakes

With the potential for 1.5 million rooster harvest, Pheasants Forever stays the course for wildlife habitat

Brookings, SD -(AmmoLand.com)- The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) has released their annual pheasant brood survey and the results show a 42 percent increase in the statewide pheasants-per-mile index compared to 2014.

Elated by this report and the 150 percent increase overall since pheasant abundance reached a recent low merely two years ago, Pheasants Forever continues to stress the importance of habitat and conservation program availability in South Dakota for long-term sustainability of pheasant populations.

Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever’s director in South Dakota and who leads the organization’s regional office in Brookings, views the recent increases as motivation to continue charting a roadmap for further habitat programs in the state.

“Pheasants Forever is thrilled to see rebounding pheasant numbers which will make for a great hunting season in ‘The Pheasant Capital.’ Still, we must keep in mind the obstacles in subsequent years related to pheasant habitat loss. In the next five years alone, South Dakota is set to expire nearly 390,000 acres of CRP. Pheasants Forever is advising state leadership to consider more …read more

Source:: AmmoLand