The Crowing Post:  09/17/07

2007 Pheasant & Quail Seasons Expected to be Like Last Year

Information gathered during spring and summer small game population surveys, including the August roadside brood count, suggest Nebraska's 2007 pheasant and quail seasons should be about the same as last year.

Jeff Lusk, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions upland game program manager, said information from summer surveys indicated pheasant populations in the northeast, southeast and southwest, Nebraska's most heavily hunted regions, were similar to last year, and there was a decline in pheasant numbers in the central region. Pheasant abundance was highest in the southwest and northeast regions, followed by the Panhandle and southeast areas.

Lusk said ”The main summer bobwhite surveys showed mixed results from last year, making prediction of fall hunting conditions difficult. Although populations are still below the long-term averages, the July rural mail carrier survey (RMCS) showed increases over last year in several regions, most notably in the Republican and East-central regions, however, the whistle count surveys results failed to confirm those gains.

“Densities in the West Platte region declined sharply compared to 2006, and the southeast showed more modest losses. Despite the inconsistent counties, the east-central and southeast remained the regions with the highest quail densities.”

It is hard to get a handle on grouse numbers because they are hard to census with standard roadside surveys. But, the survey information biologists did get indicated grouse numbers were lower in the Sandhills area this spring than in 2006. Exactly what that means in terms of the grouse population this fall is “unclear,” according to Lusk. In the southeast, greater prairie-chicken numbers remained similar to 2006. There are a limited number of permits available to hunters in the southeast. For information on grouse hunting in the east zone, contact the Commissions Lincoln office.

 habitat today….pheasants forever!