What about the birds?

Declining acres available to pheasants, hunters

A call of urgency breaks the morning silence. The ring-necked pheasant has a distinct sound when it’s startled. Subsequent wing noise is unique in its own way too.

The Chinese ring-necked pheasant was believed to have been introduced to the United States in the 1880s. Since then, the birds have become something hunters travel hundreds of miles to find. It’s become big business in parts of the High Plains.

But in recent years, habitat for pheasants has declined, and some states have even seen a sharp decrease in the number of hunting licenses because of the lack of birds.

South Dakota

One hundred years of pheasant hunting was celebrated in South Dakota in 2018, and according to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, wildlife survey report dated Sept. 4, this was the first time since 1990 the total pheasant harvest was below 1 million roosters for two years in a row.

Mark Norton, hunting access and farm bill coordinator for SDGFP, said there’s a couple reasons for declines in the number of birds and licenses.

“Decreasing acres of habitat that provide nesting and brood rearing cover for pheasants is the No. 1 reason why pheasant populations have decreased and likely led to decreased pheasant hunting license sales in South Dakota,” Norton said.

In South Dakota, grasslands and wetlands are two major features on the landscape critical to the birds.

“These acres have declined as a result of the increasing demand to produce food and fuel for the growing world’s population,” Norton said. “One example is the loss of one-third of the acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in South Dakota from the long-term average enrollment of just less than 1.5 million to a low of 926,000 in 2015.”

The acres lost in South Dakota came from certain parts of the state that produced many pheasants. Recently there’s been a higher demand for farmers to enroll their acres in CRP, but an enrollment cap in 2014 limited the number of acres. About 1.5 million acres of native prairie between 2006 and 2012 were lost, and an annual loss of 15,000 acres of wetlands from 2001 to 2011 has occurred.

“These habitat features continue to be lost from South Dakota’s landscape,” Norton said.

SDGFP observed a slight decline in the overall pheasant population index, according to their survey report. This was due to “historic winter snowfall and spring/summer precipitation patterns.”

“Weather extremes always have an impact on wildlife populations,” Norton said.

The survey report said it’s highly likely flooded ditches and unplanted crop fields reduced the number of pheasants using roadside habitat thus reducing the number of pheasants observed in 2019 compared to 2018.

“Pheasants are resilient and may suffer population decreases during these extreme weather years, but if there are sufficient blocks of nesting and brood rearing habitat, they can bounce back within a couple of years,” Norton said.

Typically in South Dakota, pheasants prefer a mix of grasslands, wetlands, small grains and row crops, but really depend on undisturbed grassland nesting and brood rearing habitat for population maintenance and increases. Norton said wetlands with cattails as well as planted and native woody habitat also provide important winter habit for pheasants.

Private hunting land is used about 62% of the time in the state for pheasant hunting, according to Norton, and state of South Dakota invests in partnership private lands biologist positions to help USDA deliver federal farm bill conservation programs, like CRP and wetland reserve easements, as these programs are the major funding source for developing and conserving habitat on private lands in a state that is 80% privately owned.

“South Dakota also has a suite of other state-sponsored programs that complement the federal programs by enhancing them for wildlife habitat or filling gaps that federal programs don’t cover as there is more demand for these programs than there is funding,” Norton said.

Nebraska

Eric Zach, ag program manager, wildlife division, Nebraska Game and Parks said the loss of CRP acres has hastened the decline in hunter numbers, but it’s not the only reason.

“Understanding the varied and interconnected reasons for hunter declines is a top priority for agencies and organizations across the nation,” Zach said. “The decline in habitat, namely CRP, for pheasants and quail in Nebraska was precipitated by the increase in commodity prices in the late 2000s and early 2010s.”

In 2007, Nebraska had 1.34 million acres enrolled in CRP, by 2016 only 781,976 acres remained.

“The largest losses of CRP came in eastern Nebraska, where some counties lost the vast majority of their CRP and along with that habitat, pheasants declined as well,” Zach said. “Southwestern and western Nebraska counties have retained the majority of their CRP acres and the bird numbers remain strongest where the habitat remains.”

These areas of Nebraska also contain a more diverse landscape with unfarmed areas, more crop diversity, and in general more quality habitat.

Zach thinks that in an effort to shrink the federal budget and with interest in CRP lagging, the 2014 farm bill reduced the CRP acreage cap. The maximum number of acres that can be enrolled nationwide at any one time is 24 million acres.

“Since then commodity prices have declined and there is a renewed interest in CRP, but because the acreage cap was reduced there haven’t been many opportunities to enroll in CRP,” Zach said.

The 2018 farm bill did come with an increase in the acreage cap to 27 million acres, but that remains far below the cap of 32 million acres prior to the 2014 farm bill and even higher acreage caps prior to that.

In general in Nebraska, pheasants and bobwhite quail prefer diverse landscapes of landscapes of native grasses and forbs, crop fields (wheat, sorghum, corn, etc.), and shrubs (a necessity for quail).

“Pheasants need larger tracts of native grass with interspersed crop fields, while bobwhite quail thrive in areas that consist of a mix of shrubs, native grasses, cropland, and woodlands,” he said.

Weather can have a big influence on bird numbers both locally and regionally. Nesting cover quality is impacted by drought, and even extreme drought—like in 2012—stresses birds and insects, which young chicks feed on.

“Conversely, cool and wet periods can also lead to mortality for young chicks that don’t yet have the plumage to stay warm and dry,” Zach said. “Heavy winter snow that persists for a long period can cause mortality and ice storms are especially bad for pheasants and bobwhite quail.”

Kansas

Wes Sowards, assistant director, wildlife division, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism said much has changed since the heyday of the 1980s as it relates to agriculture.

“Traditional wheat/fallow operations across the Midwest, that promoted broad-leaved “weeds” during the summer fallow period that is beneficial to the production of pheasants, has been replaced by extensive no-till, chemical fallow agriculture that leaves very little of that beneficial brood-rearing habitat across the landscape,” Sowers said.

CRP was the “savior in our pheasant range in Kansas. It helped to mitigate some of those gradual losses of habitat over time,” he said.

In western Kansas though, CRP lands can only provide quality brood-rearing habitat for so long.

“These stands of native grasses and forbs need to be properly managed throughout to properly provide those beneficial habitat components that have been lost through chemical fallow operations on ag lands,” Sowers said.

CRP acres continue to expire at a rapid rate, furthering the reduction of the beneficial habitat available to upland game birds.

Typically in Kansas, 60% of hunters hunt on private lands, while public lands are “very heavily utilized for upland bird hunting in relation to the actual number of acres we have available to the public in Kansas.” Sowers said there’s about 300,000 acres available to public hunting or 1% of the state’s total land area.

“Kansas is 98% privately owned, thus gaining access to those private lands are a major priority for our agency,” Sowers said. “Our Walk-In Hunting Access program, which leases the hunting rights from private landowners and opens it up for public access, has over 1.1 million acres available across the state for hunting opportunities.”

According to Sowers, there are multiple agencies and organizations across the entire state devoted to providing technical resources and assistance to agricultural producers, ranchers and landowners on how to provide beneficial wildlife habitat on the landscape.

“There are also multiple funding mechanisms in place within our agency and other partners to provide cost-share to landowners to implement these best management practices on their land,” he said. “The federal farm bill has been the biggest funding pool in Kansas over the years as far as providing technical and financial assistance.”

Besides the farm bill, KDWPT’s wildlife biologists partner landowners with the state for technical assistance, financial cost-share, equipment loans, grass seed and shrubs through the Habitat First program.

Upland birds—pheasants and quail need a variety of habitat types to survive and reproduce—this often includes residual native bunch grasses for nesting habitat, broad-leaved forbs or weeds that attract insects for that time right after nesting. Both pheasant and quail chicks need insects as food for their first eight weeks of life.

“Without that component, mortality increases and local populations suffer,” Sowers said.

Winter habitat is another component that is very important in Kansas. The birds have to have some temperature relief and cover from the elements. This includes things like shrub thickets or Sand hill plum, American plum, and fragrant sumac.

“Another important thing to note is they need all of these habitat types in close proximity of each other to maximize survival and reproduction,” Sowers said. “Row crops like grain sorghum can provide a valuable food source, but quite frankly is not a limiting habitat factor in the Midwest.”

Obviously weather plays a huge role on the local and regional levels, and in some cases—catastrophic flooding events—have an even bigger impact.

“If you have the best habitat possible, of all the types that they need, especially cover and protection, you lessen the impacts of those severe weather events,” Sowers said. “On the flip side, if you lack adequate habitat and cover and a large hail storm rolls through … you do the math.”

If the habitat can no longer support a quality opportunity, most hunters will spend their time and their money chasing birds where habitat and production was best.

“Hunters follow the birds; if they are there, they will come,” Sowers said.

Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].