Hunters heading out to Wisconsin’s fields in search of ring-necked pheasants will find this year’s pheasant hunting regulations included in the 2007 Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations. In previous years, the pheasant regulations had been published separately. Hunters should be aware of the new statewide requirement of a pheasant stamp and carefully verify which public hunting grounds have a 2 p.m. closure and/or allow hen pheasant hunting.
This fall the Department of Natural Resources biologists plan to stock 71 public hunting grounds with approximately 58,000 game farm pheasants. This is an increase from 2006 when 52,000 game farm pheasants were stocked on 70 public hunting grounds. 2007 stocking numbers are preliminary and final numbers will not be known until late September or early October.
People can check the pheasant page of the DNR Web site [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/pheasant/index.htm] for a 2007 Pheasant Stocking Information Sheet identifying public hunting grounds slated for pheasant stocking.
Results from the 2007 rural mail carrier pheasant survey indicate a 22 percent increase (from 0.68 in 2006 to 0.83 in 2007) in the number of pheasants observed by rural mail carriers per 100 miles driven. These results are higher than the long-term mean of 0.61. The spring crowing count survey indicated only a slight decrease of 6 percent in the statewide average of roosters per square mile. “Generally, given the survey information we have received, it appears that the population has shown little change over the past few years despite year to year fluctuations,” says Sharon Fandel, assistant upland wildlife ecologist, “With a fairly stable pheasant population, hunters can expect a great fall pheasant season.” Brood survey information for 2007 will become available later in the summer.
Changes in pheasant populations have coincided with changing agriculture and land use patterns. Pheasants once relied on small grain and hay fields for nesting and brood rearing. These areas are now being replaced with larger row crops such as corn and soybeans. Areas that contain adequate winter cover (cattail and shrub-carr marshes and thick switch grass fields that have more than 15 percent of the landscape in idle grassland) will have the highest pheasant densities. In addition, research has shown that wetlands are one of the most important year-round cover types for pheasants. It will be important for hunters to identify areas with high quality habitat and concentrate hunting efforts in that area.
New for the 2007 pheasant hunting season is the statewide requirement of a pheasant stamp. The 2007 pheasant hunting opens statewide on Oct. 20 at noon and closes on Dec. 31. From Oct. 20-21, the daily bag limit is one cock and possession limit is two. For the remainder of the season the daily bag limit is two cocks and the possession limit is four. Some public hunting grounds have both hen and cock pheasant hunting (requires free permits and tags) and/or 2 p.m. closure times.
See the 2007 Small Game Hunting Regulations for additional details or visit the pheasant page of the DNR Web site at [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/pheasant/index.htm].
Ring-necked pheasant season
Oct. 20 (noon opener) – Dec. 20
Bag limits: Oct. 20-21, one cock, possession limit of two cocks; Oct. 22 – Dec. 20, two cocks, possession limit of four cocks
