Hunters found fewer wild pheasants when the state season opened last Saturday because of consecutive hard winters, according to state biologists.
"Wisconsin's wild, naturally reproducing pheasant population experienced another challenging winter," said Scott Hull, DNR upland game biologist.
A spring crowing count survey showed a 36 percent decline, but brood survey information in July and August showed a 25 percent increase in the number of broods seen per observer and an increase in the average brood size from 4.6 in 2008 to 5.3 in 2009.
The increase in brood production is a sign that the pheasant population is starting to rebound from 2008's record rainy spring.
Last fall, about 70,000 hunters reported shooting 360,207 birds. The top counties for pheasants were Kenosha, Dane and Dodge.
The DNR plans to stock 71 public hunting grounds with about 45,000 pheasants, a slight decrease from 2008 because of higher feed and gas costs.
Should the state Department of Natural Resources be in the business of raising pheasants?
read more... http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sportsflash/index.ssf?/base/sports-128/125614910078640.xml&storylist=sports
