Local pheasant and small game populations don’t seem to be as affected by the current drought as many may expect. Upland Game biologist Todd Bogenschutz spoke with Raccoon Valley Radio about what hunters can anticipate during this fall season.
“This past winter we had one of the milder winters we’ve had in recent memory and it was a relatively dry spring. We’re expecting that pheasant, quail, and cottontail numbers will all go up significantly.” says Bogenschutz.
He explains that it is in the pheasant’s nature to thrive in dry conditions, especially during the morning hours.
“The thing about pheasants is that they hate to be wet in the morning, so the hen will actually bring her brood to the roadside if it’s near by and they will just kind of stand their and loaf and wait for the vegetation to dry off before they begin feeding.”
Hunters should be pleasantly surprised with their luck when pheasant season officially opens October 27th and runs until January 10th.