Pheasant Revival

Hunting

After more than two decades of losing pheasant space to subdivisions and other development, Idaho biologists and hunters in believe they are starting to stem the loss.

The state’s pheasant population is on a slight rebound from the last decade, when severe winters, drought and urban sprawl resulted in what Idaho biologists called the “Pheasant Crash of the ‘80s.”

Thickets, hedgerows and other hiding places are again popping up on the outskirts of urban areas.

“I feel better about the future of pheasants,’ said Tom Hemker, Idaho Fish and Game upland game bird manager. “We’re not giving up.”

Last fall, pheasant hunting was the best in five years. Scattergunners shot 166,500 birds, compared with 117,000 in 1991. However, it was nothing like 1980, when 438,900 were taken.

This fall is shaping up about as good as last year in southwestern Idaho and down slightly in other parts of the state. But it is still better than the early 1990s.

Hunting success sank to 102,700 birds in 1989. The number of pheasant hunters fell from 70,000 to 30,000.

Help is coming from habitat projects, like the federal Conservation Reserve Program, where farmers are paid to set aside land and boost the hiding areas.

The Pheasants Forever group has 12 chapters and 1,700 members in Idaho. They have raised more than $2 million for habitat projects. The organization has worked to arrange more than 55,000 acres of nesting cover and planted 726,439 trees for winter shelter.