Pheasant, Quail Numbers Up

Thu., Sept. 21, 2000

Fenton Roskelley Correspondent

If trend surveys conducted by wildlife biologists reflect this years populations, pheasant hunting will be considerably better in portions of North Idaho this fall than it was last year.

In fact, Jim Teare of Lewiston, manager of the Craig Mountain Wildlife Area, thinks hunters will see lots of roosters when the season opens Oct. 14.

A trend survey indicated the pheasant population in Region 2 of the Idaho Fish and Game Department is up 118 percent from that of last year.

The weather was fairly good during the pheasant nesting season in late May and early June, he said. There were no prolonged rainstorms and temperatures were mild. As a result, hens did well and the chick survival rate was better than its been during wet nesting periods.

An aerial survey of the chukar partridge populations along the Snake and Salmon rivers was conducted a couple of weeks later than usual because of the fire danger, Teare said. As a result, the figures may not reflect the actual populations.

He said the chukar population along the Salmon River was down 28 percent from that of 1999, but it was up 11 percent over the five-year average.

Biologists saw 50 percent fewer birds along the Snake than they did last year and 43 percent fewer than the five-year average. There may have been a lot more birds along the river than they saw.

“Overall, he said, “the outlook is better than what our averages show. The average brood size was 13 along the salmon and 12 on the Snake. Those averages indicate that we have a fairly good chukar population, at least enough birds for good hunting.”

The trend survey showed that quail numbers were up 146 percent from the 1999 numbers. Hunters, as usual, will find most of the quail along the brushy draws near the Salmon, Clearwater and Snake rivers.

Idaho’s partridge and quail seasons opened Sept. 16.

Hunters are permitted to take home 8 chukars and 8 gray (Hungarian) partridges a day and have 16 chukars and 16 Huns in possession after the first day of hunting.

The daily bag limit of quail is 10 a day and 20 in possession.

Grouse hunting has been fair since the season opened Sept. 1.

This sidebar appeared with story: HUNTING SEASONS

Upland birds North Idaho

Forest grouse: Sept. 1-Dec. 31

Partridge: Sept. 16-Jan. 15

California quail: Closed in most of North Idaho. Open in Lewiston region Sept. 16-Dec. 31

Pheasant: Oct. 14-Dec. 31

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.