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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Mild spring conditions provide bounty for upland bird hunters

Hunting along Whitman County wheat stubble, Ranger, a Brittany, retrieves a rooster pheasant in this undated photo. Ring-neck pheasants, a natural marvel of colorful design, were introduced from China to the United States in the late 1800s to become a wildly popular game bird. (RICH LANDERS/FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Michael Wright michaelw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5508

It was a great year for upland bird hunters in Washington.

Favorable spring hatching conditions led to big numbers of pheasants, quail and partridge this year, and hunters took advantage.

Whitman County is known as one of Washington’s hot spots for pheasants. Dean Nizer, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife private lands biologist there, saw plenty of birds and talked to a lot of successful hunters.

“This was one of the best years that we’ve seen as far as numbers,” Nizer said.

Todd Baarstad, WDFW’s private lands biologist for Lincoln County and the three northeastern counties, said he heard the same thing in his conversations with bird hunters from across the region, regardless of whether they were chasing quail, chukars, pheasants or Hungarian partridge.

“This was probably the best season I’ve seen in 10 years,” he said.

Hunting season for quail, pheasants and Hungarian partridge ended on Monday. Chukar season runs through Friday.

Springtime weather is the biggest factor in setting the region up for a good upland bird season.

Young pheasants, quail and partridge hatch between mid-May and mid-June. If heavy spring rains arrive before newly hatched birds are fully feathered, it can decimate a population.

If the rains never come, the birds do well.

That’s what happened this year. Baarstad, who is based in Lincoln County, said his area went without rain for about 4½ months.

“That’s bad for a lot of things, but it’s really good for gamebird production,” he said.

Both Baarstad and Nizer take calls from hunters seeking information about places to hunt. Through the course of those calls, they get a good sense of how hunters are faring.

Baarstad is based in Lincoln County, which is known more for its coveys of Hungarian partridge than its pheasants, but he gets calls from hunters all over the state. Some pheasant hunters he talked to told him they were shooting their daily bag limit of three roosters quickly – often before lunch.

Nizer heard the same from hunters and he found plenty of birds on his own hunts, too.

On closing day, he ran into about 20 pheasants. Of course, they were all smart, tough late-season birds.

“They get so flighty,” Nizer said. “You get within 60-70 yards, they’re already flushing.”