September 2, 2025
Roadside survey also includes other species, with rabbit numbers at 60-year high
Pheasant
numbers in the 2025 Minnesota August Roadside Survey were up nearly 50%
from 2024 and 21% above the 10-year average, according to the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources.
“The increase in pheasant
numbers across the state and all regions is great news,” said Steven
Woodley, acting upland game research scientist. “Our milder winter
likely helped the overwinter survival of hens, and the drier and warmer
spring created better conditions for nesting and brood-rearing relative
to last year.”
This year’s statewide pheasant index was 75 birds
per 100 miles of roads driven, compared to 51 in 2024. Pheasant numbers
increased in every region. Compared to 2024, pheasant numbers increased
the most in the southeast region (189%), followed by the southwest
(86%), east central (82%), south central (40%), central (33%), and west
central (19%) regions.
Pheasant numbers are also above their
10-year averages in every region within the pheasant range. The regions
with the highest indices include the southwest (152 birds per 100
miles), south central (82 birds per 100 miles), and west central (76
birds per 100 miles), followed by the central region (59 birds per 100
miles).
There were four chicks per brood, the same as in 2024;
however, there were 81 broods per 100 hens, an increase from 77 broods
per 100 hens in 2024.
“The increase in brood numbers is welcome after their decline last year due to wet spring conditions,” Woodley said.
Weather
and habitat are the main influences on Minnesota’s pheasant population
trends. Weather causes annual fluctuations in pheasant numbers, while
habitat drives long-term population trends.
Winter weather
conditions were favorable for adult pheasant populations. And with
little snow cover and warmer spring conditions, early nests and young
broods before June rains probably did well, while nests that hatched
during the rainy period in June likely suffered.
Additionally,
this year’s later hatch date indicates that some nests hatched after the
June rain, which may have helped boost the population by allowing them
to avoid the worst weather. Long term, there is nothing to suggest that
some areas’ increase in pheasant numbers will continue as a trend.
The Minnesota pheasant hunting season opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11.
Pheasant hunting areas
Many publicly owned lands are open to hunting, as are private lands enrolled in the state’s Walk-in-Access program. Hunters can use the Minnesota DNR’s online mapping tools to find WMAs by accessing the WMA finder and the Minnesota DNR Recreation Compass
to help locate state hunting grounds and private lands enrolled in the
Walk-In Access program, including updates on the condition of specific
properties.
Habitat factors
Suitable
pheasant habitat fluctuates in response to agricultural conservation
program enrollment, such as in the Conservation Reserve Program. Habitat
set-aside programs, and especially the CRP, play a large role in
providing habitat for pheasants in Minnesota.
The program,
authorized under the federal Farm Bill, pays farmers to remove
environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and restore
vegetation that reduces soil erosion, improves water quality, and
provides habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
In 2025, there was
an almost 80,000-acre increase in private lands enrolled in CRP, along
with a 14,000-acre rise in federal public lands managed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service compared to 2024. Private lands enrolled in
Reinvest in Minnesota and public wildlife management areas managed by
the DNR also grew by approximately 4,400 and 7,100 acres, respectively,
from 2024. Additionally, private lands enrolled in the Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program increased by around 1,400 acres compared to
2024. Overall, there was a net gain of approximately 106,000 acres of
protected wildlife habitat compared to 2024.
Read the full DNR post