WI DNR Announces Changes To Ring-Necked Pheasant Stocking For Fall 2026

POYNETTE, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced a reduction in the number of ring-necked pheasants that will be stocked this fall. Due to budget constraints within the DNR's Wildlife Management Program, the recent stocking goal of 75,000 pheasants over 82 state-owned properties will be reduced to 65,000 birds.

An additional cost-saving measure for the 2026 pheasant stocking includes shortening the stocking season to end on Nov. 19, 2026. The late season stocking that is normally scheduled for late December will not occur this year. It is important to note that although the pheasant stocking schedule has changed for 2026, the pheasant hunting season remains unchanged and will run from Oct. 17, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027.

Read the full WI DNR article

Nebraska 2026 Pheasant Summer Index Higher Than 2025

Pheasant: This year’s statewide pheasant index was higher than in 2025 but was lower than the 20-year long-term average. Regionally, survey results were higher in all regions with the exception of the Central region, in which results were lower. Relative abundance continues to be highest in the Northeast, Panhandle, and Southwest regions (Table 4). Statewide, pheasant age ratios, which can be indicative of production, were generally higher than those observed in 2025 (Table 2). 

Read the Full Nebraska 2026 July Rural Mail Carrier Survey 

 

2026 Iowa Survey finds pheasant population second highest in a decade

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources annual August statewide pheasant survey averaged 23 birds per route this year, which is the second highest count in more than a decade, behind only the 2025 survey. Iowa pheasant hunters should expect to have a pretty good season.

“Weather likely played a role in the lower counts this year, but 23 birds per route is the second highest average since 2015,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland game biologist with the Iowa DNR.  

The combination of weather and habitat are two main drivers of Iowa’s pheasant population and last year, most of the state experienced a normal winter, followed by a wetter and warmer than normal spring.

“We had good counts come in from across the state where we had good habitat and good winter and spring conditions,” Bogenschutz said.

Hunters in the Northeast Region will likely see the biggest decrease, he said, but populations in Northwest, North-Central and West Central regions should be comparable to 2025.

The annual August roadside survey of upland game occurs between Aug. 1-15 each year, following the same 225 30-mile long routes. Staff with the Iowa DNR count pheasants, bobwhite quail, gray partridge, cottontail rabbits and white-tailed jackrabbits. Counts conducted on cool mornings when the sun is shining, with heavy dew and no wind produce the most consistent results.

Iowa’s bobwhite quail index was down statewide by 21 percent, but is right at the 10-year average. Southwest, South-Central and West-Central regions had the highest quail counts.

Gray partridge were most abundant in the North-Central, Central, Northwest and East-Central regions, which aligns with their preferred habitat of wide-open and treeless agricultural lands.

The survey found Iowa’s cottontail rabbit population at its highest level since 2014, 30 percent above the 10-year average, with the South-Central and Southeast regions leading the way. “This is another good year for cottontails. Our rabbit numbers have been very good over the past two years,” he said.

Survey conditions weren’t ideal after Aug. 5, Bogenschutz said, when the weather was more overcast, rainy and foggy.

Iowa’s pheasant season opens Oct. 31.

Read the full IA DNR Post 

 

4000 Acres Of NEW Private Hunting Land Available In SD - Aberdeen SD Pheasant Coalition Walk-in Area Site Map Available

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition is unique in concept and collaboration.
It is spearheaded by the local Aberdeen Pheasants Forever chapter (Northern South Dakota Chapter 77) and consists of local businesses, the Aberdeen tourism industry, conservation organizations and sportsmen groups coming together to provide funding for a signup incentive for farmers and landowners enrolling land into the USDA Farm Service
Agency's (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to provide quality nesting and brood rearing habitat while at the same time enrolling these same acres into the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks public access hunting program (Walk In Program). The APC provided more than 4,000 acres of NEW private land which is open to the public for pheasant hunting.

Get the map HERE 

 

 

SD 2026 Public Hunting Access ON-Line Land Maps Available

South Dakota has a nice online mapping product of all of the public hunting areas.  I have used it for a number of years to do my pre-season scouting and it is of great help.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/381c89fee7744feeb2cfce60fb1a715e/page/Page will take you to the page.

 

 

WI 2026 Spring Ring-Necked Pheasant Survey Drops 9.6% From 2025

 

Results
Trend analysis – In 2026, all 83 (100%) pheasant survey routes throughout the state were
completed during the spring survey period. The average number of pheasants recorded
during each 6-minute survey stop in 2026 was 0.73 pheasants/stop (SE = 0.05) and was 9.6%
lower than results from 2025 (0.81 pheasants/stop, SE = 0.05; Table 1). However, the statewide
average number of pheasants per stop in 2026 remained 31.5% higher than the 5-year
average of 0.56 pheasants/stop from 2021–2025 (95% CI = 0.53–0.59; Figure 2).

Discussion
The average number of pheasants detected per stop in 2026 was slightly less than survey results in 2025 (Table 1); however, the year-over-year decrease was statistically insignificant (P = 0.235) since there was less than a 10% change. While annual trend observations from survey data may be inferred, caution is advised against using such an approach given the potential for large annual fluctuations in pheasant populations. Making comparisons against the 5-year average does, however, provide a better gauge of the overall pheasant population
trend in Wisconsin. In 2026, the average number of pheasants per stop (0.73 ± 0.05 [SE]) was 31.5% higher than the 5-year average from 2021–2025 (0.56 pheasants/stop; Figure 2). Survey results in the 3 years (2021–2023) immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic were lower than the 5-year average; however, survey results since 2024 have indicated a substantial increase in the number of pheasants per stop in relation to the 5-year average. Good brood-rearing conditions during the fall of 2023 and 2024, coupled with generally dry and mild
winter weather conditions throughout the 2023–2024 (Mason and Vavrus 2024) and 2024–2025 season (Mason et al. 2025), likely contributed to statewide increases in the spring pheasant abundance in 2024 and 2025. Though the 2025–2026 winter season started out cold, warmer conditions returned in February, coupled with near-normal precipitation throughout the season resulting in a close to average winter throughout much of Wisconsin (Mason et al. 2026). Outside of below normal temperatures at the start of the winter season, winter-related
stress likely had minimal impact on pheasant populations. However, record-setting rains during the month of April (Mason et al. 2026), particularly in east-central and southeast Wisconsin, not only inhibited the abilities for surveyors to conduct surveys, but also likely influenced the presence (or lack thereof) of pheasants along impacted routes within those respective regions. 

Read the full Wi DNR Report 

ND 2026 Pheasant Crowing Counts Up Statewide 9 %

The number of roosters heard during the North Dakota Game and Fish
Department’s 2026 spring pheasant crowing count survey was 23.2 crows per stop, up 9% statewide from last year.

“Overwinter survival of adult pheasants has been outstanding. Typically, we lose up to 75% of our pheasant population each winter, but that has not been the case as of late,” said RJ Gross, Department upland game management biologist.

By region, observers heard 32.7 crows per stop in the southwest, up 5% from 2025; 22.2 crows per stop in the northwest, up 4%; and 23.1 crows per stop in the southeast, up 24% from last year. The count in the northeast, which is not a primary region for pheasants, was 9.3 crows per stop, up 43% from 2025.

Crowing counts are just one part of the picture, providing a glimpse of the population going into the breeding season. But Gross expects more good news as the peak of the pheasant hatch approaches.

“Entering the nesting season, residual grass cover looked good,” Gross said. “We have received ample precipitation that has led to increased growth in nesting and brood rearing cover across the state. Combined with high overwinter survival over the past three years and near ideal nesting habitat conditions, things are looking great for pheasants in North Dakota.”

 

Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring throughout North Dakota. Observers drive specified routes, stopping at predetermined intervals, and counting the number of roosters heard crowing. The number of pheasant crows heard is compared to previous years’ data, providing a trend summary.

As always, the late summer roadside counts conducted in July and August will give a better idea of brood production and the hunting outlook for fall. 

For the full story, watch this week’s North Dakota Outdoors Webcast with R.J. Gross.

Chasing Late Season Roosters | With Tony Peterson | MeatEater | Video

 

Tony Peterson and his bird dog, Sadie, hit the cattail sloughs of Minnesota in search of pheasants. These public-land birds have been pressured for weeks, so Tony ventures deep into the thick wetlands bordering nearby farms, where the birds have found refuge. With the whitetail rut winding down, it’s time for Tony and Sadie to scratch that public-land rooster itch. Presented by ‪@scheels‬ #fueledbynature #meateater  

 

The Pheasant Hunt I've Been Dreaming About (8 Years in the Making) Video