2009 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Season Outlook Forecast Report - Spring

February 12, 2009 by Chris Hitzeman

I've been talking with landowners across the state and also tracking the snow line. In January, heavy snows hit North Dakota and the northeastern part of South Dakota. Much of North Dakota is under heavy snow amounts (up to 60 inches). NE SD had snow covers up to 30 inches. As of early Feb, I got a report from a landowner in Aberdeen SD and he was reporting about a foot of snow in fields and birds were having a hard time getting at food. He was feeding pheasants out in his cow pasture as were other farmers in the area. According to National Weather Snow Maps, however, recent warm spells have sent the snowline marching north rapidly. Over half of the state of South Dakota now has no snow cover at all which means easy access to food for wildlife. The northeast part of the state has had significant snow melt and I expect that wildlife now has access to better food sources in areas that the sun hits harder and melts the snow better. Temps across the state have been close to 30 degrees warmer in Feb than in Jan. Cross your fingers for an early and warmer spring.