2013 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Season Outlook Forecast Report -Nesting Season

May 30, 2013 by Chris Hitzeman

As usual the weather is neither predictable nor ho-hum in the state of South Dakota when it comes to pheasant nesting or farming.

As of my last writing, the state was still in the grips of a severe drought and yet also catching April snows like never before.  The ground just ate those snows up like crazy with no benefit to dugouts levels, pothole or creek levels as all the moisture went into the ground with little to no runoff.

As of this writing, I see the May totals for rainfall in our county as 7+ inches where the average is about 3.  This is good though because the area potholes are still bone dry and pheasants have not begun hatching as of yet.

Pheasants should be in the peak of nest building and more likely are in the egg laying process which can run about 20 days.  Once all the eggs are laid, the hens will begin sitting on nests and incubating the eggs.  Chicks usually begin hatching around Father's Day in June.

Biologists will tell you that high moisture levels in winter or in summer are not favorable for pheasants.  Iowa has sustained recent heavy heavy rainfall amounts.  South Dakota has also had healthy rainfall and it is undetermined whether these amounts are detrimental to pheasant nesting. I will tell you that moisture is needed for insect production and insects are crucial to feeding the new broods for the first two months of their lives.  The potholes remain mostly empty now and make for good utilization by pheasants.

If we sustain cooler temps and these high levels of rainfall into the peak hatch season this will not be favorable for pheasants.  But in the case of South Dakota coming off historic drought conditions, there could be an offset for the rainfall amounts.

Please post your comments, observations or questions in the blog below.

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