Awaiting 2015 SD GFP Road Side Survey? Not Really...

August 10, 2015 by UGUIDE South Dakota Pheasant Hunting

It is rare to find much data out on pheasant forecasts prior to the SD GFP report due out around Labor Day weekend.  The media really follows this report and hunters coming from around the nation find that this is the only source of info relating to pheasant numbers.  We have found that Game and Fish's numbers did not tell the whole story as to what was being experienced at UGUIDE Pheasant Camps because SDGFP survey routes may not have as high a quality habitat along its routes as that found at UGUIDE camps managed more intensively for fair-chase pheasants.

We did see an early report from the Mitchell Paper citing some favorable comments from a SDGFP Biologist and you can read that here

Overall we had a really mild, dry winter and June warmed up just in time for a great hatch.  Reports around the state are favoring a good hatch like we had last year.  Now there really are no serious weather threats that can have dramatic effects on the new broods since there sizes would be quite advanced.

In all honesty, no survey however statistically accurate it may sound, can tell the pheasant hunting reality on the ground in your specific hunting area.  It is just not going to be that refined.  There is some value to regional reports which can indicate what impacts winter and spring might have had on that hatch.  In 2012 though, we found the report to reflect a much different story than what we found at our camps.  Many variables affect the survey route counts too like non dewy mornings, acreage converted from grass to crops along survey routes, etc.

I find personally that as much time as I spend out in the field at our farm, I still have no real sense for what the bird numbers will be for hunters to enjoy in the fall.