MN DNR Reports a 522,000 Rooster Harvest during 2008 Pheasant Hunting Season

August 26, 2009 by Chris Hitzeman

For the fifth year out of the last six, Minnesota pheasant hunters in 2008 harvested more than a half million roosters. Prior to 2003, Minnesota hunters had bagged more than 500,000 birds during just two seasons since 1964 (1981 & 1991). While the 2008 harvest fell well below the 40-year record set in 2007 with a 655,000 bird harvest, hunter participation and success during the 2008 season remained high. Pheasants in Minnesota have enjoyed milder winters and spring conditions advantageous to reproduction in recent years. Those favorable weather conditions, coupled with good habitat on the landscape, including nearly 1.7 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in Minnesota, have created the successful pheasant seasons we've enjoyed in the state since 2003. Unfortunately, danger is on the horizon with massive CRP acres set to expire over the next few years. Last year, 107,000 acres of CRP contracts expired in Minnesota, and 65,000 more acres will expire this year. In fact, 621,000 acres of CRP are set to expire in Minnesota between 2010 and 2013. Pheasants Forever is diligently working to re-enroll, replace, and improve those acres of habitat. The new State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice of CRP is one successful example. As a point of reference, South Dakota harvested 1.9 million roosters in 2008 pheasant hunting season.