Pheasants Forever South Dakota Spring Nesting Report

May 17, 2011 by Matt Morlock

Eastern South Dakota is wet right now thanks to spring runoff and rains. But if things can dry up over the next couple weeks, that would make for a good nesting season in the state, according to Matt Morlock, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist based out of Brookings, South Dakota. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment has remained steady in the state for the last year at approximately 1.1 million acres. One of the newest CRP practices in South Dakota, the James River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), has been popular in its first year, with more than 50,000 acres enrolled in the James River Valley from Aberdeen down to Yankton, and Morlock says those CREP acres equal nesting cover acres. Nesting conditions west of Mitchell and over to the "Golden Triangle" area (Gregory, Winner and Chamberlain area) should be strong, and Morlock says a "sleeper" spot for pheasant production could be the northwest area of the state, around the Lemon area. The notable exception to the outlook is the southeast corner of the state. "There's not a lot of available nesting cover in that part of the state, and what CRP is there is wetland right now."

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