North Dakota Game and Fish: Pheasant and Grouse populations are decreasing

(Bismarck, ND) -- Wildlife experts say pheasant and grouse populations are down across the state.

Officials from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department say spring data shows a 13-percent decline in both pheasant and grouse numbers from a year ago. The Game and Fish Department say the data correlates with poor reproduction counts of sharp-tailed grouse during the 2021 drought.The department also cited an 18-percent dip in pheasant harvests in 2020, and a 14-percent drop in Hungarian partridges between 2020 and 2021.

However, pheasant numbers did increase for the 2020 spring hunting season. North Dakota Game and Fish Department officials reported a 15% increase in the pheasant breeding population, along with a 14% increase in hunters, and a 28% increase in hunters for the year.