From the Duluth News Tribune
published Oct. 5, 2008
OPENER: Minnesota’s pheasant season opens Saturday, continues through Jan. 4
PROSPECTS: Roadside count indices show a 24 percent drop in numbers from last year, but this year’s population is about even with the past 10 years’ average.
HOT SPOTS: As usual, southwestern Minnesota holds the most birds, but hunters should find good hunting in pockets across most of the pheasant range.
NEW LIMITS: The limit will be two roosters per day and six in possession from the opener through Nov. 30. From Dec. 1 to Jan. 4, the daily limit will be three roosters with a possession limit of nine.
SHOOTING HOURS: 9 a.m. to sunset
CROP HARVEST: Hunters are likely to find a lot of corn still standing when the season opens. Most farmers like to complete their soybean harvest before starting the corn. As of Sept. 28, only 8 percent of Minnesota’s soybeans had been harvested, compared to 32 percent last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Just 1 percent of the corn had been harvested, compared to 13 percent last year.
Around the Midwest
SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota’s pheasant season opens Oct. 18. Summer counts indicated a record population of pheasants after an exceptional season last fall. Limits: Three roosters per day, 15 in possession according to daily limit. (www.sdgfp.info)
NORTH DAKOTA: The season opens Oct. 11, but nonresidents can’t hunt Game and Fish Department-managed lands until Oct. 18. Roadside counts indicate the population is down 30 percent to 60 percent from last fall, depending on region, according to Pheasants Forever. But last year was exceptional by state standards, the best in 60 years, according to the Fish and Game Department. Limits: Three roosters per day, 12 in possession according to daily limit. (www.gf.nd.gov)
IOWA: Opener is Oct. 25. The population is down for the third year in a row, according to Pheasants Forever. Roadside counts were down 32 percent from last year after a harsh winter and cool, wet spring. Limits: Three roosters per day, 12 in possession according to daily limit. (www.iowadnr.com)
WISCONSIN: Season opens Oct. 18 (noon) and continues through Dec. 31. Limit: One rooster daily Oct. 18-19; two daily thereafter. Spring counts indicate two birds per square mile, down 21 percent from last fall. (www.dnr.state.wi.us)
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