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By Ayanna Eckblad

Many people on Saturday gathered across rural areas of the state for a classic Minnesota pastime — pheasant hunting. The season began Saturday and will run through Jan. 1.

Hunters are allowed two roosters per day through Nov. 30. After that, three roosters per day are allowed for the rest of the season.

Prior to the season beginning, researchers at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources typically attempt to predict what the outlook of the season will be.

One of these researchers is Steven Woodley. He is the senior wildlife research biologist for the Farmland Wildlife Populations & Research Group at the Minnesota DNR out of Madelia. He has been in the role for about 1 1/2 years.

According to the 2024 Minnesota August Roadside Survey, the range-wide pheasant index this year is 52.1 birds per 100 miles. This number is very similar to 2023’s 51.2 birds per 100 miles.

“We had people kicking up pheasants,” Woodley said of Saturday’s pheasant hunting opener. “We had plenty of folks harvesting, getting their limits and stuff like that.”

Because of this year’s mild winter, Woodley said, many birds survived the colder months, leading to a large population of adults during breeding season.

He explained this is a contrast to two years ago when usually harsh temperatures and weather caused fewer birds to make it through the winter and led to a small number of adults during the spring breeding season.

Despite there being a mild winter, this year’s unusually wet spring was also hard on the pheasant population as pheasants nest on the ground. When the ground is highly saturated with rainwater, the chicks are more likely to get hypothermia, Woodley said.

He added because of this, the number of chicks per brood in 2024 is down from the numbers last year.

Even with the unusually wet spring and early summer, he said, this pheasant hunting season should be comparable to last year and should be decent in terms of bird population.

“No one’s complaining about where are the pheasants or anything,” Woodley said.

One of the only challenges for pheasant hunters so far, he said, was the heavy wind on Sunday. Other than that, the outlook this year is favorable.

“It’s hard to predict if we’re going to get earlier snows and things like that. It can really affect the pheasants. But right now I’d say it’s looking pretty good,” Woodley said. “There are birds out there.”

When asked about the role pheasant hunting plays in the lives of Minnesotans, Woodley said it is very important.

“It’s a very popular game series,” he said, adding there are also cultural and economic perspectives to the sport. Many people come from throughout the state and from the Twin Cities, which has an impact on the local businesses in the towns they stay at.

Those interested in learning more about pheasant hunting, state laws and other information can go to the Minnesota DNR website to learn more.