Michigan – Numbers Low, Pheasant Restoration Program Begins

Forecast: The outlook for the 2011-2012 Michigan pheasant season will be, for the most part, on par with last year with some areas likely lower due to the winter weather. Last year, approximately 40,000 hunters harvested 60,000 pheasants. This number has dropped significantly from a decade ago, when nearly 100,000 Michigan hunters took to the fields and harvested nearly 130,000 pheasants.

Michigan, like much of the upper Midwest, experienced a long snow-packed winter, one of its worst in the past 15 years, followed by a cool damp spring, which didn’t bode well for pheasant production. Initial brood reports from the state’s roadside mail carrier count indicated some of the lowest numbers on record. “There has been a steady decline since 2005 due to lack of habitat and weather patterns not conducive to pheasants,” noted Al Stewart, Upland Bird Specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, “However, the silver lining is that people even as of early September were seeing very young chicks that were roughly quail and grouse size.” Hopefully for Michigan hunters, these anecdotal reports mean a successful second nesting.

To help restore upland habitat and return more pheasant hunters to Michigan’s fields, Pheasants Forever, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and other partners have launched the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative. This initiative has the potential to change small game hunting opportunities, increase wildlife populations, improve hunter satisfaction and help Michigan's economy.

Season Dates: Varies, consult regulations
Daily Bag Limit: 2 
Possession Limit: 4 
Field Notes: The state has secured grants to purchase additional land in southern Michigan, which will be managed for public recreation, including hunting, as well as expand its hunting access program. Michigan has the most public hunting land east of the Mississippi.

Helpful Link:

• Michigan DNR Pheasant Hunting Info

From PF National Website