PHEASANTS
North Dakota’s spring pheasant population index was about the same as last year. The number of roosters heard crowing in spring was up about 3% statewide.
Department biologists said the statewide number might be a bit misleading, since counts were notably down in the southwest, while most of the state benefited from good reproduction in 2020 and a mild winter.
This preview is a condensed version of an article that appears in the August-September issue of the N.D. Game and Fish Department’s magazine, North Dakota OUTDOORS.
For more information on season dates and bag limits, visit the N.D. Game and Fish Department website at www.gf.nd.gov(link is external).
“What we’ve seen is that if you don’t get anglers on good ice, with good access, by the holidays, then they don’t often fish that winter,” Power said. “The lakes and the fish are out there, but it’s just a matter of anglers being able to gain access to where they want to fish.”
Typically, Power said, when access isn’t an issue, ice fishing accounts for about 25 percent of all fishing that occurs annually in North Dakota. In tough winters, where access is limited, this can drop to as low as 5 percent.
