N.D. Game and Fish Department

Last winter arrived early and stayed late, and its influence on wildlife across North Dakota was evident, most notably in the state’s deer herd as the N.D. Game and Fish Department (NDGF) cut the number of deer gun licenses by nearly 11,000 compared to 2022.

PHEASANTS
North Dakota’s spring pheasant population index was up about 6 percent from last year. The primary regions holding pheasants ranged from up 14 percent in the southeast and up 17 percent in the northwest, to down 8 percent in the southwest.

While the spring number is an indicator, the late July through September brood surveys provide a much better estimate of summer pheasant production and what hunters might expect for a fall pheasant population. Weather conditions have been generally favorable for pheasant brood production this summer.