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2012 Pheasant Outlook

The annual brood count is complete, and South Dakota once again has one of the highest pheasant populations in the country—with the pheasants-per-mile index up 18% from 2011.  According to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, bird numbers increased in many areas of the state thanks to a mild winter and spring. You can find the full report and county-by-county numbers on the GF&P website.

2012 Pheasant Season

From the South Dakota GF&P Brood Survey Results.

• Season: October 20, 2012 through January 6, 2013
• In 2011, there were 88,624 resident and 100,111 nonresident pheasant hunting licenses issued
• From the survey responses, a projected total of 1,555,307 pheasants were harvested (644,412 by residents, 910,894 by nonresidents) during the 2011 seasons.
• The five counties with the highest reported harvests were Lyman, Tripp, Brown, Spink and Brule.

For more results of the 2011 hunting season, please visit the Pheasant Hunting page of South Dakota GF&P.