Report Nr. 3297 Pheasant Population Status in Michigan, 1999

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) monitors pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) distribution and abundance using spring crowing surveys, summer brood surveys and harvest surveys. This report summarizes the results of crowing and summer brood surveys from 1955-1999 and discusses the historical trends in pheasant abundance in Michigan. Estimates of pheasant hunter harvest and efforts from harvest surveys are reported for the period 1955-1998. Crowing surveys were completed along 64 routes this spring. Survey personnel heard an average of 2.1 pheasant crows per stop. Surveys completed along 48 routes this spring were the same routes completed in 1998. Crowing counts were down on 24 (50%) of the 48 comparable routes, while the remainder increased or stayed the same. A total of 850 mail carriers returned usable survey forms. Mail carriers observed 0.55 broods per ten carrier-days this summer compared to 0.41 broods per ten carrier-days during 1998. The 34% increase in the brood index is encouraging, however, the index last summer was the lowest on record and pheasants remain at relatively low abundance. Hunter mail survey results from 1998 estimated a regular season harvest of 107,776 pheasants and a December harvest of 13,601. Again, about 80,000 hunters participated, spending about 378,348 days pursuing these gamebirds. This estimated harvest was about 29% higher than predicted last year.