By Nick Simonson

With pheasant numbers up across the primary reaches of the upland bird’s range in North Dakota following a temperate summer and good regrowth of grasses which were plagued by dry conditions in recent seasons, hunters hitting the field this fall will find excellent opportunities to pursue flushing roosters.  With the North Dakota youth pheasant weekend set for Sat. Sept. 30 and Sun. Oct. 1, young hunters venturing out will have first crack at these birds and a good chance at early success, cementing a lifelong pursuit of hunting with those first memories in the field, according to Seth Owens, North Dakota Pheasants Forever (NDPF) Education and Communications Coordinator.

“Youth seasons are a phenomenal opportunity that’s available to the kids across North Dakota.  It provides these chances to get out and really learn how pheasant hunting works and explore the habitat and terrain that North Dakota has, without any pressure from other larger hunting groups full of adults,” Owens relates, adding, “it’s always good for that first weekend to just have full attentiveness from that mentor, that parent, or that guardian.  It’s an incredible opportunity that we have and can really solidify that hunting idea in these kids’ heads that can turn them into lifelong hunters and conservationists.”

This year, pheasant abundance can be tied to the regrowth of the habitat on the landscape, after recent dry seasons produced sparser ground cover and ultimately, demands for hay resulted in emergency haying of those typically set-aside acres for livestock.  After a snowy winter, and cool rainy weather into the middle of May, grasses sprung up across North Dakota providing excellent nesting conditions and good cover for newly-hatched pheasant chicks from both avian predators above and predators such as skunks on the ground around them.  It’s the habitat tie that Owens hopes mentoring hunters will stress as they venture out for the two-day youth pheasant weekend with the hunters they are helping.

“It’s super useful not only to being better hunters, but it makes you a better conservationist when you can look across the landscape and say ‘yup, if I were a pheasant I know exactly where I would be and I know why I’m here,’” Owens explains, continuing, “one, it’ll make them a better hunter in the future,  and then two, they can start keying in on habitat and why that’s so important.  As you know, the more habitat we have, the more birds we’ll have on the landscape and the more wildlife we’ll have on the landscape.  Habitat is key to pretty much everything, but especially to a successful hunt.”

The youth pheasant weekend puts young hunters first, giving those legally licensed residents and nonresidents age 15 and under the chance to hunt pheasants one week ahead of the state’s general opener.  Regulations require that they have an adult with them who is 18 or older, and that individual cannot carry a gun while mentoring the youth hunter or be hunting for any other species of game.  These restrictions help keep the focus on the novice hunter, while giving the mentoring hunter an opportunity to observe in the field, keep things safe, and pass on some information about the hunting process. 

The youth pheasant weekend days are Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The daily limit each day is three rooster pheasants and hunting hours run from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. Owens stresses that hunters should be reminded that only rooster pheasants are legal to take, and that at this time of year many young rooster pheasants have not grown into their full adult plumage and may be difficult to identify or distinguish from hens.  It is the hunter’s responsibility to be aware of their target at all times and take only legal birds, holding off on shots where they cannot get a positive identification on the bird. For more information on the youth pheasant weekend, visit: gf.nd.gov/hunting/youth/pheasant.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: Young hunters will likely find more rooster pheasants in the field for the upcoming ND youth pheasant hunting weekend on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.  They should be aware, however, that young roosters may not be fully colored and it comes down to them making certain their target is legal. Simonson Photo.