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Upland
Game Bird Seasons Looking Up in 2005
Mick Cope, Upland Game Section Manger
Photo
Courtesy of Pheasants Forever |
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Specific
surveys for most upland game birds fell to the budget axe
several years ago, however, early reports from WDFW field
biologists point toward a successful 2005 season. Some landowners
are also reporting that this year’s pheasant season
should be better than recent years. In some parts of the state,
there were early spring rains that resulted in early green-up
and produced good nesting and brood rearing conditions for
upland game birds.
Upland bird hunting
in Washington has had its ups and downs over the past 10 years.
While quail hunting has been improving lately, pheasant harvest
in many areas has been mostly down. Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife biologists, as well as biologists from
South Dakota, Kansas, and Iowa have pointed to several factors
affecting pheasant populations, but the drastic long term
change in habitat is most commonly identified as the primary
culprit. The number of acres of quality habitat in some areas
of the Columbia and Yakima basins just isn’t what it
used to be. Fortunately, pheasants are benefiting from increased
habitat in other locations-like those counties bordering the
Snake River. Additional information about the department’s
plans to improve conditions will be provided in next year’s
edition of Game Trails.
An improved
pheasant season this year would go well with the improved
quail hunting that has taken place over the past three years.
Quail harvest was up and down from 1982, to 1999 - averaging
103,000 quail harvested per year with the highest year reported
at 160,000. But since 1999 quail hunters have been much more
successful. Harvest reports from 2003 and 2004 showed that
hunters took 190,000 and 162,000 quail statewide. This level
of harvest has not been seen in over 20 years. Early reports
from field biologists and landowners indicate that this level
of quail harvest should continue in 2005.
Photo
Courtesy of Pheasants Forever |
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Gray partridge
and chukar and hunting have been pretty tough over the past
few years. However, there is a chance that the improved nesting
conditions this year could result in better hunting opportunities
for these birds as well.
For information
about where you might be able to hunt this year, visit the
WDFW homepage at www.wdfw.wa.gov. You will find a link to
Internet mapping which will take you to “GoHunt”,
the department’s most comprehensive mapping information
site. With this mapping program, you will be able to produce
custom maps that show lands owned by WDFW or other state and
federal agencies, topographic maps, private lands hunting
opportunities, Game Management Units, and other information
like aerial photos, WDFW water access sites, and pheasant
release sites. GoHunt is a graphics-intensive program that
works best on high-speed Internet connections, but if you
are patient, it will work on dial-up connections as well.
We hope you are able to take part in hunting upland birds
this fall.
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