ND Pheasant outlook improving, but birds aren’t branching out

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota wildlife officials say the state’s pheasant population is rebounding from a devastating drought three years ago, though hunters will still need to search for hot spots. Roadside surveys conducted in late July and August indicate pheasant numbers are up from last year, along with sharp-tailed grouse and gray partridge, according to the state Game and Fish Department. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the data is based on 275 survey runs made along 100 brood routes across the state. State upland game biologist RJ Gross says local populations of pheasants are building back up from the 2017 drought, “but they are not at the point yet of spreading out into new territories.”