The Dakotan: This is Outdoor Issues with Neil Roberts and North Dakota Game and fish outreach biologist Greg Gullickson. Neil Roberts: We talked upland game in another report. This week, but bird harvest numbers are now available. Greg, what can you share with us? Greg Gullickson: For last fall, we were down four sharp tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and pheasant. We anticipated a slight decrease in upland game harvest for the fall of 2021 based on small brood sizes and a decline in observations per mile during our late summer road count. However, it was mainly due to habitat and drought. We don't have that habitat. We don't have that grass on the ground out there for those broods to be raised for that winter cover out there.It really does make a difference. Last year we still did have just over 47,000 pheasant hunters and they did harvest just over 250,000 roosters. So a lot of that good pheasant meat going in the freezers out there. The highest percentage of pheasants were taken in heading the divide. Bowman, Williams and Stark Counties. Neil Roberts: Good stuff, Greg and hey, we'll have more on Upland Game when we come back. The Dakotan: You're listening to Outdoor Issues with Neil Roberts on the Dakotan Network. Neil Roberts: Talking upland game today on outdoor issues. And Greg, as I drive through the countryside and with my drives out to the family farm and whatnot, man, I'm seeing a lot more flush habitat with the rains that we've had this year. What do you think? Greg Gullickson: Oh, things are looking good out on the prairies of central North Dakota, especially a lot of great habitat out there, a lot of great crop fields. Boy, wheat crop that's coming up out there. Corn, the canola spring wheat, everything is looking good. Those hay crops are looking good. And that equates to good wildlife habitat as well. So the wildlife should be looking good going into this fall. Neil Roberts: That brings a wrap to this report. Until next time. I'm Neil. Robert. The Dakotan: You're listening to the Dakotan Network. Real. Honest. Local news.
