Boom times and bountiful table
As agricultural practices shifted from animal-drawn machinery to self-propelled International Harvester and Ford tractors across small family farms, pheasant populations grew as well. The relatively small farms and fields provided spilled grain from not super-efficient harvest, as well as edges and fencerows with tall grass for cover that had never seen a herbicide.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources predicts that pheasants reach maximum abundance when the landscape is 50% cropland and 50% undisturbed grassland. In the 1930s and 40s, much of Ohio must have been near that golden ratio. The statewide pheasant population was estimated to be near 5 million birds.
To put that in perspective, South Dakota, currently the reigning king of pheasant production and nearly twice the size of Ohio, has a current estimated population of 7 million. Times were certainly busy in the uplands for Ohio hunters.
Times, and fields, have changed
Today, the estimated population in Ohio is just around 35,000 wild birds. Habitat is the deciding factor. Distribution is not statewide, but in the pockets where the mix of landscape gets closer to the 50% grassland. That’s been tougher to come by over the years as agricultural practices have changed. The small fields have been replaced by larger and larger fields, typically devoid of any fencerows. Most of that currently is in the West Central part of Ohio.
The shrinking population and range also make getting an accurate estimate of the population more difficult and less reliable. Pheasants prefer to spend their time on the ground under cover and out of sight. Population surveyors drive selected routes in the spring, listening for crowing roosters and extrapolating numbers from there. It can be hit or miss, but it’s what we have now. We do know that other birds that depend on grasslands, Meadowlarks and Bobolinks for example, are in severe decline across the same period as well.
Ready for the rebound
There are a lot of variables in nature. Weather and predators (including humans) all play a role. But given the right habitat, wildlife populations can bounce back. This is especially true of pheasants. Polygamous roosters and relatively large brood sizes can repopulate areas quickly. Across the country, we saw numbers increase in correlation with the federal Conservation Reserve Program through the late 1980s to mid ‘90s. That program pays farmers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production. It’s probable that pheasants liked it more than farmers. The program moved the landscape closer to that 50/50 grass/crop land and bird numbers responded. When the program was reduced or the land was not reenrolled, numbers dropped. It’s a pretty simple equation.
Iowa has gone through similar swings lately, pulling back to the positive slide dramatically with back-to-back best seasons in more than two decades. The right habitat, combined with a mild winter and dry spring to aid ground nests, resulted in a 43% increase in observed pheasant numbers in one year. Of course, it takes pheasants to make pheasants, but given the right circumstances, they can take care of it.
Options in Ohio
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving Day pheasant hunt in Ohio, you have some options. To hunt wild pheasants successfully in Ohio, you have to go where the birds are. That means looking for the land that’s as close to the 50/50 on grass/crop as you can find. And best to scout beforehand.
You’ll likely walk a lot and work hard for these birds. According to the upland forecast for Ohio on the Pheasants Forever website, populations are stable from 2024 to 2025. The current CRP acres are in good shape, but the weather through winter and spring didn’t help.
According to Cody Grasser, Ohio state coordinator for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, “Habitat loss and fragmentation continue to be a limiting factor for grassland habitat in Ohio, making proper management and maintenance of existing habitat all that more critical.”
There are several public hunting areas to check out, in addition to the Ohio Landowner Hunter Access program. You might also have some luck knocking on doors, but it’s late in the season for that.
Put that on your calendar for next spring or summer.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also releases roosters at some Wildlife Areas on Thanksgiving to add additional opportunities for hunters. Even if you know the birds are there, they can be unpredictable. They haven’t established daily patterns in their new homes yet and could literally be anywhere.
Like always, you’ll need a valid license and to check the regulations and times before you go. Also, know where you are. You’ll need written permission before you access private land.
In any event, a good dog is your best conservation tool. Pheasants are exceptional runners, and any bird not anchored with a shot will do their best to put distance between you. And you wouldn’t believe a bird with so many colors can be so difficult to find on the ground.
On more than one occasion, my German Shorthaired Pointer and I visited a local wildlife area with an empty parking lot. We came home with a bird without firing a shot, picking up crippled birds not recovered by earlier hunters.
Devin Meister is a local outdoors and wildlife enthusiast and has a blog called “Average Guy Outdoors.” He is an Ohio University graduate. Reach him at meister.devin@gmail.com.
MORE ONLINE
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Pheasant Status
Pheasants Forever Forecast
Pheasant Releases
Ohio Landowner Hunter Access
ohiodnr.gov/buy-and-apply/hunting-fishing-boating/hunting-resources/ohio-landowner-hunter-access
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