and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota’s pheasant hunting season opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10
Pheasant hunters in western Minnesota should see their chances of seeing birds this fall improved from previous years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says.
Last week, the DNR released its annual August roadside survey showing the state’s pheasant population up nearly 20% over the 2025 pheasant index.
“The increase in the pheasant index across the state and within several regions is good news for pheasant hunters this fall,” Steven Woodley, DNR senior wildlife research biologist, said. “Our warmer winter likely helped the overwinter survival of hens, and the drier and warmer spring and summer created better conditions for nesting and brood-rearing relative to last year.”
Last year, the area saw one of its wettest first nine months on record, with persistent and flooding rainfall.
This year’s pheasant index was 90 birds per 100 miles of roads driven, compared to 75 birds in 2025, the DNR reported.
Pheasant indices increased in the west central region by 74% from last year, according to the DNR. The central region of the state saw an increase of 25%, and the south central region an increase of 17%.
“The west central and southwest regions both had pheasant indices above 130 birds per 100 miles and should provide the best pheasant hunting opportunities,” Woodley said. The south central and central regions should also offer good opportunities, he added.
In contrast, pheasant indices decreased in the southeast, east central, and southwest regions by 51%, 29%, and 15%, respectively.
Swift County sees significant improvement
For Swift County, the 2026 roadside survey shows that the southern and western townships should see good pheasant hunting prospects. The DNR rates hunting changes in four categories, with “good” being the highest. It indicates more than 49 pheasants per square mile.
Central and northeastern Swift County should see fair pheasant hunting with 25 to 49 birds per square mile. A small area just north and east of Benson is forecast to have a poor chance of finding birds, with just 10 to 24 per square mile.
Stevens County
Hunters in the southwestern half of Stevens County should have good prospects for finding pheasants, while those in the rest of the county should expect fair hunting conditions.
All of Big Stone, Lac qui Parle, and Chippewa counties also show good pheasant numbers for hunters going into the fields and grasslands.
Nearly all of Pope County, however, shows poor pheasant numbers this year except for small areas along the east and west edges.
Brood numbers increase
Observers counted more broods, which generally bodes well for pheasant numbers. There were 93 broods per 100 hens, an increase from 82 broods per 100 hens in 2025. Those who were observing counted an average of four chicks per brood, the same as in 2025.
“The increase in brood numbers for a second year in a row is welcomed after their decline in 2024 due to wet spring conditions,” Woodley said.
Weather and habitat are the main influences on Minnesota’s pheasant population trends. Weather causes annual fluctuations in pheasant numbers, while habitat drives long-term population trends. This year’s median hatch date of June 11 was about a week earlier than last year and the 10-year average.
Long history of counting birds
Since 1955, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife and enforcement personnel have conducted the annual ARS during the first two weeks of August throughout Minnesota’s farmland regions.
There are 170 established routes, with 149 located within the pheasant range. The 2026 ARS consisted of 167 25-mile routes with one to four routes per county. Of those, 148 were located in the ring-necked pheasant range.
Routes were surveyed from July 30 to Aug. 15. Observers drove each route during the early morning (starting at or near sunrise) at 15 to 20 mph, recording the number of pheasants, gray (Hungarian) partridge, eastern cottontail rabbits, white-tailed jackrabbits, white-tailed deer, mourning doves, sandhill cranes, and other wildlife they observed, including information on sex and age of these species.
Counts conducted on cool, clear, calm mornings with heavy dew yield the most consistent results because wildlife (especially pheasants, gray partridge, and rabbits) move to warm, dry areas (e.g., gravel roads) during early-morning hours.
These data provide an index of relative abundance to monitor long-term trends in regional and range-wide populations. Results are reported by agricultural region and range-wide; however, population indices for species with low detection rates (e.g., white-tailed jackrabbits, gray partridge) are imprecise and unreliable.
Pheasant hunting areas
Many publicly owned lands are open to hunting, as are private lands enrolled in the state’s Walk-in-Access program (mndnr.gov/walkin).
Hunters can use the Minnesota DNR’s online mapping tools to find wildlife management areas by accessing the WMA finder (mndnr.gov/wmas) and the Minnesota DNR Recreation Compass (mndnr.gov/maps/compass.html) to locate public hunting land and private lands enrolled in the Walk-In Access program, including updates on the condition of specific properties.
Habitat factors
Suitable pheasant habitat fluctuates in response to agricultural conservation program enrollment, such as in the Conservation Reserve Program. Habitat set-aside programs, and especially the CRP, play a large role in providing habitat for pheasants in Minnesota.
The CRP, authorized under the federal Farm Bill, pays farmers to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and restore vegetation that reduces soil erosion, improves water quality, and provides habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
From 2025 to 2026, there were roughly 42,000 fewer acres of private lands in Minnesota enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. The number of private lands enrolled in the Reinvest in Minnesota program did not change; however, public WMAs managed by the Minnesota DNR increased by about 13,000 acres from 2025.
Additionally, private lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (a different program than the CRP) increased by about 2,000 acres compared to 2025. Overall, protected wildlife habitat declined by about 22,500 acres compared to 2025.
Cottontail rabbit numbers higher than in the past 60 years
The 2026 roadside survey report also includes data for eastern cottontail rabbits, gray partridge, mourning doves, sandhill cranes, white-tailed deer and white-tailed jackrabbits. One highlight for these other species is rabbit numbers.
The cottontail rabbit index (14 rabbits per 100 miles) was similar to 2025 (14.5 rabbits per 100 miles) but exceeded the 10-year average (seven rabbits per 100 miles) and the long-term average (six rabbits per 100 miles). The southwest region had the highest cottontail index (24 rabbits per 100 miles), followed by the east central (22.4 rabbits per 100 miles), central (20.6 rabbits/100 miles), and south central (14.6 rabbits/100 miles).
“Cottontail rabbit numbers are great again this year, and should provide good opportunities for hunters, especially in the Southwest region,” Woodley said.
Additional resources
The full report, which includes data for other surveyed species, along with a map of pheasant hunting prospects and information on hunting regulations and bag limits are available on the Minnesota DNR pheasant hunting webpage (mndnr.gov/hunting/pheasant).
