Hunting Birds at Highest Level In Five Years

According to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Upland Game Hunting Outlook, pheasant and quail numbers are at its highest in five years. Surveys from biologists during spring and summer upland game hunting indicate conditions for upland birds are better than in recent years. The weather this past winter was mild, most of the state received timely spring rainfall, thus producing abundant nesting and cover for pheasants and its young. Surveys indicate pheasant abundance is higher in the central and Sandhills regions. Pheasant populations may be lower in other regions but not by much, Quail population is high across the state, with the Southeast and East Central Nebraska predicted to be the best hunting for pheasant and quail. Hunting in two thousand fifteen was great, hunting in two thousand sixteen should be better. Grouse also benefitted from the mild winter, particularly in the Sandhills. Grouse population is up in the Sandhills and Northeast regions of the state.