Pheasant hunting season begins despite population decline

Some 70,000 hunters are expected to participate in this weekend's pheasant opener.

The state's pheasant numbers remain more than 50 percent below the 10 year average. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says there isn't enough grassland habitat for the birds.

• Related: A look at this year's pheasant hunting season

The declining population could be a bad sign for other species, said Nicole Davros, DNR wildlife research scientist.

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"What's happening to our pheasant population is also happening to the rest of our grassland songbirds and our grassland wildlife, so if our pheasant population isn't doing well, that probably indicates that the rest of our birds and the rest of our grassland wildlife aren't doing well either," she said.

An August survey showed only a slight population increase from 2013. DNR officials say the population has declined overall in the past decade mostly because of federal conservation acres being plowed up for farmland.

Officials are looking for ways to make it more affordable for private landowners to preserve acres as wildlife habitat, Davros said.

Gov. Mark Dayton has said he plans to convene a summit on the issue later this year.