Mild winter and dry spring give pheasant population a boost
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The population for pheasants — the large ground-dwelling game birds famous for their brilliant, colorful feathers and their long, pointed tails — has seen an uptick over the past year.
The Minnesota DNR’s 2026 Minnesota August Roadside Survey found the pheasant population is up 20% this year.
“This 20%, it is significant,” said senior wildlife research biologist for the DNR, Stephen Woodley. “That's mostly attributed to this mild winter we had, and then a little bit drier, warmer spring conditions.”
Woodley explained a milder winter allows for more ground-dwelling birds like pheasants and greater partridges. “They don't have that deep snowpack to forage in and find food,” Woodley said. “But climate's only one of the drivers in their populations; we also have habitat and predators as well.”
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The increase in the pheasant population could also give hunters a boost in this year’s pheasant hunting season in Minnesota, which runs statewide from October 10, 2026, through January 3, 2027.
“You should probably be seeing a few more birds, or flushing a few more birds on your hunts.”
Pheasants are not alone in a growing population — the state has also seen an increase in eastern cottontail rabbits and the whitetail deer.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
