PF’s Pheasant Forecast Is Out…
(Source: Pheasants Forever)
…How Does It Look To You?
Pheasants Forever (PF) just published its pheasant hunting forecast for the season, and it looks…well, that’s the first question – how do you think it looks? Here are PF’s few-word summaries for each state:
California – Average Year by Modern Standards (3)
Colorado – Northeast Up While Southeast Prospects Dry Up (3)
Idaho – Southwest Hatch Looks Good (3)
Illinois – Hunter Numbers Up, Bird Numbers the Same (3)
Indiana – Slight Dip, Don’t Overlook Northeast (2)
Iowa – While Waiting on Weather, a New Low (1)
Kansas – Central Looking Best (2)
Michigan – Numbers Low, Pheasant Restoration Program Begins (1)
Minnesota – Winter, Spring, Habitat Loss Deliver Punch (1)
Missouri – Pheasants and Pheasant Hunter Numbers Drop (1)
Montana – Winter Clenches, Spring Drenches Outlook (1)
Nebraska – Head West, Pheasant Hunters (2)
New York – Working on Habitat out West (1)
North Dakota – Pheasant Numbers Down, Still a Top Destination (2)
Oklahoma – Drought Quells Gains (2)
Ohio – Report Coming Soon
Oregon – Fair to Good (4)
Pennsylvania – Recovery Projects Continue (1)
South Dakota – Big Drop, But Still Tops (3)
Texas – Drought Hurts Nesting and Brood Habitat (1)
Utah – Pheasant Upswing Continues (4)
Washington – Columbia Basin Could Be Hidden Gem (3)
Wisconsin – Downward Trend Continues (1)
Wyoming – Big Horn Basin for Birds (3)
Our Take
We asked ourselves the same question: How does it look? The number you see in parenths after each state is our impression of how each description looks, or makes us feel: 1=not good, 5=great.
Let’s do a little math:
- 24 states, but really 23 since the Ohio forecast isn’t in yet
- 48 “points”
- Avg = 2 out of 5
And…
Well, a 2 out of 5 ain’t great. Not even good. That’s how reading that, plus the pheasant forecast info we’ve covered here already, makes us feel – like the pheasant season won’t be good.
But that feeling is wrong – dead wrong! – which is the second question: Does this or any forecast actually mean anything, with the corollaries:
- What does it mean on the ground where you’re hunting
- Should you even pay attention to forecasts
We’ll save our take on that for tomorrow. For now, thanks to PF for doing the forecast – that’s a lot of work!
Category: 2011, Forecasts/counts, Pheasants, Pheasants Forever
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