For those of you that like to “blast” as well as “cast”, Colorado’s Pheasant hunting opener is just around the corner with the season beginning November 10th. Last year was a record pheasant hunting season in Colorado, with some of the highest populations recorded in the history of the state. However, the drought of 2012 makes it highly probable that this year’s pheasant season
will be tough going. The drought has most likely impacted pheasant populations; lack of water means reduced chick survival across Colorado’s pheasant range. Overall, this means that pheasant populations will be down across the state but a few isolated hotspots may have not suffered great impacts from the drought.
Yuma, Kit Carson, Phillips, Sedgwick, southeastern Logan, northeast and extreme southeast Washington Counties are productive areas that pheasant hunters should concentrate on. Extreme southeast Colorado, especially eastern Baca County, can also be productive for pheasants and hunters may find scaled quail in this area, but quail numbers might be extremely concentrated this year due to the drought.
Case in point, this year is going to be tough going for outsmarting wily roosters. However, the birds are still there and any hunter with a decent dog and a lot of persistence should be able to knock down some roosters. Get out there and hunt!
Tight Lines and Good Shooting,
Tyler Bowman
The Flyfisher Group
