From saturdays St Cloud Times…
Observers counted about 104 pheasants per 100 miles driven in the southwest, 76 pheasants per 100 miles in the central part of the state, and 70 pheasants per 100 miles driven in west-central Minnesota.
That was virtually unchanged from last year, but was 22 percent below the 10- year average.
“We expect hunters to harvest the same number of roosters this year as last fall, about 400,000 birds,” Haroldson said. “But after several above average harvests from 2005 to 2008, the pheasant population has fallen below average for a second consecutive year.”