According to a KDWPT release, pheasant hunting is expected to be fair to good this year, while quail hunting should be good to locally great and prairie chicken lek counts were slightly down.
Precipitation patterns over the past five years have altered vegetation, according to the KDWPT, which led to this “modern quail boom.”
Though the 2016 pheasant harvest was low, the average daily bag per hunter was reported above average, which suggests that the harvest could also have been above average with higher hunter participation.
For more detailed information and regional breakdowns for all three species, consult the 2017 Upland Bird Hunting Forecast at http://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Upland-Birds/Upland-Bird-Forecast or pick one up at the KDWPT Office, 300 S.W. Wanamaker Road. The full forecast also will be featured in the 2017 November/December issue of Kansas Wildlife & Parks Magazine.