Ring-necked pheasants
After two tough winters and poor brood-rearing conditions in 2009, it wasn’t surprising to see this spring’s rooster crow counts down a little.

However, 2010 spring counts were comparable to 2006, which was a good year for pheasants. In recent years, about 100,000 hunters have harvested 800,000-plus pheasants annually. In 2009, the numbers dropped to fewer than 90,000 hunters and about 652,000 birds.
Today, there is reason to be optimistic about fall’s potential for another good pheasant season. The spring weather was better than the last two and the quality of nesting and brooding habitat in the state is quite good.

Sharp-tailed grouse
As a native species, sharp-tailed grouse have persisted through many demanding winters similar to the previous two. For 2010, nesting conditions were optimal, but heavy spring rains may have reduced survival of earlier hatching broods. This fall, bird numbers should be similar to, or slightly better than, 2009.

Hungarian partridge
Hunters will also see partridge numbers similar to last year.
Back-to-back tough winters reduced the adult breeding population leading into this spring’s nesting season, and substantial spring rains likely reduced chick survival in some areas.

Wild turkeys
Turkey harvest and population data from many hunting units in the west and along the Missouri River in 2008-09 indicate poor production and chick recruitment. Consequently, some western and central hunting units will have lower turkey numbers this fall, while hunters will find turkey numbers in central and eastern parts of the state comparable to 2009.

White-tailed deer
This year, the Game and Fish Department allocated 27,625 fewer licenses than in 2009, but that still left nearly 117,000 available for the regular deer gun season, more than enough for everyone in the state who wants to hunt deer to have a license.
The license reduction follows back-to-back tough winters, though in many hunting units, deer numbers are actually close to the department’s management goals.

Mule deer
Back-to-back tough winters have also affected mule deer in the Badlands. Production in 2009 was the second lowest documented by Game and Fish Department biologists.
The 2010 spring index for the Badlands was 7.8 mule deer per square mile, slightly lower than 2009, but still above the long-term average. As such, the number of licenses made available for fall was 7,275, or 1,425 fewer than last year.
 
Pronghorn
Recent winters probably hurt pronghorn the worst. After evaluating 2010 fawn production and population estimates following the annual July survey, the Game and Fish Department decided to not have a season in 2010

Ducks and geese
This fall should be a good one for North Dakota waterfowlers.

The 2010 breeding duck index was up 12 percent from 2009, exceeding the average by 107 percent, and is the third highest on record. Mallards were up 12 percent from last year and were the fourth highest on record.

July brood survey data backed up the improved spring index, as duck brood numbers were up 14 percent from 2009. The Game and Fish forecast is for North Dakota’s contribution to the continental fall duck flight to be about 20 percent above last year.
 Numbers of resident Canada geese, Western prairie Canada geese and arctic nesting tallgrass prairie Canada geese and snow and Ross’ geese all remain high, with good hunting opportunities for all these birds, depending on fall weather conditions.
 
Doves
In 2010, the North Dakota ranked second in the nation for the number of breeding mourning doves. That should mean good hunting opportunities again during the first two weeks of September, unless a late-August coldfront starts pushing the birds south early.

Sandhill cranes
The mid-continent sandhill crane population is in good shape heading into hunting season. The 2010 spring index will likely exceed 500,000 birds after survey estimates are finalized, putting the breeding population index at near record highs.
 Staging areas in the western half of the state improved after spring and summer rains refilled wetlands that were in poor condition this spring. Abundant precipitation has made the landscape in eastern North Dakota wet again as well.