North Dakota 2025 Pheasant Outlook: Something To Crow About?

The North Dakota hunting seasons are off and running.

The waterfowl season opened up for residents this past weekend; the non-resident season will open up this coming Saturday, October 4th, then it's the highly anticipated Pheasant opener on Saturday, October 11th.

We are coming off of one of the best pheasant seasons North Dakota has seen in many years.

The 2024 pheasant season saw the highest harvest of birds since the 2016 season. According to a VIDEO from the North Dakota Game and Fish, last year's tremendous season was 48% above the 10-year average.

(SEE ALSO: North Dakota's Most Stunning Waterfowl PHOTOS)

We are coming off two very mild winters, and our spring crowing count in 2025 was one of the highest ever.

Will the 2025 pheasant season bring us something crow about?

With the combination of another relatively easy winter and a large carryover of birds from last year, you would definitely think so. The only fly in the ointment was severe weather from this past May, June, and July. Hail, tornadoes, and straight-line winds all took their toll on birds, especially chicks. The severe weather also destroyed some nests due to heavy rain at the end of May. It's hopeful that many of those birds renested.

Late summer roadside pheasant counts are down a little.

The combination of storms wiping out some birds and nesting success down in some parts of the state could leave some areas void of large numbers of birds, like last year. Again, re-nesting could offset some of those concerns.

Here's how the 4 districts in the state are shaping up for 2025.

SW - The southwest part of the state did have the best production in the state despite a couple of significant hailstorms. This should be an excellent season in this part of North Dakota.

NW - The northwest part of the state is down. Although there is a good number of adult birds, the brood count is down, and storms hurt the production, especially in the Crosby area. Hunters may have to work a little harder in this part of the state.

SW - Although this part of the state has lost most of its CRP, it showed a good increase. Especially in Burleigh and Emmons counties. Dickey and Lamoure counties also should have some pretty good hunting.

NE - Not the traditional pheasant range, but numbers were up. Concentrate your efforts closer to I-94. Even in non-traditional pheasant areas like Devils Lake and Grand Forks saw increases.

Overall, it should be another really good season.

A reminder for all bird hunters:

With harvest in full swing, please refrain from blocking roads and parking in high grass areas to minimize the risk of starting a wildfire. Also, clean up after yourself, close gates, and treat the land with respect.