NOVEMBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 33
farming much more efficient – fields are larger and "weed-
free," row crops have largely replaced small grains, and
few areas go undisturbed. In the absence of small grains,
weedy crop fields and grasslands in general, pheasants in
many areas of the state are now heavily reliant on CRP to
fulfill their habitat needs, and when the CRP goes away, so
do the birds. Most remaining habitat is also very isolated
and this raises additional concerns. Research has shown
that the negative impacts of severe weather and predation
are even more profound on pheasant populations occurring
in fragmented landscapes. Someone before me said it
best: "Pheasants are no longer the reliable by-product of
agriculture as they once were."
With our state being 97 percent privately owned, the
key will be continuing to work with private landowners to
Pheasants remain critical to the fabric of the Nebraska outdoors, as seen in various parts of the state, including the southwest.
Q:
So what are the steps to help build
pheasant populations and the challenges
that go along with those steps?
