A wet spring made nesting difficult for Michigan's pheasant population, but numbers still appear to be increasing. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski.

Michigan's upland wing-shooting opportunities are as diverse as the Michigan landscape. The rolling farmlands of southern and eastern Michigan are home to decent, huntable numbers of pheasants and quail, and the abundant public land of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula offers thousands of acres of public hunting for grouse and woodcock. Combine this with the indication that grouse numbers appear to be on the upswing, the grouse cycle is peaking and pheasant numbers seem to be rebounding with improved habitat, and you have all the makings of a fall wing-shooter's paradise. Finding Pheasants

Where you find suitable winter habitat, you'll find pheasants in Michigan. "There are still birds around," said Michigan Natural Resources upland game bird specialist Al Stewart, adding that he's heard a lot of roosters crowing while out turkey hunting this spring. "Where the good wintering habitat is, you still find birds. Last winter was a very difficult winter, but we did experience some breakups at critical times."

Alternative thawing and breaks in the winter weather allow pheasants to find grit and reach grain sources at critical times. Pheasants are resilient birds, and, they can make it through a tough winter if they have the cover to get out of the weather.

Stewart said that Michigan hunters have been harvesting around 100,000 birds in each of the last few years. For that number to increase, pheasants would have to have a good nesting season, something lacking in recent years. "Production was not as good as we'd hoped last year," Stewart said. "That's three years in a row where we have not had good reproduction."

Stewart said that Michigan has experienced a surreal amount of rain this spring. The moisture is good for insect production critical for young chicks, but the heavy rains have also flooded some lowland habitats that might serve as nesting cover. "There are places that have water that don't normally have water," said Stewart. "Right now, we're about two weeks behind with the weather. The first couple weeks of June are critical. That's when the chicks hatch, and it's important that we have some warm, dry weather then."

According to Stewart, some things that have hurt pheasant numbers the last couple of decades are the fragmentation and maturation of the Michigan landscape. "Everyone wants their own little piece of nirvana," said Stewart. "Where you once had a large tract of grasslands, you now have a subdivision or five-acre lots, and it has hurt pheasant numbers. I've always said that you can't grow pheasants on asphalt and dirt."

Another problem that Stewart pointed out is that the remaining habitat is maturing through natural succession and is transforming into more woody vegetation, which isn't good for pheasants either. Trees, bushes and shrubs provide less prime habitat for pheasants and more places for predators to hide.

Michigan's traditional pheasant hunting season takes place from Oct. 20 to Nov. 14 in zones 2 and 3 and Oct. 10-31 in Zone 1. The hunting area in Zone 1 was expanded last season to include all of Menominee County and portions of Delta, Dickinson, Iron and Marquette counties. Michigan's late pheasant season runs from Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 in the area of southern Michigan bordered by U.S. Highway 131 on the west and south of M-20. Limits are two male pheasants per day and four in possession.

For the exact boundaries and specifics of the pheasant-hunting season in Michigan, visit www.michigan. gov/dnr, or consult the 2009-2010 Michigan Hunting and Trapping Guide.