...severe winters, grass is buried in deep snow and not useful as cover. But in mild winters, cover is widely available. This should result in greater survival of birds over winter. -Kurt Haroldson, assistant regional wildlife manager

...the Minnesota winter? "For birds that do not migrate to warm climates during winter, life can be brutal," said Kurt Haroldson, DNR wildlife biologist. "Survival depends on finding adequate food and shelter. Survival rates of ground feeders...

...pheasants seen along the August roadside count routes was up slightly, but did not significantly change from 1999, said Kurt Haroldson, a wildlife research biologist with the DNR's Farmland Wildlife Population and Research Group in Madelia. But...

...available, the extension should slightly increase harvest without affecting pheasant numbers the following year, said Kurt Haroldson, DNR wildlife biologist in Madelia. Although Haroldson said hen pheasants flushed by hunters from prime winter cover...

...blow long and snowdrifts get deep. This was the hardest winter for Minnesota pheasants in at least four years, said Kurt Haroldson, a DNR wildlife biologist in Madelia. In much of southern Minnesota, including the prime pheasant range, the average...

...peaked at 1.6 million. During 1965-86, the years between Soil Bank and CRP, harvest averaged 270,000 birds. Kurt Haroldson, DNR wildlife biologist and chief author of this year's pheasant survey report, said the best opportunities for...