HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Pheasant and quail season kicks off Saturday in Kansas.

As in the past, most of the hunting should be fair to locally good this year. Heavy winter precipitation made hunting conditions tough in 2018, but provided ample soil moisture entering the 2019 nesting season. A few late winter storms raised some concern for pheasants in western Kansas, but the spring crowing index remained the same as 2018, indicating there was no measurable impact on over-winter survival.

In south-central Kansas, pheasant hunters should expect a fair season this year. The spring crow survey remained unchanged from 2018 and near long-term averages. While total observations in the summer roadside survey declined, the pattern was inconsistent, with some areas showing notable improvement while others declined. The highest pheasant densities will be in the western half of the region.

Quail hunting should remain good throughout much of the region. Both the spring whistle survey and summer brood survey were similar to 2018. As such, the region maintained near-average densities and was the second-highest regional index on the roadside survey this year.

Production appeared to be greatly improved with a much higher chick-to-adult ratio. The intermixing of quality cover types provides more consistent opportunities in the South Central Prairies compared to other regions. The roadside counts were highest in the northwestern portion of the region, although relatively good counts were observed throughout much of the region.