Oklahoma Pheasant Brood Survey Tally Rises to 61 From 44 Before Dec. 1 Season

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said Nov. 2 in its 2026 Pheasant Hunting Season Outlook that pheasants observed in the August brood survey rose from 44 in 2025 to 61 in 2026.

The same survey showed a slight decrease in the statewide average. In the five traditional counties, broods rose from 0.02 per mile in 2025 to 0.03 in 2026. The spring 2026 crow count showed a slight increase in calls heard per point over 2025. Index numbers for both surveys remain well below the long-term average.

Tell Judkins, a department wildlife biologist, wrote the outlook. The department tracks ring-necked pheasants with spring crow counts, an index of the breeding population, and summer brood surveys, which show how well young birds survived the year. Judkins noted that with few observations, these roadside surveys can vary widely.

The five traditional counties are Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Grant and Texas. Crow surveys there began in 1973 and brood surveys in 1980. In 1998 the surveys expanded to 13 counties.

Drought shaped the year. About 57% of the state was in some level of drought when the 2025-26 season began, and timely rains led to excellent early summer nesting conditions. Drought reached about 65% of Oklahoma by July and 100% in August. As of mid-October, about 70% of the state was in severe, extreme or exceptional drought. Models forecast the current Super El Niño to peak in November and shift back toward normal conditions by spring.

Hunters will likely find pockets of pheasants in fair numbers in areas with good habitat, the department said.

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission adopted rules in 2025 requiring nonresidents who use certain public hunting and fishing areas to check in and out through the GoOutdoorsOK app or GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com. Nonresident game bird hunters also need a Nonresident Game Bird Permit to hunt any game birds on any wildlife management area. The department asks out-of-state hunters to check their dogs for injury, open wounds or fly larvae before entering the state, especially if they travel from or through New World screwworm infested or adjacent surveillance zones.

Season opens Dec. 1, 2026 and runs through Jan. 31, 2027, with a daily limit of two cock pheasants. Open areas are Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Garfield, Grant, Harper, Kay, Major, Noble, Osage, Texas, Woods and Woodward counties, plus the parts of Blaine, Dewey, Ellis, Kingfisher and Logan counties north of State Highway 51.