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South Dakota · Habitat Intelligence
GFP 2019 brood survey density tiers by local area, three-year average grassland composition (2021–2023), and 2025 reported pheasant harvest — all by county, for all 66 counties. Free account required.
Source provenance
Density tiers — SD GFP Pheasant Brood Survey Report 2019 (Runia), Table 1. Survey discontinued after 2019.
Grassland coverage — USDA NASS CDL class 176, mean of 2021, 2022, 2023
Grass character — NLCD 2021 class 71 (native herbaceous) vs. class 81 (managed hay/pasture)
Reported harvest — SD GFP 2025 Pheasant Economics, post-season Harvest Survey estimate
Density tiers are local-area figures, not county counts. GFP survey routes span multiple counties — the index cannot be pinned to individual counties. High grassland percentage in western SD reflects native rangeland, not pheasant nesting habitat. Reported harvest is a survey ESTIMATE that reflects hunter effort and land access as much as bird numbers — it shows where hunters have reported harvesting birds, not where birds are located.
See density, grassland, and reported harvest for all 66 counties
GFP 2019 brood survey density tiers by local area. USDA CDL grassland + NLCD native/managed split. Plus 2025 reported pheasant harvest by county — a GFP survey estimate of hunter effort, not a density or population count. Free account, no card required.
GFP 2019 density
High density
1
area
Chamberlain — 4.85 PPM (2019)
Moderate density
4
areas
Winner, Pierre, Huron, Mitchell
Lower density
8
areas
Aberdeen, Brookings, Sioux Falls + more
Sign in to see density tiers on the interactive county map and toggle to grassland composition view.
Grassland character
Managed Hay/Pasture
21
counties
Eastern SD — pheasant nesting country
Mixed Grassland
16
counties
Transition zone — native and managed blend
Native Rangeland
28
counties
Western SD — cattle country
GFP 2025 survey estimate
Statewide reported harvest
1,351,085
roosters (estimated)
Highest-harvest county
Brown
80,859 reported
Top-quartile counties
17
of 66 counties
Figures are GFP survey-based ESTIMATES (mailed to ~30,000 license-holders, ~30% response), not exact counts. Reported harvest reflects hunter effort and land access as much as bird numbers — it is not a measure of pheasant density, population, or abundance, and does not show where birds are located.
Sign in to see reported harvest on the interactive county map and detail panel, alongside density and grassland.
Historical context
GFP’s pheasant brood survey recorded a long-term decline through the 2010s. The 2018 index ran 41% below its 10-year average. The 2019 report attributed the multi-year decline in part to a 35% (~553,000-acre) reduction in CRP grassland since 2007. GFP discontinued the brood survey after 2019; these figures are historical context, not a current index.
CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) enrollment is the dominant driver of nesting habitat quality in eastern SD. The USDA CDL class 176 value a county shows on this map includes CRP grass, native shortgrass, managed hay, and grazed pasture — the CDL does not distinguish between them. The NLCD split (native class 71 vs. hay class 81) provides a closer read on habitat character, but reflects 2021 land cover only; it is not a CRP enrollment figure.
For current CRP enrollment by county, consult USDA FSA directly. For current pheasant population index information, consult SD GFP.
Cites: SD GFP Pheasant Brood Survey Report 2019 (Runia), Table 1; USDA FSA CRP enrollment series. CDL class 176 conflates grassland types — trend analysis at per-county resolution is not reliable due to classifier vintage instability (2008–2013 in particular).
Data method
Density tiers (GFP 2019 Brood Survey)
PPM (pheasants per route mile) values from GFP’s 2019 Brood Survey Report (Runia), Table 1. Tiers: high ≥4.0 PPM, moderate 2.3–3.99, lower ≤2.29. Trend direction follows GFP’s own significance test against the 10-year average — raw percentage alone does not determine tier. Survey routes span multiple counties; index values cannot be attributed to individual counties.
CDL coverage (USDA NASS, 30m)
Class 176 (Grassland/Pasture) pixels tallied per county, mean across 2021, 2022, 2023 CDL releases. 3-year average stabilizes estimates; single-year values swing 15–40pp on classifier vintage.
NLCD grass character (USGS MRLC, 2021)
Class 71 (native/semi-native herbaceous) vs. class 81 (managed hay/pasture). County-level percentages from nlcd_county_stats. Shannon County (46113) has no NLCD data.
Reported harvest (SD GFP 2025 Pheasant Economics)
GFP mails a post-season harvest survey to ~30,000 license-holders (~30% response rate) and projects harvest, hunters, and county distribution from the responses. Hunters are not unique per county — a hunter who hunts several counties is counted in each. This is a survey estimate, not an exact count, and reflects hunter effort and land access as much as bird numbers.
Data provided by: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Michigan Department of Natural Resources. All data subject to respective agency terms and conditions.