Does GFP fabricate optimistic pheasant forecasts to generate more license revenue?
Every year there are hunters who do not find the success that they had anticipated. GFP forecasts fall pheasant populations in August after surveying over 100 standardized pheasant counting routes. What these routes tell us is whether regional pheasant populations are up, down or about the same as the previous year. The forecasts are made for the vicinities of 12 city areas in central and eastern SD, and the forecasts are never the same for all 12 areas. GFP also summarizes the survey routes together for an estimate of the statewide pheasant population. These roadside surveys are not intended to be representative of how successful individual hunters are going to be in a localized area. Even the regional forecasts are never completely consistent within a given survey area because these areas can span up to 8,000 square miles. Undoubtedly, there are going to be parts of survey areas that are better and worse than the overall estimate for that region. Then why does GFP make these forecast
