• PIERRE, S.D. - Sunny skies, most crops harvested and increased bird numbers made an enjoyable experience for a majority of opening-day pheasant hunters in South Dakota.
• A long, dry summer has sped the harvest of corn and soybean crops, where many early season pheasants seek refuge. This year, the birds had to resort to sloughs, grassy patches and shelterbelts, making them easier to find in many areas of the state.
• "Hunter numbers seemed to be down in central South Dakota," said Region 2 Game Manager Nathan Baker.
• "Hunter success was about 1.5 birds per hunter, but seemed to be higher than that in Campbell Woolworth and Potter Counties."
•  "Hunters were in great spirits, and seemed to understand with reduced habitat due to the drought, and if they found a few birds, they found alot," said Baker.
• There were two known hunting accidents in the area, both hunters being struck by pellets.  Neither hunter was seriously injured.In the northeastern part of the state, hunters found birds in a mixed bag of areas.
• "People were hunting shelterbelts and cattail sloughs as well as in the grass," said Region 1 Game Manager Jacqui Ermer.
• "The CREP areas in Marshall County were extremely busy," she said.

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