COLORADO
Colorado's northeastern plains, Phillips and Yuma counties top the list, with Kit Carson, Washington and Logan not far behind. "In a word, optimistic," said Tyler Baskfield, a public information specialist for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. "Spring precipitation has been real good, should provide good nesting cover and insects for brood rearing. In addition, we just didn't get the sort of winter storms that knock bird populations down. That combined with decent numbers going into the breeding/nesting season should give us a pretty good hatch. Of course hailstorms can wipe out a whole county's hatch in a heartbeat, but overall things are looking good."

Phillips County sports a flying ringneck rooster on its seal and boasts some 30,000 of the 160,000 acres enrolled statewide in Colorado's Walk-In Access program. It also boasts one of the country's leading Pheasant Forever Chapters in terms of actual on the ground, good for pheasants, and good for pheasant hunters completed projects. The group has planted hundreds of thousands of trees, millions of feet of weed barrier and purchased outright several sections (640 acres per) of land and each year raises thousands for CDOW to encourage farmers to convert field corners to pheasant habitat.

"The standard CDOW offer of only $1.30 per acre for Walk-In-Access is fair but on the low side, not always enough to encourage farmers to enroll in the program, let alone set-aside acreage for pheasant habitat. With chapter help, the agency can now offer up to $10 per acre, a considerable enticement, comparatively speaking," said a chapter spokesman. The group also annually plants food plots for the birds on chapter-owned lands, all of which are available for hunting. For maps and further information, go online to www.coloradopheasants.net.

Pheasant season runs Nov. 20 through Jan. 16 in units east of I-25 and Nov. 20 through Jan. 2, in units west of I-25. Non-resident license costs $40.25 annually or $5.25 per day. Daily bag limit is three cocks, nine in possession.

UTAH
Utah's pheasant habitat is in sharp decline, and the outlook grim at best. Once again, little noticeable improvement in pheasant populations is expected.

Habitat losses due to urban sprawl, changes in agricultural practices and a persistent drought have combined to take a huge toll on pheasant futures. Predictions run from poor to fair. Sanpete County in the Central Region, Duchesne and Uintah counties in the Northeast and the area between Price and Green River in the Southeast should provide the best of what's left.

Information about specific Division of Wildlife Resources upland game and waterfowl management areas open to pheasant hunting is contained in a brochure titled, "Your DWR Lands." The brochure is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/uplandgame. A more comprehensive overview of DWR lands is found in the booklet titled, "Access to Wildlife Lands in Utah," available for purchase at any DWR office.

Utah pheasant seasons vary in length from a week to a month. Most occur during November though hunters need to check closely to see what is open and when. Regardless, the daily bag limit is two cocks daily, four in possession. The non-resident license fee is $45 annually.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Web sites and telephone numbers for state departments: Idaho -- www.fishandgame.id.gov, (208) 334-3700; Montana -- www.fwp.state.mt.us, (406) 444-2535; Wyoming -- www.gf.state.wy.us, (307) 777-4600; Colorado, www.wildlife.state.co.us; Utah, www.wildlife.utah.gov, (801) 538-4700.