This is about 10.2 percent of the state's cropland, and is larger than the peak acreage enrolled in the Soil Bank program. In effect, CRP has multiplied by approximately 192 times the acreage in the Game and Fish Department private land management programs. Overall loss of habitat during the last 30 years will prevent the population from equaling that of the late 1950s. Cropping of forage from CRP land such as that authorized in response to the droughts of 1988 and 1989 will reduce the contribution of such land to pheasant recovery. An ideal ratio of land-use for pheasant production includes a high proportion of grain crops which provide a stable food source.
Wheat also provides nesting cover, and alfalfa offers brood cover.
Pastures and grasslands make good nesting cover, and idle acres are important areas for nesting, roosting, loafing, and winter cover. Ideally, each cover type would occur in small units and in close proximity to other types. The ring-necked pheasant is a relative newcomer to North Dakota, yet has become so much a part of the state's heritage that many people are unaware that it is not a native bird. But, if pheasants are to prosper in the state, and continue to provide pleasure to hunters and others who simply enjoy seeing them, they must have sufficient habitat. While federal programs will do the most to improve statewide populations, Game and Fish Department programs can help improve habitat on both public and private land.