Does South Dakota track whether its nest predator bounty program improves pheasant numbers?

State officials acknowledge there’s no data evidence showing the bounty program is increasing the pheasant population.

Implemented in 2019, the nest predator bounty program’s goal is to protect pheasant and duck nests by paying residents for killing predators such as raccoons and red foxes. Participants receive $10 for every tail they turn in. The program has cost the state $4.4 million to date. 

A three-year study started in 2007 showed increased nest success in both areas where predators were trapped and left alone. Mixed results suggest pheasant habitat plays a more important role than predator removal. 

The state previously conducted surveys of hatched pheasants and hens to gauge the population but ended the count in 2019 out of concern that low numbers deterred hunters from visiting South Dakota.