SALINA, Kan. (AP) Hunters who fan out across Kansas Saturday for the start of quail and pheasant season are likely to find fewer birds.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism says two years of drought have reduced the birds’ population in most regions.
Mike Miller, editor of the agency’s magazine, says the southwest corner of the state is expected to have the fewest number of birds. He says the extreme heat and dry conditions reduced nesting and brood habitat for the birds.
The Salina Journal reports northwest and north-central Kansas were not as affected by the drought. And Miller says quail numbers have improved slightly in the northern Flint Hills and northeastern Kansas.
Miller says hunting brings in an estimated $400 million in revenue to the state each year.
