Wisconsin DNR announces ’26 ruffed grouse and pheasant survey results

Madison, Wis. — The Wisconsin DNR last week announced that 2026 data is now available from annual spring surveys of Wisconsin ruffed grouse and pheasant.

Pheasant observations were above the five-year average for the third consecutive year. The results of the ruffed grouse survey are on track with the 10-year population trend.

2026 Wis. pheasant survey

The WDNR reported the 2026 average pheasant observations at 0.73 pheasants per stop, a decrease from 2025 at 0.81 pheasants per stop. For the third year in a row, the count remains above the most recent five-year average (0.56 pheasants per stop).

DNR wildlife biologists use a measurement known as an abundance index to assess the state’s wild pheasant population each year. On trend from past years, abundance was highest in the northwestern part of Wisconsin’s pheasant range and lowest in the east-central region.

For more information regarding pheasant hunting and management, visit the DNR’s Pheasant Hunting and Management webpage.

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2026 spring grouse survey

The DNR also released the results of its annual Roadside Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey. The survey measured ruffed grouse drumming activity heard along roadsides throughout Wisconsin this spring and showed an 11% decrease in statewide drumming activity compared to 2025.

“We observed an 11% decline in statewide drumming abundance this year, with the largest declines being in the Driftless and Central priority areas of the state. A decline was anticipated this year, as the low points of the 10-year population cycle typically occur in years that end in 4, 5 and 6,” said Alaina Roth, DNR ruffed grouse specialist. “We likely observed higher abundance estimates in 2024 and 2025 due to exceptional nesting and brooding conditions in the prior years.”

Since 2021, survey data has been organized and analyzed by ruffed grouse priority areas to help monitor key populations across the state, as defined in the Wisconsin Ruffed Grouse Management Plan 2020-2030.

For more information regarding grouse hunting or managing habitat for ruffed grouse in Wisconsin, visit the DNR’s Ruffed Grouse Hunting webpage.