We also have had a major decline in pheasant numbers on the last 20 years. For the most part two items are at fault. Habitat loss due to more efficient farming is number 1- Next is increase in predators. The increase in Magpies in the last 25 years is startling. Also the increase in the number of red fox ( do not get trapped anymore because they are not worth anything ) Stocked pheasants really have nothing in common with hatchery steelhead. Most are killed in a matter of days if not hours. 300 birds released = 300 birds killed. Its a pretty safe assumption that the days of good pheasant hunting are over. States like North and South Dakota still have huge tracts of cover, and lots of birds as a result. All I have to do is take a short drive and look at all the bare dirt tilled to perfection with concrete ditches or steel pipe and its pretty easy to figure out what happened..