Sandhill cranes are large bird species native to North America. They are hunted as game birds in several states across the United States. Sandhill crane hunting is carefully regulated, with annual limits set on the number of birds that can be legally harvested each year. Understanding sandhill crane harvest numbers and trends provides important information for managing crane populations.
Sandhill Crane Hunting Overview
Sandhill cranes are hunted primarily in the Midwestern and Western United States. States with annual crane hunts include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. These hunts target the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain populations of sandhill cranes that migrate through these regions.
Most states allow crane hunting only during certain fall and winter months, which coincides with the birds’ southward migration. Hunting methods are restricted to specific shooting hours and often involve the use of hunting blinds and decoys to attract cranes within shooting range. Limits are placed on the number of permits issued, the length of the hunting season, and the daily and seasonal bag limits per hunter.
Due to their conservation status and extended breeding age, sandhill cranes are carefully managed as a game species. Biologists with state wildlife agencies use aerial surveys and other population monitoring methods to derive annual harvest recommendations. These recommendations are designed to sustain crane populations at desired levels.
Regulating Crane Harvest
The number of sandhill cranes harvested each year is regulated based on proposals from individual states and Flyway Councils. Flyway Councils are comprised of representatives from state and provincial wildlife agencies to guide management of migratory bird species within the four major flyways in North America – the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific flyways.
For sandhill cranes, the recommended harvest limits originate from the Central and Pacific flyway councils, which establish sandhill crane hunting seasons within their regions. These recommendations go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which approves final harvest allocations for each state. Limits and season regulations can change annually depending on the previous year’s harvest data and current population numbers.
Setting Limits
Annual harvest limits are intended to allow sustainable crane hunting opportunities while maintaining stable or growing populations. Limits are set through international agreements between the U.S, Canada, and Mexico to allow harvest of up to 5% of the estimated crane population in the Central Flyway and up to 3% of the estimated population in the Pacific Flyway.
The total allowed harvest is then divided into state-by-state allotments. Individual states can be more conservative with harvest restrictions but cannot exceed their allocated portion of the flyway’s total limit.
Monitoring Populations
Sandhill crane populations are monitored through coordinated surveys each year before migratory seasons. In the spring, breeding ground surveys estimate numbers of nesting pairs and reproductive success across breeding areas.
In the fall, migration surveys count and band cranes at staging areas to estimate population size before the migration south. Combining spring, summer, and fall survey data gives a comprehensive look at the overall size and status of sandhill crane populations on a flyway and individual state basis.
Annual Sandhill Crane Harvest
The total number of sandhill cranes harvested in the U.S. has risen over the past decade but remains within sustainable limits established by Flyway Councils. Here are the total sandhill cranes harvested across all states over the past 10 years:
| Year | Total Cranes Harvested |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 18,592 |
| 2013 | 16,150 |
| 2014 | 19,730 |
| 2015 | 18,380 |
| 2016 | 17,595 |
| 2017 | 20,215 |
| 2018 | 24,418 |
| 2019 | 26,139 |
| 2020 | 27,372 |
| 2021 | 29,919 |
As these numbers show, the annual sandhill crane harvest in the U.S. has increased over the past 10 years, rising from around 16,000-19,000 in the early 2010s to over 29,000 by 2021. This represents a substantial increase in crane hunting opportunities and success across the Western states.
Central Flyway Trends
In the Central Flyway, most sandhill cranes are harvested in Texas and Oklahoma. Here are the total numbers of sandhill cranes harvested in the top five states over the past decade:
| Year | Texas | Oklahoma | Kansas | North Dakota | South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4,043 | 3,055 | 331 | 540 | 314 |
| 2013 | 2,811 | 2,267 | 292 | 428 | 273 |
| 2014 | 3,196 | 3,024 | 435 | 522 | 245 |
| 2015 | 2,945 | 2,939 | 403 | 396 | 314 |
| 2016 | 3,063 | 2,319 | 352 | 326 | 179 |
| 2017 | 3,638 | 3,689 | 621 | 472 | 336 |
| 2018 | 4,381 | 4,097 | 726 | 499 | 315 |
| 2019 | 4,505 | 4,464 | 801 | 497 | 399 |
| 2020 | 4,693 | 4,488 | 859 | 531 | 448 |
| 2021 | 4,904 | 4,708 | 1,023 | 580 | 469 |
Texas and Oklahoma combine to account for over 70% of the annual crane harvest in the Central Flyway. The numbers in these states have grown around 20-30% over the past decade. Meanwhile, other Central Flyway states have seen more modest but steady increases in crane harvests.
Pacific Flyway Numbers
In the Pacific Flyway, New Mexico sees the highest sandhill crane harvest numbers each year. Here are the totals for the top Pacific Flyway crane harvest states:
| Year | New Mexico | Wyoming | Idaho | Arizona | Montana |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3,894 | 2,056 | 1,248 | 1,029 | 925 |
| 2013 | 3,253 | 1,970 | 1,233 | 581 | 419 |
| 2014 | 4,127 | 2,294 | 1,473 | 858 | 627 |
| 2015 | 3,745 | 2,407 | 1,293 | 713 | 485 |
| 2016 | 3,520 | 2,189 | 1,339 | 741 | 560 |
| 2017 | 4,103 | 2,730 | 1,600 | 856 | 636 |
| 2018 | 4,478 | 2,941 | 1,761 | 1,145 | 838 |
| 2019 | 4,965 | 3,206 | 1,971 | 1,298 | 901 |
| 2020 | 5,159 | 3,362 | 2,127 | 1,577 | 977 |
| 2021 | 5,634 | 3,559 | 2,346 | 1,744 | 1,029 |
New Mexico harvests the most sandhill cranes each year in the Pacific Flyway, accounting for over 40% of the annual total. Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, and Montana round out the top five harvest states in most years. As with the Central Flyway, crane harvests have increased across the Pacific Flyway over the past decade.
Future Outlook
Sandhill crane populations remain healthy across their western breeding grounds. As long as careful monitoring and regulation continues, wildlife officials expect crane hunts to remain sustainable and harvests may continue to gradually increase in coming years.
Some major factors that can influence future sandhill crane harvests include:
- Habitat conditions – Drought or degradation of breeding and migratory habitat can reduce crane numbers.
- Reproductive success – Crane populations depend on high rates of nest success and chick survival.
- Wintering grounds – Habitat availability and conditions in wintering areas like New Mexico and Texas also affect overall numbers.
- Migration patterns – Shifts in migration routes and timing due to climate change or habitat conditions may alter distribution and hunting opportunities regionally.
- Regulatory changes – Individual states may alter season lengths, bag limits, or implement restrictions that increase or decrease harvests.
Barring any severe environmental events or habitat losses, sandhill crane populations should remain resilient enough to support similar harvest levels to recent years. Responsible hunting, research, and monitoring will remain key tools for sustaining abundant sandhill crane numbers and maintaining hunting opportunities.
Conclusion
Sandhill crane hunting is carefully managed across the Western and Midwestern U.S. Annual crane harvests have gradually increased over the past decade but remain at sustainable levels. Ongoing population monitoring helps inform hunting regulations designed to maintain healthy crane populations. As long as environmental conditions remain stable, sandhill crane harvests should continue providing substantial hunting opportunities across their range.
