Pheasant and quail seasons open Nov. 10 statewide and remain open through Jan. 31, 2013.

Annual Kansas pheasant and quail harvests usually rank among the top two or three states, and even though harvests will be down this year, Kansas will still rank high, predicts the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Two years of drought and extreme summertime temperatures have reduced pheasant and quail numbers, especially in the southwest portion of the state. Pheasant numbers are better in the northwest and northcentral regions, and quail numbers have remained stable or increased in the northeast, Flint Hills and southeast regions.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation,” hunters spend more than $400 million annually in Kansas. Hunting trip-related expenses alone total nearly $150 million each year.