Where I live in Kansas is now pretty much a "pheasant free" zone. Up until maybe 5 or 6 years ago finding pheasants was not a problem at all, they were everywhere. Except for some really good pockets they are now scarce. Quail have rebounded quite well but, for some reason not the pheasants. For example, on some ground of ours is a 40 acre patch on native prairie grass. Used to always be anywhere from 5 to 25 birds in it. Now lucky to see even one bird. And NO, absolutely NOTHING has changed habitat-wise anywhere even remotely near there other than normal yearly crop rotations. Why the quail have done well and not the pheasants is giant mystery. Have access to a massive amount of private ground and it is the same virtually everywhere.
Interesting that quail # have increased while pheasants appear to have gone the other way. Usually, good cover for quail is also good cover for pheasants. But the reverse isn't the case. Some very good pheasant cover can be too tall and too thick for quail.
