According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission:
During the late 1960's and early 1970's, pheasants flourished in Pennsylvania with annual harvests estimated at over a million birds.
Interesting.
According to the SD Division of Wildlife, South Dakota's estimated pheasant harvest wasn't that high in any year from 1965 to 1970. The average annual pheasant harvest for South Dakota for the ten years beginning in 1965 ("late 1960's and early 1970's") was only 918,000 birds. Wow. An eastern state beating out the Pheasant King for a while back in those days. I had no idea. Looks like JDW was right.
