I'm not a biologist, but I will take higher crowing counts vs. lower crowing counts; I think they give some indication as to a trend year-over-year....the SW part of the state had a decrease, and the gfp article suggests that that was related to the severe drought of 2017, and the effects of that still being felt...I do know that I have been to ND twice since 5/1, having driven from one side of the state to the other to visit a sick farmer, and then, to go to his funeral...I saw good #'s of birds, mainly roosters due to the time of the year I was there...and I was further North from the areas that would have been hit hard by the drought of 2017 and the severe storms of this past spring...liked what I saw and heard...more sharptail country where I was, but still saw good #'s of pheasants, and I have been hunting this area for about 7 years, so I have some sense for what #'s have been since about 2012...