Ohio's days as a pheasant state, and it used to be pretty good, are gone and will not return.
The ODNR deserves little of the blame, comparable to farming practices and nearly 12 million people...and counting.
More could always be done by the ODNR certainly but state-owned ground is limited and gets pounded as most are naturally close to population centers.
As well, deer and turkeys the ODNR and hunter's darlings, require very little management, again comparably.
Deer feeders of course, feed the nest predators and the coyotes are not considerate enough to feast on coons to a level that would help offset the damage the deer hunters bring.
Private land has a few carry-over and wild pheasants...shot one 2 years ago and felt a bit bad, but private is tough regarding access.
Some of the CRP is good, some can be too thick and some simply is not concentrated enough around areas with birds to really matter.
As with the ruffed grouse, build-it-and-they-will-come is a falsehood...gamebirds will not spontaneously generate.
Quail is a lost leader other than for a precious few counties along the river....and there, weather cycles are a killer.
Very easy to blame any DNR but a good look will discover they don't often run the show with a free hand and are pulled many directions...often by third-party lawsuits.
Pennsylvania is lucky, as someone said...in their gamelands program and in the PGC funding which has been boosted to the stratosphere by the recent Marcellus Play...let alone their CREP acerage in the Susquehanna/Cheasapeake drainage.
Ohio legislators and voters were not wise enough to have an equal DNR funding scheme.
Blame for lack of gamebirds in Ohio....visits many doors.
The largest portion of blame may simply be the enormous number of doors.