Phesants!!

[G-Man]

Well after years of trying to get some birds to stock and not hunt , my neighbor and I got 140 phesant last year, we released them around our properties and the neighbors property. A few were taken in youth hunt and a few more by our 80 year old neighbor. I'm sure. Few more were taken of adjoining land.

This morning hearing the cackle of a cock at the end of my driveway, and then this afternoon seeing a nice cock and a few hens in neighbors crp field while looking for sheds.

For the 1st time I am very optimistic that we may actually have some nesting take place this year.

We have cooperatively worked on habitat, hedgerows,standing crp fields, standing corn, thermal cover,in the hope we could re establish some phesant that could then stand some limited hunting pressure..

The project will continue.. I wish nys would take this approach rather than put and take..

[Lawdwaz]

My uncle released birds a few years.  We shot a fair amount but of course the predators killed the rest, usually.

 

 

Funny thing though, for what seemed like 4-5 years, each spring a cock bird would show up.  He'd cackle all spring, strutting in the wide open plowed fields, cut corn fields and gravel driveway.  We couldn't believe a hawk, owl or coyote didn't snatch him up while lying in wait.  He looked like a damn peacock out there, broad daylight strutting his stuff.  A few times we say a hen or two but never saw any chicks.

 

Good luck to you & yours!

[diplomat019]

Well after years of trying to get some birds to stock and not hunt , my neighbor and I got 140 phesant last year, we released them around our properties and the neighbors property. A few were taken in youth hunt and a few more by our 80 year old neighbor. I'm sure. Few more were taken of adjoining land.

This morning hearing the cackle of a cock at the end of my driveway, and then this afternoon seeing a nice cock and a few hens in neighbors crp field while looking for sheds.

For the 1st time I am very optimistic that we may actually have some nesting take place this year.

We have cooperatively worked on habitat, hedgerows,standing crp fields, standing corn, thermal cover,in the hope we could re establish some phesant that could then stand some limited hunting pressure..

The project will continue.. I wish nys would take this approach rather than put and take..

Thats great. Lets hope they can reproduce and grab a foothold. What part of the state are you located if you dont me asking. Kudos to your hard work!

[Pygmy]

Nesting cover and escape cover are EVERYTHING regarding pheasant survival..

Pen raised birds, although some survive and reproduce, do not have tenacity of wild birds..

A program of trap and transfer of wild stock might succeed, but the vital habitat factors would have to be present.. It is lot different now than back in the 60s when tens of thousands of acres of soil bank acreage provided excellent pheasant habitat.

A fallow goldenrod field looks like wonderful pheasant habitat in the fall, but in the winter it is basically just a pile of sticks..

[NFA-ADK]

Nice!  Hope you have great success! 

[G-Man]

Thats great. Lets hope they can reproduce and grab a foothold. What part of the state are you located if you dont me asking. Kudos to your hard work!

Out of cattaragus/allegany county line near cuba lake.

[G-Man]

Nesting cover and escape cover are EVERYTHING regarding pheasant survival..

Pen raised birds, although some survive and reproduce, do not have tenacity of wild birds..

A program of trap and transfer of wild stock might succeed, but the vital habitat factors would have to be present.. It is lot different now than back in the 60s when tens of thousands of acres of soil bank acreage provided excellent pheasant habitat.

A fallow goldenrod field looks like wonderful pheasant habitat in the fall, but in the winter it is basically just a pile of sticks..

I agree thick brushy hedge rows, tall standing grasses in fall, spruce for thermal cover ( it gets cold here) smaller fields cut up by hedges. And standing fields of corn, and cereal grain all help.

Removing and keeping predators in check is also very important.

[airedale]

With the right habitat and the right pheasants I believe it very possible to have a sustaining huntable population of pheasants.The next best thing to releasing wild trapped birds is hatching pheasant eggs with game hens, they are hens from the old time fighting cocks.  You have to have a large flight pen and let the hens raise the chicks naturally with as little human interaction as possible. The game hens will teach those pheasant chicks how to find food and avoid danger. When released as young adults they will be much better prepared to survive than a regular pen raised pheasant.

 

Al

Edited April 13, 2016 by airedale

[grampy]

G-Man, your hard work, dedication and enthusiasm to see this through are commendable. Wishing you continued success and hunting opportunities. Sounds like you have a good grip on what you want on your property. Very cool!

[The_Real_TCIII]

There were at least three pheasants cackling around harwood lake last week, cool to see a few survived the season/winter

[dbHunterNY]

awesome.  the whole game bird, flight pen thing is kind of interesting.  definitely agree with others about wild versus pen raised.  males we raised around that certain time of year would strut around and do so right on our atv racks.  no reason to fear anything. a lot of predator food.

[diplomat019]

Do you do extensive predator control on the properties you manage for the birds?

[G-Man]

Do you do extensive predator control on the properties you manage for the birds?

Yes ,I enlist the help of a trapper who hits racoon,opossom very hard(if he does that I let him trap, for mink,muskrat,and beaver out of the creek,) he will take some fox and a coyote. I also allow people that ask to hunt and call fox and coyote as well as introduce them to the neighbors so they get permission on about a square mile.

I am lucky to get a pic of a coyote on 14 trail cams that are out year round, usually if u do get one it's hunting season and I belive they are looking for gut piles. I do have red and grey fox but they seem to stay on the voles,mice and red squirrels pretty much. But their numbers are low, the crows seem to clean up most of the gut piles around here and it takes a few days, now the bear are starting to do that as well.

[G-Man]

These birds were raised with minimal human interaction and the pen was large enough for flight, I give kudos to my neighbors daughter and father who did it as a family project. The birds were released in early sept. And we're common sight in the cut corn around us, of course thus brought in some road hunters who were asked to leave. Having made it 8 months , thru snow ice and some heavy rain I am pleased as everyone is seeing them, my 80 year old neighbor is especially excited as he loved to phesant hunt and we did get him out with a friend this fall and 2 youth with a friends dog and they got a couple of birds. He was the hardest to convince to leave them alone.. as his property splits my and my friends and is key to nesting for them as his land is 1/2 crp fields. It took a bit bit he excited tells of the birds out behind his house in the fields this spring and seeing them around my standing corn from his atv. I think he's fully on board as lind as we let him hunt with dogs for a few every year. Hoping to in 3 years to be able to have hunting for all, right now we are limiting it to a few hunts for youth and the old neighbor..

[hunter49]

Great for you,  good luck!!

[genesee_mohican]

Good job on trying to get them established again. Just hearing about it brings back fond memories of warm fall days hunting the thick hedgerows near corn fields.

[G-Man]

Good job on trying to get them established again. Just hearing about it brings back fond memories of warm fall days hunting the thick hedgerows near corn fields.

Well it started as grouse management for me, which deer benifit from as well, then got in to deer herd healthough after a had winter had a lot of winter kill. Selective logging, and destination feed fields were done, then started thinking with all this brush and standing food , there was no reason phesant shouldn't be able to make it. But everyone would want to put birds out and then hunt them... I'm not a fan of put and take hunting.. so I had a new neighbor move in down the street and got to know him and we improved his property as well, I told him my idea ,and he volentierd his family as I live alone and would not be able to raise them as I leave town for work for days at a time. We split cost and re searched how to raise them with minimal interaction.. so far so good..

[NYBowhunter]

Hey G-Man can you please provide us the details as to where to get pheasant for stocking? Thanks

[G-Man]

Hey G-Man can you please provide us the details as to where to get pheasant for stocking? Thanks

We got ours thru the local feed mill special.order actuall got a manchurian strain as the mill recomended becaise they are better cold tolerent . We started with 175 day old chicks.. if your looking for adult birds 4 h will stock if you open your land for hunting (put and take) not what we were looking for.. had several contacts with phesant forever and same thing have to open for hunting.. I think like the nwtf did get birds established then open for hunting , not put and take.. Edited April 14, 2016 by G-Man

[Doewhacker]

I hope you plan on continually supplementing your flock with more pen raised birds. The natural mortality rate is high for wild birds, the pen raised bird mortality rates are even higher.  

[G-Man]

I hope you plan on continually supplementing your flock with more pen raised birds. The natural mortality rate is high for wild birds, the pen raised bird mortality rates are even higher.

The goal is to eventually not have to stock anymore, seems like quite a few have made it through from last year 40 or 50% from sighting s thru the winter and spring so far. But keeping the predators down is key, I think we lost more to hawks then anything else.. and that we can't do anything about...

[diplomat019]

Do you think that if nys had extensive predator hunting/control we could trend towards having sustainable pheasants? Maybe an incentive based program or something like that. Year round predator hunting. Idk just thinking out loud. It seems like thats a huge factor on your land. that would also help all small game as well.

[gjs4]

Have raised an d released a lot of bird the predators that kill the most birds are avian- hawks and owls. Throw in cars, cats, fox, coons, possums, fischers, mink and some others I have forgot and you have a go no-where proposition

[Doewhacker]

Have raised an d released a lot of bird the predators that kill the most birds are avian- hawks and owls. Throw in cars, cats, fox, coons, possums, fischers, mink and some others I have forgot and you have a go no-where proposition

 

Its spelled Fisher, no "C".

 

 

I agree, Avian predators lead the pack when it comes to killing birds.

[Doewhacker]

Do you think that if nys had extensive predator hunting/control we could trend towards having sustainable pheasants? Maybe an incentive based program or something like that. Year round predator hunting. Idk just thinking out loud. It seems like thats a huge factor on your land. that would also help all small game as well.

 

Predator control helps small game but weather and cover are bigger factors in survival rates.