Crazy Horse:

I agree wholeheartedly with your debate regarding pheasants in PA vs. pheasants in NJ. (I moved to NJ in January after spending my entire life in PA.)

I hunted Assunpink WMA for geese last Friday, 12/30. While I was driving to my goose field, I flushed a hen pheasant and a woodcock from on the road. As I sat in my cut corn trying to decoy some geese, I heard multiple roosters crowing in the cover around me. Shots were ringing out everywhere, so it was obvious hunters were seeing lots of birds.

Eventually, I packed up my dekes because I had several rude birdhunters that walked out into my field after they sawI was working a flock of committed canadas. (Unfortunately, there are incosiderate A-holes like them hunting in every state.)

I went home, purchased my pheasant stamp, and returned with my lab and some flouro orange. 3hours later, I had my limit of roosters after flushing 4 cocks and 2 hens.

My brother has two very well trained bird dogs. One is an English setter and the other is a viszla. This year was the absolute worst year he has had for pheasants of PA game lands and Co-op property since 1984. In over 14 outings, I think they bagged a dozen birds. 6 of those birds came from his boys during the youth season.

I think the biggest difference between NJ's management and PA's is in the fact that NJ charges $40 additional for a pheasant & quail stamp. You can not hunt these birds with a general hunting license.

I must say that the $40 was pretty steep, but if that is what it takes to fund a program that allows such a high concentration of birds so late in the season, I'll be the first to chip in my 40 bucks. (Heck, it already costs me over $150 for an out of state PA license, archery stamp and muzzleloader stamp ... another $40 isn't going to kill me.)

Also, the WMA I hunted was very well managed with some standing corn left unharvested, soybeans left with several rows unharvested around the edges, and thick briars and swampland in almost every direction.

I honestly believe that a $40 pheasant stamp in PA would be a good idea ... IF THE MONEY ACTUALLY WENT TOWARDS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PUT-n-TAKE BIRDS & BETTER COVER MANAGEMENT FOR SMALL GAME. However, in the past, the PGC has had some "accounting irregularities" and these irregularities always seem to result in monies disappearing in thin air rather than being spent to improve conditions for hunters.

- Gr8ful