I believe the hawks and turkeys are to blame for the majority of the decline in the pheasant population. We need to open up a season on hawks. It is not rare to see a bunch of them sitting on almost every telephone pole. I have witnessed many of them trying to get a pheasant. I am not sure about the turkeys, I have just heard they eat the eggs. The pheasants have declined with the growth of the turkey population. There is a lot of public hunting land near here that a person could kill almost anything (pheasant, deer, quail and turkeys). Now you just see deer and turkeys. So, that is what I hunt now, deer and turkeys. I used to hunt pheasant and quail quite a bit, but not anymore, it is good excersize. That is about it.

A lot of the land around my house is used by a hunting club. They release about three hundred birds each weekend for guys to hunt. Those birds do not survive very well. With those numbers being released you would think they would be all around my house, but they are not. The birds are raised right down the road and they are not the smartest bird on the block.

I look for the pheasant population to get even worse. This year with the drought, the farmers were able to bale a lot of that CRP, set aside for habitat, to use for cattle. This surely will not help.

So, in my opinion lets go deer hunting and forget about the birds.

One other thing, KDWP needs to reduce the price of the turkey tags. Maybe even go as far as not even needing a tag. They are everywhere around McPherson county. I see more of them than pheasants. They are a lot of fun to hunt, but the price for a tag is outrageous. My wife tells me to just go to Dillons.

KShunter:I came through kansas last november. We went to kc to see my new grandson and came back down I-35 all the way through. My wife is from wichita and when I retire in 3 years plan on moving back there.I got off the point of my story. From the time we left kc to the time we went past wellington,I personaly counted 37 hawks as we drove down I 35. Sometimes 5 and 6 at a time just circling fields.That has to be one reason the population is down. I have been following your talks for some time now,I just now decided to speak up. [email protected]

There were many more pheasant this year. The quail numbers have been down for several years. Off of 180 ac. of thick cover and milo we managed to bag 139 all season.

There were many more pheasant this year. The quail numbers have been down for several years. Off of 180 ac. of thick cover and milo we managed to bag 139 all season. This was at least in noth central Iowa.

kshunter,I sure hope the phesant situation improves before we move back up there.I was planning on getting a dog and training him on phesants.We now live in houston,texas. Needless to say there aren't any down here unless you go to a preserve at $140 per 4 birds.Hows that for an expensive hunt? sj

Nodose, it isnt the climate in Ohio that keeps you from having pheasants. Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota all have good numbers of pheasants and our climate is much worse. It is the habitat.

There are, as many have said, a variety of reasons why the population has declined. There is only 1 way to combat it and that is habitat. IMO, the best thing you can do is join Pheasants Forever and get involved with their programs. They make a difference on the national scene (PF was instrumental in the CRP program) and local level. 92 cents of every dollar goes into a program. that is better than any other org out there. if you want to improve things, join PF and improve the habitat in YOUR area.