Decline in Pheasants
 

Anybody else having a problem with a rapid decline of pheasants? It seems{In KS) every year, the pheasant population gets less and less. Just five years ago I used to go out and limit out by the morning, and it's tough to just get one or two all day.

I think it's because of a lot of different reason because of the decline. Farming practices, droughts, predator increase, etc. They're the main 3 reasons from what I see. I just wish there was some way I could help more, or see what the KDWP was doing to help this situation. As much money as the KDWP takes in every year, they should be able to have some programs out there to help the pheasants. Or maybe there are some(besides CRP), that I don't know about.
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RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Yep, I agree, numbers are going down in a hurry. I don't know why, but the quial numbers in Cd. County seem as good or better than last year, but the pheasants are far and few between. Turkeys numbers are also up this year. I think, like you said, three factors determine thier numbers and it's going to take several years to recoup. thier numbers.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

I've noticed a rise in quail also. I wonder why quail would rise in population when pheasants are going the other way? The hawks and owls, are a huge problem IMO. More than most people think by a long ways. I just wish the KDWP would do something about it, and take the money that the hunters give them and put it back into the wildlife.
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RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

What is a pheasant?
Here in PA, when I was a young hunter(early 1970`s)we had more pheasant`s than you could shake a stick at! Now they are as common as a grizzly bear.
I think hawks, owls, and maybe certain types of fertilizers are really hurting them.

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Big Country, that's what I'm afraid of. Kansas becoming a state when seeing a pheasant becomes a rarity. The state is starting to loose big bucks in license sales from out-of-state hunters tired of hunting after few birds, and it's only going to get worse, unless they do something about it. Stocking, has been proven that it's not a very effective way to increase population. We can't control the drought, so it all boils down to putting more programs out to thin the predators and supply more money to farmers to practice better farming practices. Perhaps give money to farmers who will plant taller strains of agriculture, practice more no-tilling operations, leave the waterways un-bailed. And how about leaving the header up high, instead of just a few inches from the ground to grab what may be a few extra seeds. I don't blame the farmers for doing it, just would be better if some of it changed. These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.
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RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Hey guys, Wisconsin is in the same boat !!!! When I was younger and we would go out, we could see lots of wild birds. Now the only place you can really see any amount of birds is where they plant them and you have to pay a daily fee of like $3 to shoot planted birds, hens and/or roosters !~!!! Donlt get me wrong, these birds are not like shooting fish in a barrel, you still need a good dog to get them, but what happened to all the wild ones ???? The Habitat sure did change !

"If it sounds and looks too good to be true, it probably is !"
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RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Quail population is definately up from last year, but once again as you said the pheasants seem to get worse every year. I believe the reasons for decrease are just like you stated. Farming fencerow to fencerow, and cutting out all the ground cover does hurt. But it wouldn't hurt as bad if the predator population wasn't so high, and they had better cover available to hide the young ones. Unfortunately, there are only a small portion of us that predator hunt anymore. Alot of fair weather predator hunters dropped out when the fur prices fell thru the floor. It would be nice to see KDPW get involved with this pheasant issue. The went out last year and actively recruited tens of thousands of walk-in acres. I would like to see some of that money go into helping the habitat for pheasants.

Live, breathe, sleep, & dream for the hunt.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Pheasent numbers are much better in Iowa this year however, not great. I was not sure we had any left last year. Iowa DNR it blames it on many factors, weather, heavy spring time rains, loss of cover.

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RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

I believe Turkeys have something to do with it. Turkeys eat everything including eggs, so they are killing both quail and Pheasants....

I love pheasant and quail hunting, so I have decided to stop hunting them for 5 years. This is year #3, so I have a couple more winters to go. I figure they need all the help they can get, and you or I shooting the lonesone pheasant on the property or killing 1/2 of the quail cove doesn't help any.

They'll come back. Not as they were before, but they will. Remember, everything was 'better' 25 years ago...

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Turkeys as well as hawks. I was out with my dog the other day an ran across three seperate place where a hawk had downed a pheasant. I will say my dog did point the place which was nice but no birds were take on that trip. I will be heading out this friday so we will see what happens.

EJ

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

The three items you mentioned are right on target. Fox and house cats really raise heck with all birds and with the farming practice the way it is we will never see large numbers in SD like in the late 50's and early 60's. Support the CRP program as this is about the only thing keeping these birds and other game birds going. The Soil Bank Program of the 50's was a great thing for the pheasant and we had tons of them.

February 2003 = tired and Re-tired cop

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

If you want to help out the pheasant population, consider joining Pheasants Forever. They do a lot of habitat work and all dollars raised by the local chapters (except a $25 membership) stay at the local level to be spent in that area. That is what separates PF from the other orgs. KSHunter, you bring up some great ideas, coupled with habitat work, it will bring the rootys back.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

here in ohio pheasants are non existant in the wild. the only time you find one in the wild here is when a hunt club doesn't account for all the birds they release during a controlled hunt. the climate isn't condusive for wild pheasants here. even if you could get a good number of them going....one bad winter and they'd all be dead.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

The pheasant is a rather stupid bird as far as winter servival goes.
In a bad storm, instead of sitting tight the pheasant will keep working it's way on top of the snow in the wind and elements until his nostrils freeze shut and it's dead. Late winter storms with the wet ice and snow mix can really wipe them out.

February 2003 = tired and Re-tired cop

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

I admit hunting pheasants is a blast.

but shouldn't more effort be put into helping native game bird species ... Bobwhites, spruce grouse, ruffled grouse, woodcock, lesser and greater prairie chickens, turkeys, and all the native quails?

Pheasants really don't belong in North America, but they are fun to shoot.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

KSH, I think you're right with regard to the reasons why we're seeing a decrease in pheasant populations. That being said, I think the biggest reason over the last 4 years has been the drought. Land practices have actually gotten better in many parts of the state. No-till is becoming very popular in the NW and NC parts of the state.

We've always had avian and non-flying preditors. But the loss of habitat due to poor weather has given the birds no place to hide. Turkeys have been blamed but they we're around before we shot them all out the first time. Bobcats, hawks, coyotes, skunks, o'possums, and racoons had excellent populations as well. We've all heard about "the guy" who shot a turkey and found quail chicks in it. Or about "the guy" that saw a turkey eating quail chicks while turkey hunting. Simply put, turkey season is BEFORE nesting season.

I think when we get back to "normal" weather patterns, we'll begin to see an increase in populations. I agree it's puzzling to see an increase in quail populations when the pheasant is not as fragile. On the other hand, we have to remember that quail and pheasant hatch at different times (peak hatch is about 2 weeks apart). Late June is much warmer and dryer than early June (specially this year).

Weather plays a VERY important role during hatch time. the NE has had cold wet springs for the last 7 years. The SE has had VERY wet springs and very hot dry summers for the last 5 years (execpt this year). The SW had record drought and heat this year and the SC portion of the state had excellent rainfall throughout the summer.

The losses due to heat stress are staggering. When the temp.rises above 96 degrees, both chick AND adult mortality skyrocket. The high temps during June, July, and August have exceeded 100 degrees for weeks in a row in many places. If you'll notice, most of the birds you've shot this year are adults (1 year or more old). This indicates a high loss of young or weaker birds due to "something". The only thing capable of this type of loss throughout the state is weather.

Habitat is the key. With the lack of cover the carrying capacity in Kansas is at an all time low. Only precipation and time can bring back the birds. We are at the mercy of the federal government with CRP and other "set aside" programs with regard to habitat. The state can't pay enough to make it worth a farmer's while to leave habitat for the birds.

The good news is that there are plenty of birds left for breeding stock. In the west where cover is non-existant, I spoke to a hunting buddy the other day that extimated over 500 birds coming out of a single draw. This is in an area where we had seen fewer than 50 birds ALL SEASON.

I've hunted every region of the state this year (twice in you're home area) and have seen and shot birds. Like you, it's taking me much longer to get a bird than it used to, but it at least tells me that there are birds out there for breeding.

Unfortunately, overall breeding stock are low enough that it's going to take 3 to 5 years to bring birds back to even average populations. This year the federal government allowd CRP to be hayed and grazed in counties declared to have "emergency" drought conditions. Then, when the rains didn't come in the fall, the goverment extended the deadline for haying and grazing from August 30 to November 30. The haying and grazing on CRP land will greatly reduce nesting and brood habitat next spring delaying the best nesting opportunities until Spring of 2004.....if the weather is conducive to a good hatch.

Bottom line, it's gonna be awhile until we have decent numbers of birds again.

Edited by - Fred H on 01/07/2003 11:41:58

Edited by - Fred H on 01/07/2003 11:47:25

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

Thanks for the information Fred.

I only went hunting for pheasants one time this year, and didn't get close enough for a shot, so I wasn't able to tell the age of them. But I have talked to a few of my buddies, and they have told me that the majority of the birds that they shoot are yearlings. Do you really think that heat stress to the birds causes a staggering amount of deaths? Disregarding the age of the birds shot, I don't see 105-110 degree weather in the days, could be hot enough to acting kill a pheasant as long as they have water. They always a bit of grass or shrub to hide in the shade and most of the time a good amount of wind.

Pheasants raised in capivity are brooded at appox. 98.5 degrees. I've witnessed times when the brooders would malfunction and not turn off, causing the heat to be up in the 110+ range and still as long as the chicks have room and water, they're usually ok. Wouldn't the heat stress affect the quail the same also? I'm know many do die every year from heat stress, but birds in the wild, I would consider it a very low percentage of deaths that are directly related to heat stress water and shade is avaliable(Which has been in even the drought years)IMO. The adult pheasant is a hardy bird.

I do agree that the bailing of CRP, really hurt the birds this year. Just took away a lot of cover. Just seems there are also so many ditch and hedge rows being cleared, that used to be here before the drought years.

Where around here did you hunt? Just curious, becuase I've heard different reports for different parts of the county.
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RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

I think pheasants have declined for all of the reasons mentioned but I feel predators, especially hawks and owls, are a big part of it.

As a for instance, I have 67 acres here in Ohio that is not pheasant habitat, but should hold a large number of other small game such as rabbits. I do not farm it, but there are old apple trees, wild grapes, wild cherry, clover, plenty of cover and water. I hardly see a rabbit after the summer is over. Also very few squirrels despite plenty of hickory and oak. Saw the last grouse several years ago.

I think a lot of this began with the drop in fur prices. Hardly any trappers these days and very few coon hunters. Skunks and coon will certainly eat pheasant and other bird eggs as well as young nestlings.

I lose my training pigeons to hawks, but shooting them is illegal. I'm not for eliminating all birds of prey, but we sure need some control. Also bringing back fur prices or advocating predator hunting and trapping as sports would help. I sure miss the days of wild pheasants.

Airedales hunt for feather or fur!

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

I know the numbers in Iowa where I live are sure down from what they were even 10 years ago let alone 20 years ago. This year it was not even fun to hunt them. I would be for closing the season for a couple of years if that would help but I don't think that hunting is taking the biggest toll on them. The loss of habitat and weather has not been very good the last few years.

Turkeys have been moving into our area in the last 5 or 6 years and you can see a definite decline in pheasant and quail population when they move in. I don't know about the other areas but the turkeys need thinned out more than anything any more. They may be the most resilent birds I have ever seen.



" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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]

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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.

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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

RE: Decline in Pheasants
 

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.