veener88

About 4-5 years ago we had some pheasant in our back wetlands and open grass areas but with Coyote problem we never have seen them. This year they are back. Last week we saw one crossing the road and today when we were working in a area that we burnt a lot of tall dead grass on the other side were it is still long I saw a pair flying around. I have a feeling because of a large housing deals that was on a corn field has pushed them down to us. What I am wondering is how can I get them to come and stay with us. I just do not know what attracks them and what I would need to do to help them. I would like to hunt them in a few years when they are in larger amounts back there. Right now I only know of 2 pairs. I just do not want to hunt the few that are there right now.

Also I do not have upland dog. I have a yellow lab for water fowl. Do I need a upland dog from a friend or do I just walk and see what comes up? The grass is very thick where they are right now.

Thanks for any tips or ideas to help improve my game in my back yard. Right now I have deer, geese, duck, and now pheasant on less then 50 acers.

Mite

Train your yellow lab for upland birds. There's a book about it but don't recall the name, basically hunting with retrievers. Amy Dahl maybe? But labs make excellent upland dogs. Here in WA, the majority of people use labs for both upland and waterfowl.

rcgerchow

Check a local chapterof Pheasants Forever and they can give you advice on what to plant for cover and food for the birds. In some areas of Michigan they don't mow roadside ditches until after the spring hatch to keep mortality rates down, the birds tend to nest in the cover in ditches. So if there are ditches around your 50 acres don't mow.

veener88

Thanks,

I will leave the road side go then. We have a long roadside that they do not mow till latter in the year. That is were we saw the one come out of.

I will have to look at that other information. I have to say this realy cought me off guard. I was expecting the Turkeys before then since they started to release them in the area in the last few years.

Sean english

Good to see that there are people like you are out there who believe in ''Getting something for something''' and not always'' something for nothing'' How about doing some stocking in your 50 acre. Wont hurt. And I think if you got some wild birds, its good cause the new ones maybe learn a few things from the older ones. And of course cutting down on the coyote population will help but I wouldnt do that. They are a part of the scene. I am all the way here in Germany , My girlfriend lives up north where you can shoot Pheasant from her kitchen window. I was just comming back today on a train. Just by looking out of the window, I must have counted about 20 roosters and 10 deer.Incredible. From what I see over here, if people dont bother them, they have no problem with adapting to human presence ,comming and feeding even in your back yard. . But cant wait to get back in a few months and start my chuckar season in the High Deserts of California

petrey10

get rid of the dang coyotes and pheasants will thrive so much more trust me....where i hunt we prolly killed 20-30 coyotes about 5 years ago and I bet our pheasant population has tripled...this isn't all do to coyotes but it helps out a bunch because coyotes kill whatever they can...

Phil from Maine

Chek out www.HabitatNow.com they have some ideas on what to plant and they sell different seeds for planting to keep them around. This also helps to give ideas for winter cover.I have let 3 hens and 4 roosters go
and though I have never seen them again others around here have seen
them a couple of times. I hope to let a few more go after hunting season
in the fall ends. Anyways good luck.

hardcorehunter

cover food and water and the birds will stay as long as the predators don't get them...a lab will hunt them fine..they are a great flushing dog and I am sure it will come naturally.