Example of PGC Pheasant Management
12-20-2006, 03:03 PM
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Example of PGC Pheasant Management
Here's a writer who understands PGC Pheasant Management.
12/17/2006
Pheasant stocking still pleases
Vic Attardo , Special to the Mercury
The numbers are meager. In fact, they are so low, I considered not writing this story at all. But then I recalled how much fun I’ve had in the Poconos hunting woodland pheasant during the second small-game season, I decided to let you judge for yourself whether or not the effort is worth it. [/align]The bottom line is that the Pennsylvania Game Commission stocks pheasants in selected areas for the re-opening of small game for the post-Christmas season. Until two years ago, the plantings were rather substantial, making a trip to the stocked state and federal grounds an intelligent choice.
But as you probably know, the entire pheasant program was cut in half last year. The PGC says it won’t return the pheasant program to its previous level until it gets a license increase. I’ve been highly critical of this hold them hostage approach, particularly when the PGC funds a wide range of optional programs and this one directly affects a time honored activity. But that is neither here nor there for the purposes of this piece.
Another round of pheasant stocking is scheduled for next week and this stocking, despite those meager numbers, gives hunters the chance for some late-season shooting. In certain Wildlife Management Units, the late pheasant season remains open until February 3.
Add the pheasant stockings to the winter opportunities for squirrel, grouse, and rabbit, plus a week-long season on snowshoe hares, and there is even more reason to venture into the woods -- in addition to the wood’s winter beauty.
The PGC will ship pheasants for the holiday season the week of December 21. Across the entire state, 4,420 birds will be released for this late hunt. When you think about the size of the Keystone State , that number is indeed quite meager.
But the PGC does not spread the birds across the Commonwealth. In fact, only a handful of counties and a handful of places within those counties receive pheasants at this time.
Unfortunately, there are no stocking sites in the immediate Pottstown area. Down here in the lowlands, we get zilch.
But if you are willing to drive about an hour up the Northeast Extension, Route 476, you’ll find stocked sites above Blue Mountain and in the Poconos. Also if you drive west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, there are south-central lands that receive a limited number of birds.
For my money, hunters living in the Pottstown area should travel north to Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties for their late-season pheasant.
Now here’s the rub.
On its Web site, the PGC lists lands that receive pheasant throughout the stocking year. The three counties noted above are scheduled for late- season plantings but the exact state and federal lands are not detailed.
PGC press secretary, Jerry Feaser, told me last week he could not offer any information as to the stocking locations because his office does not receive this data from the PGC’s many district land managers.
That doesn’t make sense to me.
I guess if you never read this column, you, as hunters, are supposed to contact individual land managers to find out where the birds are going. That is totally unrealistic.
When I realized I couldn’t pass reliable location info on to you, I thought even more about scrapping this column. But then I recognized this PGC info problem would demonstrate what live is like in the trenches, and on the other side of the coin, there still is the great fun of this late-season hunting.
In Wayne County , 200 birds are scheduled for holiday release. But throughout the year, Wayne County has four state game lands and some federal territory that are regularly stocked -- SGL 70, 159, 299, 310 and Army lands in Prompton.
Am I to believe 200 birds are to be scattered around all these lands?
In Pike County, 200 birds could go to SGL 180 and 183, as well as federal land around the Delaware Water Gap. I guess that’s possible.
But in Monroe County , only the Gap and SGL 127 are on the yearly list. Since SGL 127 is where I’ve hunted over freshly stocked birds post-holiday, this is where I’ll work again.
For Pottstown-area hunters familiar with only lowland farm hunting for pheasant, the pursuit of these birds in a deep, woodland setting is a hoot.
If you hunt on SGL 127 -- or the other Pocono grounds noted above -- be prepared for wily game. With the dense cover of woodland brush and wetland bogs, the pheasant will dive into structure unlike that of the more open lands of the southeast.
When hunting the mountain woodlands, I try to push the birds towards something that will eventually force them to fly. For instance, since pheasant can’t walk on water, I drive in the direction of wetland edges. Also I look for sharp rises in terrain or exceedingly thick brush and laurel that will stop the pheasants’ running progress and entice them to go skyward. Pushing towards rocky ground where the birds can’t seek shelter is another good tactic
12/17/2006
Pheasant stocking still pleases
Vic Attardo , Special to the Mercury
The numbers are meager. In fact, they are so low, I considered not writing this story at all. But then I recalled how much fun I’ve had in the Poconos hunting woodland pheasant during the second small-game season, I decided to let you judge for yourself whether or not the effort is worth it. [/align]The bottom line is that the Pennsylvania Game Commission stocks pheasants in selected areas for the re-opening of small game for the post-Christmas season. Until two years ago, the plantings were rather substantial, making a trip to the stocked state and federal grounds an intelligent choice.
But as you probably know, the entire pheasant program was cut in half last year. The PGC says it won’t return the pheasant program to its previous level until it gets a license increase. I’ve been highly critical of this hold them hostage approach, particularly when the PGC funds a wide range of optional programs and this one directly affects a time honored activity. But that is neither here nor there for the purposes of this piece.
Another round of pheasant stocking is scheduled for next week and this stocking, despite those meager numbers, gives hunters the chance for some late-season shooting. In certain Wildlife Management Units, the late pheasant season remains open until February 3.
Add the pheasant stockings to the winter opportunities for squirrel, grouse, and rabbit, plus a week-long season on snowshoe hares, and there is even more reason to venture into the woods -- in addition to the wood’s winter beauty.
The PGC will ship pheasants for the holiday season the week of December 21. Across the entire state, 4,420 birds will be released for this late hunt. When you think about the size of the Keystone State , that number is indeed quite meager.
But the PGC does not spread the birds across the Commonwealth. In fact, only a handful of counties and a handful of places within those counties receive pheasants at this time.
Unfortunately, there are no stocking sites in the immediate Pottstown area. Down here in the lowlands, we get zilch.
But if you are willing to drive about an hour up the Northeast Extension, Route 476, you’ll find stocked sites above Blue Mountain and in the Poconos. Also if you drive west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, there are south-central lands that receive a limited number of birds.
For my money, hunters living in the Pottstown area should travel north to Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties for their late-season pheasant.
Now here’s the rub.
On its Web site, the PGC lists lands that receive pheasant throughout the stocking year. The three counties noted above are scheduled for late- season plantings but the exact state and federal lands are not detailed.
PGC press secretary, Jerry Feaser, told me last week he could not offer any information as to the stocking locations because his office does not receive this data from the PGC’s many district land managers.
That doesn’t make sense to me.
I guess if you never read this column, you, as hunters, are supposed to contact individual land managers to find out where the birds are going. That is totally unrealistic.
When I realized I couldn’t pass reliable location info on to you, I thought even more about scrapping this column. But then I recognized this PGC info problem would demonstrate what live is like in the trenches, and on the other side of the coin, there still is the great fun of this late-season hunting.
In Wayne County , 200 birds are scheduled for holiday release. But throughout the year, Wayne County has four state game lands and some federal territory that are regularly stocked -- SGL 70, 159, 299, 310 and Army lands in Prompton.
Am I to believe 200 birds are to be scattered around all these lands?
In Pike County, 200 birds could go to SGL 180 and 183, as well as federal land around the Delaware Water Gap. I guess that’s possible.
But in Monroe County , only the Gap and SGL 127 are on the yearly list. Since SGL 127 is where I’ve hunted over freshly stocked birds post-holiday, this is where I’ll work again.
For Pottstown-area hunters familiar with only lowland farm hunting for pheasant, the pursuit of these birds in a deep, woodland setting is a hoot.
If you hunt on SGL 127 -- or the other Pocono grounds noted above -- be prepared for wily game. With the dense cover of woodland brush and wetland bogs, the pheasant will dive into structure unlike that of the more open lands of the southeast.
When hunting the mountain woodlands, I try to push the birds towards something that will eventually force them to fly. For instance, since pheasant can’t walk on water, I drive in the direction of wetland edges. Also I look for sharp rises in terrain or exceedingly thick brush and laurel that will stop the pheasants’ running progress and entice them to go skyward. Pushing towards rocky ground where the birds can’t seek shelter is another good tactic
