vice108

I was hunting in Southern maine in an area where I had just flushed a ruffed grouse and a woodcock. It was an area of thick alders and other "birdy" cover near a small stream. The pictured bird flushed hard like a grouse would in some heavy cover. To my surprise it wasn't a ruffed grouse. It's very dark and is built like a game-bird with a fairly long pheasant like tail and meaty breasts. It has some iridesant spots around its neck and a beak that curves down at the end. There are some ring-necked pheasants in the area but obviously this isn't one of them. I've scoured the petersons guide but I can't figure it out. Since I shot it and it's built like a gamebird I ate it rather than have it go to waste. Any ideas?

skybuster20ga

looks like a malenoid (sp) pheasant. the state has been stocking them w/ their ringnecks for years now. check out the upland contest and look at the pic i posted (pg. 6)i shot one last week. the whole back was irridesant green. pretty cool. they also have released some black ones. yours looks like a hen though where as mine is a rooster. a buddy of mine shot a black/green hen last friday also.

vice108

I hope you're right Brandon. I was starting to worry that I killed and ate some sort of odd hawk or something. But it was fat like a game-bird. I just assumed that the pheasant program was only ring-necks. That's good to know that they are releasing other varieties. It's funny - I hunted some of the pheasant release sites last week and couldn't find anything (no dog), and then yesterday I'm several miles from the nearest release site in Gorham and I shoot this guy, and jump another one just like him. I guess that shows you that the pheasant don't stay put.

skybuster20ga

nope! not at all. the end of the week is a tough time really after all the hunters have gotten after them. im in cornish and have a few sites locally but they all get hit really hard. it would seem easy on paper to go out and kill your birds pretty easily since our state has a program but it actually isnt. i use my dog and i have to hunt some nasty nasty places to find the birds anytime after 10:00am monday. they really do dig in and hide. good luck to ya on future hunts!

vice108

Thanks Brandon. One last question - how are the grouse populations around Cornish/Hiram this year?

Bill

skybuster20ga

lol honestly? haha ide say better then average actually. my ol man and i hunted yesterday moring for about 2 hours and we had a good mornng. lots of flushes. the leaves seem to be the biggest issue right now. the woodcock have been coming through pretty well also. im headed for eustis wed. after work untill sunday and that is always a great trip. limits everyday!!! ill def post pics when i get home. but to answer your question a little better, it depends on who you talk to and how well they understand where birds are going to be. my opinion, the numbers are here just gotta hunt em.

vice108

Good luck in Eustis. I was up there last Friday & Saturday and we had a hard time finding many - but as I mentioned before, no dogs. The most numbers we found were off the dirt road that runs along the Kenebago river off of the Tim Pond/Lincoln Pond Rd. Have fun - thats a great area!

Bill

skybuster20ga

yea? i had a few buddies come home from rangely moose hunting and they got over near camp and said they saw 50 plus birds in three days!!!! they said the leaves were still pretty tight around our camp too [:'(]the area over towards tim ppnd are always pretty good. we have a few spots we always hit that are nice. when i get home ill unpack all my bird hunting gear and switch artilery and repack my deer gear and head back for a week! my g/f isnt all that excited though lol

Phil from Maine

It looks like a young Melansic Mutation Pheasant...