Anyone ever released pheasants for them to repopulate?

[teddy12b]

The wife and I are moving soon and I have weeds & grasses a small child could get lost in. I'm thinking about turning some of that into a litte pheasant habitat. I know I'd have to build cover and regularly feed them at first, but I think it'd be a fun project to do. Has anyone here done this kind of project before?

I was thinking about putting a half dozen of them out on a couple acres with some grains and feed to give them a fighting chance. There aren't any coyotes in that area, and if some show up...........

Any recommendations?

 

[Twentyfootdaredevil]

There was a local Put n Take that had some loose birds every year. According to the owner, Steve if i remember correctly, said they just never could make it a whole year on their own.

Another guy I knew in Holland tried to release some on his property and had the same outcome.

 

[singlestacksig]

if you want them to survive you have to have a program of predator removal...
coyotes, raccoons, opossums, cats.....

 

[remauto1187]

The wife and I are moving soon and I have weeds & grasses a small child could get lost in. I'm thinking about turning some of that into a litte pheasant habitat. I know I'd have to build cover and regularly feed them at first, but I think it'd be a fun project to do. Has anyone here done this kind of project before?

I was thinking about putting a half dozen of them out on a couple acres with some grains and feed to give them a fighting chance. There aren't any coyotes in that area, and if some show up...........

Any recommendations?

Call the DNR and tell them what you wanna do. They might have a program where you get free birds! They will give you advice on how to get what you want....for free.

 

[teddy12b]

I've hunted at the Hillside preserve and they've got some birds running around that had gotten away from hunters. The way they acted was much different than the recently released ones and the guide would point them out. I've looked into this before and I know they don't have much of a chance of having a high percentage of them living a long happy life, but it seems like if I released a half dozen that maybe two would live to the following year. Is that an unreasonable goal?

 

[williamnewman1]

i've been considering this with some Bob-white quail , started the breeding, incubator going and minimal human contact etc. we will see, i don't have much in them so if it fails .....well then it fails.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Call the DNR and tell them what you wanna do. They might have a program where you get free birds! They will give you advice on how to get what you want....for free.

Hi-lighted part.. We were just talking about this at work, one guy stated that tame birds can carry disease and infect wild birds. He believes that DNR issues permits for this.
So call DNR and see what you need to do.

 

[RyanV]

The wife and I are moving soon and I have weeds & grasses a small child could get lost in. I'm thinking about turning some of that into a litte pheasant habitat. I know I'd have to build cover and regularly feed them at first, but I think it'd be a fun project to do. Has anyone here done this kind of project before?

I was thinking about putting a half dozen of them out on a couple acres with some grains and feed to give them a fighting chance. There aren't any coyotes in that area, and if some show up...........

Any recommendations?

You must really want to feed the coyotes huh? Just kidding, you will need a Game Breeder License to buy/sell/possess pheasants though.

 

[1donos]

They tend to live where the dirt is black. So, if you have black soil (northern Indiana) they may make it, central and southern Indiana probably not.

Alright now lets hear from everyone who sees pheasants all over Kentucky and S. Indiana!! what am i getting myself into???

 

[TiminMishawaka]

I've talked to people who raise pheasants professionally. Domestically raised pheasants are too dumb to last through the first winter.

The dirty little secret about the Dakotas though is every spring thousands of farm raised pheasants are sent in among the wild ones to increase the number of "wild" birds seen in the field. I know the Missouri rancher who sells them to Dakota guides.

 

[Matt52]

They tend to live where the dirt is black. So, if you have black soil (northern Indiana) they may make it, central and southern Indiana probably not.

Alright now lets hear from everyone who sees pheasants all over Kentucky and S. Indiana!! what am i getting myself into???

Your absoultely right its the soil. Phesants like a sandy soil where the dirt wont stick to there feet. Thats why areas like fowler, remington, and benton county have good numbers of pheasants. Ive been on several draw hunts up there and have always seen a good number of birds.

 

[Lonnie]

Pheasant Ecology: Pheasant Stocking

 

[teddy12b]

Pheasant Ecology: Pheasant Stocking

After reading that it seems like the most merciful thing to do for a nearly released bird is to go shoot it. It always blows my mind when I hear the older generations talk about how pheasants used to almost infest this area and now they are gone and wouldn't have a chance at coming back.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

After reading that it seems like the most merciful thing to do for a nearly released bird is to go shoot it. It always blows my mind when I hear the older generations talk about how pheasants used to almost infest this area and now they are gone and wouldn't have a chance at coming back.

Not with turkey populations as big as they are. In addition to all the other predators, wild turkeys compete with pheasants and other ground nesting game birds (and even eat the young of some) and they're the biggest, strongest birds in town. If you check a population distribution map the places where wild populations of pheasants have actually been able to take hold long term are outside the range of wild turkeys. This is a big part of the reason I'm ok with pheasant populations not being huge in the wild. They're non-native. It's the same reason I don't mind the hogs not taking hold here and overrunning the deer.

 

[spearheadersarge]

I always get a kick seeing the ring-necks they have in the little fenced in display at the Bass-Pro in Clarksville. The birds seem so secretive and shy. The colors on them are awesome. I have always thought about going on a hunt but never have the time or the desire to travel up to where it may be possible. It would be cool if a central or southern enclave could be established though.

 

[hooky]

As a kid, 30+ years ago, I regularly hunted pheasants and quail on the family farm. I haven't seen a pheasant in probably 15 years or quail for 20+ now. Habitat loss, coyotes and some harsh winters like '78 have done them in, IMO.

 

[AGarbers]

I would also point out that back in the "Good Ole Days" fur prices were up and many folks kept the predators down, way down. Thank PETA for the low bird numbers...
As a side note, pheasants are a big reason for the low prairie chicken (grouse) numbers in Indiana and Illinois. The reports I have read say that they lay eggs in the same nests and cause the PC to raise their young.

 

[remauto1187]

I can remember in the early 80's over Illinois west of Decatur, IL (where I grew up) the pheasants and quail and even rabbit were everywhere. Seriously, I use to go out and have my bag limit in well less than an hour. (2 Pheasants) By about 1985 the pheasants and quail were almost extinct and rabbits were getting rarer and rarer to even see. Mysteriously I never had a problem seeing a coyote or 2 or 8 walking around while out in the field. Those coyotes sure dont tast very good! Now the pheasant and quail population in that area is actually recovering some. I actually see quail around now and it only takes a few hours or so to get the bag limit on pheasants. Dont see as many coyotes out and about as i did in the late 80's early 90's....Hmmmmmmmm

I shoot a coyote on sight. First i check in my scope/binocs to make sure it isnt someones dog then I send a round downrange.

 

[cjbecker]

There was a foreign weed that the dnr brought in to help with ground cover and the thing they did not know was it was poisonous to animals. That was one reason that there are not many upland game birds anymore. I wish I remember more details and facts about it. I will try to find out more.

 

[hooky]

Damn DNR always screwing things up. If it's not poisonous ground cover, it's rattlesnakes or cougars.