Severe Pheasant Kill?

[Dahitman44]

I was concerned that this recent think wet and heavy snow will cause a severe bird kill. Is this the case.

I remember talking to some old-timers and they said this late spring heavy wet snow will kill the birds.

Any thoughts? We got 8 12 inches and some areas more and we are supposed to have more on Friday.

Say it ain't so.

[Eric Wettschreck]

It aint so.

[Dahitman44]

Really?

Boiler -- I have heard from a ton of people that this tyype of think, wet snow will suffocate most of the birds? Not true? I hope not.

[kobear]

We were on the snow/rain line in Alex. There seemed to be enough dry standing heavy cover left to keep the birds from icing up and suffocating. Saw alot of hens out this morning. It iced up the food for a day or two but the fields opened up again. Not sure how it went to the SW. Next storm could be rough as the cattails have got more water in them now, if it stays open under them that can really reduce the available cover for the birds.

[crazydew]

Hitman, They are fine. Saw roosters and hens south of Hawleywood Monday. Cattails are wet but still plenty of cover to hold snow up. Not as bad as a maasive rain storm during nesting.

[rundrave]

the birds are doing just great. On a very recent drive home from Minneapolis back to South Dakota I saw more than plenty of birds just along the side of the highways.

It really seems like the last couple years the bird population has really increased in Mn. I dont think you have anything to worry about.

By the way the birds are doing just as well over here in SD. Only 7 months to go lol.

[Dahitman44]

Thanks for the thoughts on the birds. I talked to few people around here and they agree -- not much to worry about.

That is good -- saw that snow and thought we were in trouble.

Thanks everyone

Hit

[sparcebag]

Birds around here are doing great,I noticed in the last few days mating is starting.So this storm should'nt hurt,its if we get one in 2-3 from now,or that cold wet weather in a month the chicks could take the brunt of it.

[brittman]

The winter was not exactly mild and the extended cold weather does not help, but overall the pheasants should be in decent shape across most of MN.

The snow and 30 mph winds could take their toll on a few pheasants that have moved out of heavy cover if their reserves are depleated. Late hatch birds have to be struggling....

Impact of all this weather on hen's reserves should also be a good question.

That said, May 20 - July 20 is the key time periond. A cold wet spring and early summer will reduce next years bird count more than this past winter ever could. No drought needed, but lets keep that week long rain and 40 degree weather away.......

[sparcebag]

The fields out in my area for miles around were bare of snow 90% of the winter maybe more.I doubt any mortality rates.

[kobear]

The primary reasons pheasants die in the winter:

2. They die of exposure either in a blizzard they freeze and die or freezing rain/sleet is real tough on them. If it's cold enough and raining their bills actually ice over and they can suffocate. Ask a pheasant farmer.

1. The get eaten while out foraging for food.

From a study in SD "Mortality due to predation was higher than mortality due to weather in both winters. Mortality due to weather did not differ (P = 0.787) between winters. However, 31 of 41 deaths occurred during blizzard periods in 1996-97, indicating severe weather increased the vulnerability of pheasants to predation."

41 dead hens, they only had transmitters on 48 hens.

Another good one was that 80% of pheasants they found dead after a blizzard had food in them and normal fat reserves.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/3802661

http://www.jstor.org/pss/3808225

[muc33]

very true kobear, I fear more of the freezing rain or severe cold blizzard for kills. Even though this is wet heavy snow, it is not the stuff that will get them wet and then wind blow them in to popsicles, or get them wet, then they finally get burroughed in and then get packed in so tight they can't get out. Those are the biggest types of storm killers.

[brittman]

Ever look at a grouse's legs vs a pheasants? Ruffs, chickens and sharptails are native birds. Pheasants are living in another part of the world from where they evolved.

So 20% died of depleted reserves and 80% died of actual weather. If you can remember the amount of snow that fell back in that rough late 90s winter ... it was unreal. Cattail sloughs were completely filled.

MN is on the edge of suitable habitat. But pheasants are like rabbits in that they rebound quickly.

Spring is the key ... need a good hatch and good brood survival.

[Pyrex]

Your right brittman... If we get a wet spring that floods the grasslands that is more critical than the snow. The pheasants will not hatch or loose their hatch in flooded areas, of course we wont have to worry about that till may. April showers??? I think we're getting march snow in april, I suppose that means we'll get the mayflies in june and the junebugs in july....I'm lost, what month is it???

[Tom7227]

Kobear,

Looks like a really neat HSOforum but they wanted big bucks for the articles you noted. Short of becoming a professor of some sort how does one get to use that resource?

tom7227

[UGUIDE]

Great article on critical SD habitat. I've heard that in SD it is Woody Cover, in other states it will vary.

Made me think of the one blizzard I experienced and filmed.

Took place in March 2007 over 3 days. Around building I was in were these types of cover: Slough, milo food plots, shelterbelt, picked corn. The corn is on most exposed NW side of all other cover but pheasants would travel to it in weather they could tolerate and then retreat to survival cover during storm.

The video also shows me driving my tractor in the food plots adjacent to slough during storm and many phesants busting out of snow during storm. Then is shows some of post storm bird haunts and effects of drifting.

SD Blizzard Video from March 2007 - South Central SD