pheasant population

[muc33]

 Quote:

I have heard a late killing frost (not harful to birds directly) can wipe out a batch of insects that are crucial to chick survival.

Hans you make a great point there. It is crucial for the insects to be here for chicks.... as much as we usually don't like bugs, for the birds it is critical!

[huntnfishsd]

Thanks for the info guys! I sure hope this upcoming weather system doesn't harm the birds!

[WaveWacker]

Some may not like to hear this but was working on a burn in central MN on April 24th and found a nest (luckily outside of our burn area) that had 13 eggs in it already. Shouldn't be laying too many if any at all more. Incubation time for that girl so who knows. What I'm more worried about is that we get some warm drier weather for when the chicks are hatched. Nothing takes a toll (weather wise) worse on a clutch then wet cold June.

[UGUIDE]

 Originally Posted By: huntnfishsd

Hey guys, I was headin back to Aberdeen the other night and saw literally hundreds of pheasants (mostly hens) in a 50 mile stretch. It was great to see, but is there any explanation for the abundance at this time?? I am not up to speed on this point and just wondering what the deal was?

HuntFish, one word for you on that question.....Carryover.

Harvest needed to be a lot higher to get carryover numbers down. + Mild winter = a lot of hens too.

[huntnfishsd]

thanks for the info uguide... looks like i best get busy this fall!!

[hanso612]

I walked controled burn sites at Carleton and St Olaf primarily looking for sheds. I found many deer bones but no antlers. My kids and I also looked for nests and found many teety bird nests that survived the burn because of the mud in them. We found no eggs and no pheasant nest even though birds were running all around us and cackling up a storm.

I'm sure some pheasants have nested already but there are many who have not based on this limited experience.

I worry more about a cold three day rain in June or just after a hatch any time.

Post whenever you guys see the first chick and we can compare notes. Hans

[hanso612]

One other thing that can translate into hunting success next fall.

When you walk a burn the pheasant chalk sticks out like crazy it is easy to find roosts. Walking yesterday at St Olaf I noticed a concentration of roosts behind wind breaks. The St Olaf piece is very flat with hollows dug out to make seasonal wet lands. Many roosts were on the east side- down wind of the prevailing wind side- of small berms that you could not see in tall grass. When the ground was black you could pick ou subtle variation in terrain that the pheasants were using that you couldn't notice looking at the field in the fall.

I also know these same areas held no pheasants in the winter because they were drifted over. So it is clear that a shift of preferred areas has taken place. I would like to see the same kind of info from a fall burn.

The Olaf fields are in blocks of different cover and it is clear to me that they like or use a field of high hard stemmed wild bergamot more than a dense field of swithgrass. They use the open ground with overhead cover to loaf.

Cattails are still the biggest magnate with most of the birds relating to these areas most of the year -except for nesting.

[MNpurple]

When I was checking bluebird houses last week, April 25 I flushed a hen who had a nest right at the base of the bluebird box. The nest had 6 eggs in it already.

When you flush one of a nest like that, do they fly away and immediately start working their way back to the nest or have you really messed things up and she wont come back? Needless to say, I haven't and wont check that bluebird box again for the next month or so.

[muc33]

MNpurple, I can't say for sure, I think it would come down to how scared she got, and by limiting your traffic there, it can only help. Don't think you are the only thing to scare here from that nest.

[BLACKJACK]

mnpurple, one flush of a hen off a nest won't drive her away, they have too much time and energy (eggs) put into the effort to abandon the nest.

[hanso612]

What's the date for the end of controlled burns? I think that was set to end before most of the Pheasants were on the nest.

Also, along the same lines, what's the date you have to stop running dogs off lead on public land? Another rule with the same goal of protecting nesting birds. Hans

[Jameson]

From April 16 through July 14th dogs must be on leash in WMAs. Page 103 2007 regs.

[hanso612]

Anybody got a burn date?

[B. Amish]

depends on the conditions. the end date is usually when things are too green to burn. the unofficial end date for some is usually memorial weekend.

[BLACKJACK]

I agree, as long as you have a burn permit in hand you can burn.

I did a burn last night and plan on doing another one Thursday. Yes I may burn up a few duck and pheasants nests but you have to look at the long term, which is the fact that a burn will really help the habitat, the native prairie will really take off in the next couple of years. And at this early date the hens still have time to renest.

One of the problems as an amatuer fire guy is that I don't have all the equipment that the pros have, I need to wait for my fire breaks to green up.

[hanso612]

I agree sometimes short term losses are worth long time gains.

I also know that to keep cool season grasses in check a later burn -after the cool season grasses have started to green up- does more damage to the cool season grasses. If you do it to early you help cool season grasses.

[B. Amish]

excellent point hanso

[sparcebag]

Saw the first brood today about 8-10 chicks.May be more their quick.

[brittman]

That is reallly early for pheasants. Peak hatch is usually June 10 - July 4th. Interesting with all the snow and cold this spring...

[muc33]

It is early, hopefully, mom keeps them warm and they can adapt and grow. It won't be long. I have my camera in my council of my truck and have started the long way home.