# Pheasant Release Question



## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

So most have probably read about the realese of 10,000 Pheasant during hunt this year. Yes I know survivabilty is next to nil and blah, blah, blah. But has anyone heard any numbers of the 10,000 being Hens ? I was curious because if there is even a 1 in 1000 chance, we are bound to have a few make it and a chance of repreducing is still better than none !

Gotta dream of something !


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I don't think they release hens, only roosters for the hunting season. I know they released a bunch of hens at Ogden Bay earlier this summer. Here's what Rich Hansen (Ogden Bay Manager) had to say.

Rich Hansen Quote: 
"So SFW released nearly 3,000 hen pheasants this summer at Ogden bay. They were brood stock for a pheasant farm and were very cheap. Many were in rough shape. We are hoping for a 5-10% survival rate. An additional 150-300 nesting hens would be a huge boost to an already good wild pheasant population."


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't know how the DWR program works, but when my dad was a member of a pheasant club, the manager told us that while the club only purchased male pheasant chicks, usually about 10% ended up being hens (apparently it's not always easy to tell when they're young). I believe the DWR purchases them as chicks, so it wouldn't surprise me if at least a small percentage of the 10k birds released are hens.


----------



## TPrawitt91 (Sep 1, 2015)

But aren't they releasing adult birds? I don't know much about it but that's I guess what I thought. They would know if they were hens if they are huntable size. Or were they already released as chicks? I have never hunted pheasants


----------



## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> I don't think they release hens, only roosters for the hunting season. I know they released a bunch of hens at Ogden Bay earlier this summer. Here's what Rich Hansen (Ogden Bay Manager) had to say.
> 
> Rich Hansen Quote:
> "So SFW released nearly 3,000 hen pheasants this summer at Ogden bay. They were brood stock for a pheasant farm and were very cheap. Many were in rough shape. We are hoping for a 5-10% survival rate. An additional 150-300 nesting hens would be a huge boost to an already good wild pheasant population."


I don't personally like this. It's SFW Wildlife managment at its finest and it doesn't work. In fact some studies have shown that it may even cause predators to key in on pheasants because they see them as an easier prey once they've gotten used to the pen raised birds being such easy food. I would always see a few wild hatches of chicks a year even as recently as 7-8 years ago where we have our cows. Now there is only one small hatch of about 4 young birds I've watched throughout spring that have actually made it to adulthood. SFW has been releasing hens and roosters during the spring down here as well, I belive 200-300 a year for the last 3-4 years. There are no more pheasants now than when they started doing it, I'm fact there are far less than there were 7 or 8 years ago on the areas I would hunt wild birds and get a few every year.

Guner, I love to remember those cackling wild roosters I hunted as recently as 7 or 8 years ago, but the habitat is nearly gone and so are the birds. NWTF's slogan puts it best. Save the Habitat. Save the hunt. Pen raised birds just aren't wild birds, and for wild birds to survive they need habitat. Think of it this way, if wild birds can't cut it and survive, how will pen raised birds released into the same places survive better? Releasing birds for the hunt is the only way we can have a decent pheasant season in Utah anymore and going forward. I don't mean to be doom and gloom, I hate the fact the wild birds are going, going, and nearly gone. The pheasant hunt was right up there with the deer hunt for excitement for me even when I knew I could at least go get a couple wild roosters opening morning and see a handful. Last year I only saw one wild rooster down by our farm, and I didn't even raise the shotgun on him. We need some habitat improvements, which is unlikely and release of wild birds from other states if we hope to see pheasants again in our state. Here's to hoping for some improvements though.


----------



## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

But to more directly answer your question yes some of them released are hens, I see them every year during the hunt. It’s not a lot of them but some end up being hens they release.


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

The Pheasant hunt has always been popular. 100,000 people hunted them in the 70's and now 20,000. The state has to do something for the 20,000 or they ain't selling small game licenses.
There are a lot of factors for declining bird numbers. Our farm in Sanpete County always had Pheasants until the pressurized irrigation came in the 90's and there were no more ditch banks. I hunted down there last year opening day for old time sakes, but the only thing the dog found was a field cat. Farming practices, habitat and urbanization are probably the top factors I can think of right now.


----------



## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

Oh I know about the habitat and curse ever Golf course and new subdivision built (as I live in one ?) and have read and heard about all the survival rates etc. but there are a few scattered areas around that I don?t see being developed soon, and if there is even a chance of a few birds around, it makes me feel better about life. I know that there will never be times in Utah like there was (and I grew up in the 80?s long after the hey days) but we always limited out with 4-5 hunters until early 90?s. Anyway I hunt a lot and different things, but only reason I ever got a love for hunting was because of the Pheasant!


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

TPrawitt91 said:


> But aren't they releasing adult birds? I don't know much about it but that's I guess what I thought. They would know if they were hens if they are huntable size. Or were they already released as chicks? I have never hunted pheasants


They release adult birds, but they buy chicks. I would just assume if they buy a chick they believe is a rooster, but turns out to be a hen, that they would still raise it and release it.


----------



## ZEKESMAN (Sep 14, 2007)

guner said:


> So most have probably read about the realese of 10,000 Pheasant during hunt this year. Yes I know survivabilty is next to nil and blah, blah, blah. But has anyone heard any numbers of the 10,000 being Hens ? I was curious because if there is even a 1 in 1000 chance, we are bound to have a few make it and a chance of repreducing is still better than none !
> 
> Gotta dream of something !


They buy half the birds hey release from Earl Southerland in Nephi. He sells them 1/2 and 1/2. They also buy from someone up north. I don't know what they sell them.


----------



## ZEKESMAN (Sep 14, 2007)

All Pheasants stared out as pen raised. Anyone go o he Dakotas? A lot of those birds are pen raised. Vic


----------



## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> The Pheasant hunt has always been popular. 100,000 people hunted them in the 70's and now 20,000. *The state has to do something for the 20,000 or they ain't selling small game licenses.*
> There are a lot of factors for declining bird numbers. Our farm in Sanpete County always had Pheasants until the pressurized irrigation came in the 90's and there were no more ditch banks. I hunted down there last year opening day for old time sakes, but the only thing the dog found was a field cat. Farming practices, habitat and urbanization are probably the top factors I can think of right now.


Uh, where have you been? If you want to hunt big game in Utah the DWR forces you to buy that combo or small game license first and pretends like they are just doing it as a convenience for you. They already found a way to get your money for that haha.


----------



## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

I have a quick question. I saw 4 roosters and a hen at a state wetlands preserve today. Would the DWR already have started doing their pheasant stocking or would these be honest to goodness wild birds? I was surprised to see so many birds all at once since where I'm from down in Cedar City pheasants have gone the way of the do do bird.

Also, is opening day on these walk-in access areas a mad house? I'm kind of assuming it will be and I'm wondering if it might be better to just go midweek since my work schedule has me off on weekdays.


----------



## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

colorcountrygunner said:


> Also, is opening day on these walk-in access areas a mad house?


Most definitely.


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

colorcountrygunner said:


> I have a quick question. I saw 4 roosters and a hen at a state wetlands preserve today. Would the DWR already have started doing their pheasant stocking or would these be honest to goodness wild birds? I was surprised to see so many birds all at once since where I'm from down in Cedar City pheasants have gone the way of the do do bird.


Contrary to popular belief there are actual "wild" pheasants out there in the state of Utah. Perhaps they were survivors from previous releases but they are out there.

Most of the time you can tell the difference by just looking at the tail feathers. The young just released birds don't have any to speak of.


----------



## pdogger (Nov 12, 2008)

Answer to the original question. All(100%) of the 10,000 birds released for the hunt are roosters.

Different program with day old chicks about 50/50

Different program with birds purchased and released with sportsman groups


----------



## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

My hunting buddies and I have a story from this years deer hunt that relates to the subject. 

A few miles away from where we have our deer camp is a WMA where I like to fish. A couple days before the hunt, my friends son had fished there and saw several rooster pheasants running around close to the parking area. He also witnessed one get splatted by a car. I suspected that they were recent plants. After both of us with tags harvested our deer, we had an extra day to fish and stopped by this area where the pheasants were previously seen. While my buddies were fishing near the parking area, a pheasant hung around them, sneaking from area to area but really showing little fear of us. He hung around for close to an hour and we were ready to leave. I had a few worms left over and walked over to the bird and threw him a juicy morsel. He readily came over and consumed the offering. We fed him a few more worms before departing with the bird showing little fear. 

While kind of neat in the moment, I really doubt these birds are going to have much of a survival rate in the harsh reality of nature. I wouldn't hold out much hope that these SFW plants will boost the wild populations of pheasants in stocked areas. IMO, they should rather be viewed similar to planter rainbow trout dumped in a community pond. They are there for consumption and little else.


----------



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Here is the link to the article about the releases:

https://wildlife.utah.gov/wildlife-news/2120-more-than-10k-pheasants-to-be-released.html

There is also a link within the article outlining where the birds will be released. According to the article, birds are released prior to every weekend during the season. During the week of Thanksgiving, the birds will be released the first part of the week.

I witnessed a release one year and spoke with the DNR employee overseeing that release, he shared that studies have shown that 95% of the released birds die within 72 hours of being released from either hunters, aerial predators, starvation, or dehydration. Like Catherder stated, these birds are for consumption and little else.


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Released birds or not, they're fun to shoot and good practice for the dogs. The thing I find funny, and I mention this every year, are some of the guys that bi+ch about how stupid this program is and yet they are the first one's to go pay to shoot birds at a pheasant club.
Now tell me what's worse, hunting released birds that are basically free (small game license) or paying $20 a bird to hunt the same pen raised birds?;-)


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Fowlmouth said:


> Released birds or not, they're fun to shoot and good practice for the dogs. The thing I find funny, and I mention this every year, are some of the guys that bi+ch about how stupid this program is and yet they are the first one's to go pay to shoot birds at a pheasant club.
> Now tell me what's worse, hunting released birds that are basically free (small game license) or paying $20 a bird to hunt the same pen raised birds?;-)


I'll admit I enjoyed it back when my dad belonged to a pheasant club. The advantage to the clubs is that you have a designated area with no one but your party hunting it. That sure beats fighting 50 other guys and their 75 dogs for 20 roosters IMO. I might feel differently if I could regularly hunt weekdays, but the weekend crowds are too much for my liking.

I'm a fan of the pheasant release program, though. I think it concentrates the state's hunters into smaller areas. It seems that crowds have gone down on our favorite public land hunting spot (where birds aren't released) since it started.


----------



## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

I'll post a study done by the State of Idaho on released birds tomorrow. I have it at work. Pen raised birds just don't survive- very low percentage and it's not because of predators though they get their bellies full.
I have seen the quality of birds they do release in Idaho and they are very good. I have a brother who has hunted them this year- he talked with the F&G and they are getting them from somewhere in Utah. I live above a hunt club and have the birds that don't get shot in my pasture . This year I have seen 6 that are in great condition , previously they had no tail feathers and had no clue they were pheasants. But I do try and stay away from the WMA's and hunt Idaho. I hope everyone that does hunt them has a safe and enjoyable time . I hope that those that do are passing on good hunting ethics to their kids.


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Packfish said:


> I hope everyone that does hunt them has a safe and enjoyable time . I hope that those that do are passing on good hunting ethics to their kids.


Not on some of the WMA's. It's combat pheasant hunting and everyone for themselves from what I have seen. Carr Fork is the worst I have been to. A lot of chowder heads there every year.


----------



## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

OK- you said what I avoided saying- Near me the WMA can handle maybe 3 groups if they are careful. There will be 10 to 15 trucks there on the opener. I won't expose my dogs to that. I go down late afternoon and pick up garbage left . I would hope that the WMA's could be used as a tool to help parents teach their kids hunting ethics but from what I observe at least at this one it's the opposite.


----------



## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

*Survival # study*

Idaho (2009). David M. Musil & John W. Connelly. Survival and reproduction of pen-reared vs translocated wild pheasants (Wildl. Biol. 15:80-8







. Compared vital rates of two different (pen-reared and wild) ring-necked pheasant stocks and assessed effects of predator control on these pheasants released into current range. Wild (31 males and 112 females) and pen-reared (230 males and 1,059 females) ring-necked pheasants were released in spring into two areas in southern Idaho during 2000-2001 to augment low resident populations. Wild female survival from March to October was significantly greater than that of pen-reared females in both 2000 (40% vs 4%) and 2001 (43% vs 8%). During 2001, predators were removed within our study areas. Survival did not increase for either stock of female pheasants after predator removal. Predator control did not increase the number of hens surviving to reach the nesting season (1 May), nesting rate or nest success. Wild female pheasants were seven times more likely to survive translocation to 1 October, ten times more likely to survive to the nesting season, eight times more productive, and one-third as expensive per egg hatched than pen-reared females. Low survival, poor productivity and higher costs of spring-released pen-reared female pheasants strongly suggest that this is an inappropriate management tool for increasing pheasant numbers


__________________


----------



## ZEKESMAN (Sep 14, 2007)

Clarq said:


> I'll admit I enjoyed it back when my dad belonged to a pheasant club. The advantage to the clubs is that you have a designated area with no one but your party hunting it. That sure beats fighting 50 other guys and their 75 dogs for 20 roosters IMO. I might feel differently if I could regularly hunt weekdays, but the weekend crowds are too much for my liking.
> 
> I'm a fan of the pheasant release program, though. I think it concentrates the state's hunters into smaller areas. It seems that crowds have gone down on our favorite public land hunting spot (where birds aren't released) since it started.


Yes I look at the map to see where not to go. Vic


----------

