# Bird Populations This Year



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

After a winter that has seemed to last forever, just wondering everyone opinions on how populations, eggs, and hatch-lings will do on:

-Pheasant
-Quail
-Chukar
-Turkeys
-Grouse
-Ducks
-Geese


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

-Pheasant :lol: 
-Quail :? 
-Chukar :| 
-Turkeys :shock: 
-Grouse  
-Ducks  
-Geese :shock:


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

unless we live in select 1-eye country, pheasants are all but gone.... :x 

Quail seem to be running rampant in my area but havent seen any hatchlings yet. Lots of adult birds though.

Havent had much of a chance to look for chuckars since the season ended, but I hope they have faired well over the winter.

Lots of ducks and goslings floating around. I think they probably did pretty well.


How do you think pheasants faired?


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

Bax* said:


> Lots of ducks and goslings floating around. I think they probably did pretty well.


I've only seen one pair with goslings to this point, but she has 15 of them, so she had a successful hatch if she can keep the predators away from the chicks.

Also when do the following nest and usually hatch?
-Pheasant
-Quail
-Chukar
-Turkeys
-Grouse
-Ducks
-Geese


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> but she has 15 of them


She's probably helping to raise another birds clutch. This happens all the time with geese. They hang out in family flocks and sometimes older more experienced birds end up with the surrogate duty of many other birds. In the latest issue of either DU or Delta Waterfowl magazine there's a picture of a pair of geese walking along with several dozen goslings. Many at different ages. So, although it is possible I suppose for one hen to lay and hatch a clutch of 15, I highly doubt it. 6-10 is more realistic.


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## Matt B (Sep 10, 2007)

The phez are still cackling looking for hens where I'm at. They should start laying soon. Just need to thin out the cats, *****, skunks, fox, etc. for a succesful hatch.


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## Bret (Sep 7, 2007)

I've been seeing some roosters with a collection of hens where I hunt. About five to one, I'm not sure but I think that is healthy. Like Matt says I think they will lay soon. The weather next month may be more important than this month at least there. The grass has had a good start and there should be a good amount of insects with all the wet and cool weather this spring. 

Bret


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> About five to one, I'm not sure but I think that is healthy.


Not even close...

In *healthy* pheasant areas each rooster will court 1-3 hens and there will be a rooster in about every 4 acre square area. We're lucky if we have a rooster per square mile, and seeing a rooster with a gob of hens means there aren't that many roosters to begin with. To have a healthy pheasant population you need lots of cover, low predation, and good carryover. Utah has all but three of those qualities. :?


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## Bret (Sep 7, 2007)

I might be wrong. I have been in the past, but we have always believed 7:1 was great. Most of the PF stuff I could find says 10:1 is acceptable. Seems like a busy rooster to me though. I was only out two mornings and one evening. I saw a fair amount of birds, though I admit it was a small sampling over all. I saw a fair amount of solo roosters that we watched and could see no hens with them. Dang hens can be tough to see sometimes so maybe there were some hiding that never reveled themselves at least through my optics. The roosters were acting pretty ****y and were in all their glory. The roosters we saw with hens did seem to average 5:1. I was glad to see the birds that I did I was worried about winter kill with the deep snow on the ground for so long.
I don't believe the bird per acre of habitat thing is that bad. I do know there is very little habitat especially compared to what we grew up with. And true most of what is left is private and most of us will never be allowed to put a dog on the ground to even know if it holds many birds or not. The ground I am blessed to hunt does hold a few birds, even on the last day of the hunt after everyone and their dog have been through it you can still come up with a few birds. It ain't easy but they are there. I am also not sure why we want to build a house or 10 acre ranchet on every square foot of ground that holds water but that has been the course. Can't do much about that one, not without a very special Delorean anyway. I have lost all of my traditional spots in Davis county too. Breaks my heart, but I refuse to give up the sport I love in my home state. 
Here is something.
http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/effectofhunting.jsp
I was also able to find info saying that your numbers or there abouts are the average for most "pheasant states" but they say roosters are not even close to over harvested.

Bret


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Saw a hen mallard walk across our back yard with about 9 chicks following..... and a **** feral cat! I threw a volleyball at the cat as it was about to pounce on one of the chicks and it ran away. I wish I had a pellet gun with me. :evil:


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Pellet gun...??? More like a .17 HMR. :twisted:


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> Pellet gun...??? More like a .17 HMR. :twisted:


Ha ha yeah, that would work. But The angry old neighbor would call the cops because of the noise and potential terrorist threat. :lol:


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## curlyjo (Sep 14, 2007)

Last year's long, wet, and cold spring was real hard on the Chukar population. 
Last fall the chukars were way down, many of my usual spots were compeletly devoid of birds. where there were some birds there were very few.
The cottontail numbers were slim too, they have many variables for their population fluctuations, but a cold and wet spring can't help their survival rates as young either. 
I hope for a better hunting season this fall. I have competely given up on pheasants, the last time I hunted ( found a huntable population) wild birds in my neck of the woods was about 1989.
I hate to think that chukars will go the same way.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

curlyjo said:


> Last year's long, wet, and cold spring was real hard on the Chukar population.
> Last fall the chukars were way down, many of my usual spots were compeletly devoid of birds. where there were some birds there were very few.
> The cottontail numbers were slim too, they have many variables for their population fluctuations, but a cold and wet spring can't help their survival rates as young either.
> I hope for a better hunting season this fall. I have competely given up on pheasants, the last time I hunted ( found a huntable population) wild birds in my neck of the woods was about 1989.
> I hate to think that chukars will go the same way.


Interesting, considering I remember lots of folks seeing a ton of chicks last year, and commenting on how well they were doing because of the abundance of insects to feast on. Also, I saw more chukars last year in the area I hunt than I ever have before. Maybe your particular area just didn't have ideal conditions. :?:


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