The Case For State Pheasant Stocking Programs

Me:If all the environmental and farming practices are hurting the game bird populations, why don't the thousands of acres of Conservation Commission land have birds? Managed 100% for wild game(especially quail/pheasants) with a nearly unlimited budget and still no birds.
Buck:Because not all CRP land is managed expressly for Pheasants. Because not all native grasses and plants(promoted by CRP programs) are conducive to game birds. You've said so yourself.
I'm not talking about CRP(please actually read the part about "Conservation Commission land"), I'm talking about STATE OWNED AND MANAGED LAND. This land is managed 100% for game habitat by the bunny cops.

I'm done. No response will result in anything but more propaganda.
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I recall the heyday of quail in central MO exactly as you do- grain growing everywhere. Today there is 700 acres of CFRP off my east property line and not a quail in sight. We do have a buttload of coyotes and chicken hawks, who are apparently blind to the dozens of rodents I see when I mow a 16 acre hayfield.
 
"I recall the heyday of quail in central MO exactly as you do- grain growing everywhere. Today there is 700 acres of CFRP off my east property line and not a quail in sight. We do have a buttload of coyotes and chicken hawks, who are apparently blind to the dozens of rodents I see when I mow a 16 acre hayfield."

Thanks for the support.
The raptor protection regulations are/were foisted upon the states by the feds in a serious error of management. Since the states CHOSE to comply(we see many cases of other regulations being disputed), the results are loss of game birds in several Midwest states that had maintained a significant(and huntable) population for years.
 
the people that owned my mother's property before she did raised exotic pheasants. they tried raising pheasants for a whole decade, even set aside a portion of the property as F&G registered bird habitat. there is not a single of the 3 or 4 breeds of pheasant they raised but as of yesterday there are at least 3 dozen ring neck pheasants on that little 5 acre plot.


the wilds birds still have plenty of survival instinct. my plan if I was trying to re-establish a population would involve taking a fairly secluded plot of land, trap the living heck out of it to get rid of as many predators as possible, take a few dozen birds caught in live traps from the wild transplant, let them stew for about a decade....

... oh and add about 100 quail so predators have lower hanging fruit to go after.
 
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"I recall the heyday of quail in central MO exactly as you do- grain growing everywhere. Today there is 700 acres of CFRP off my east property line and not a quail in sight. We do have a buttload of coyotes and chicken hawks, who are apparently blind to the dozens of rodents I see when I mow a 16 acre hayfield."
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Coupa good articles about the quail population of Missouri......they make mention of loss of habitat and the importance of weeds and grass in the quails life cycle.

http://www.news-leader.com/story/sp...pulation-has-always-been-boom--bust/74728606/

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g9431


....as for the buttload of 'yotes and chicken hawks(I assume you are talking about three species of North American hawks: the Cooper's hawk which is also called a quail hawk, the sharp-shinned hawk and the red-tailed hawk and not older gay males that prey on younger men), the only reason they are there is because of the abundance of food, i.e. rodents. Otherwise, since they aren't eating the hay in that field, like your quail and pheasants, they'd be long gone.
 
The case for state phesant stocking programs

In comment about seeing all the rodens when he mows the fields and all the hawks.
Cut the grass short when they are present, if you can afford to of at least some of them.
The Hawks etc will hang around as long there is plenty of rodents.
When we moved in we had, and still do a lot of them. I cut the grass at four inches not five as much hay fields are.
Any thing for nesting sites for them. That will cut down on the number of Hawks after a while and the rodents.
Doesn't do much good here because of woods surrounding the place.
I would like to get quail started her again too and Pheasants but oo many predators and chiggers for pheasants.
 
At one time I used to operate a log skidder. The hawks would actually follow you around for the easy rodent pickings. One thing I did notice is that hawks are really hard on snakes. Are they immune to snake venom?
 
Chiggers affect pheasant population?
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That tale started with the myth that chiggers were the number one killer of baby quail. Something about they get in their feet. Has never been proven they have any effect on quail. Then the myth migrated to pheasant populations. Much of the best pheasant habitat in South Dakota and Kansas is also home to chiggers.

An old bird dogger years ago told me "You'll find your most pheasants and quail in the same areas you find bucks with big horn. Areas with calcium rich soils. Bucks need it to make horn and pheasants and quail need it to make eggs". I know when I raised Pheasants, I gave them access to oyster shells and a feed containing calcium, just like my layin' hens. Can't tell you if if it done any good or if for sure the old bird dogger knew what the 'ell he was talkin' about. But, facts show that hen Pheasants will select grit that contains calcium over grit that doesn't and that in the wild, a hens diet will have 10 times as much calcium in it than her mate. I assume the same must be true for quail and wild turkeys.
 
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