Sad!!!!

Are they any closer to a solution? The small great flying Pheasants of SW North Dakota should do well at mud lake. To bad there is not a group In Eastern Idaho willing/wanting a huntable population of wild pheasants.

The last time I talked with the folks involved with the study they were wrapping their findings up and about to present it to the ILDNR. From there, solutions to the issues will visited and hopefully executed.

I was please to see they added a second part to their 4 year study. I noticed some time ago wild pheasant breeding habits were changing here in IL and WI. I'm guessing it's an issue in other states as well.

They found negative changes were indeed the case. Breeding populations of wild ringneck pheasants are shrinking along with brood sizes. So, regardless of how many healthy hens are in an area, they are not breeding as they otherwise would/should be. This is obviously an issue that needs to be addressed.

As far as brood sizes shrinking, I would think introducing other genetic lines would be the cure to this issue, though there are some very knowledgeable folks out there who would disagree with me and their argument is a convincing one.

As far as introducing other gene pools to an existing wild population goes, I witnessed success in action on some very isolated habitat here in IL. Brood sizes reached 12 chicks per hen when genetic variation was introduced and the breeding hen-to-rooster ratio went up to 6 hens per one cock. That beats the typical ratio we see here in IL and other states where it's often a ratio of one hen one cock pheasant. Again, there are those who disagree and explain it's a food source issue. That may very well have something to do with it. Who knows, maybe it's a combination of all the above.

Nick
 
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