Pheasant Populations Cyclical?

[UGUIDE]

I've never heard biologists talk about this at any of the PF Annual Conventions. Always weather and habitat.

when you look at the bird trends on Game and Fishes Harvest report going back to 1941 is sure appears to be a 8-12 year up and down cycle in there.

Any body else see that?

http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/harvest/reports/Pheasant.pdf (the 2 graphs are way down on bottom of report)

I should add to this and say that I have observed other wildlife in other states such as WI where the deer herd was down by a large percent statewide about 2 years ago. People will talk about wolves, coyotes, weather, over harvest.

The trouble I have with this is that all those things can be fairly localized and would result in some places seeing more reductions than others.

It just seems like phenomenon on a larger scale that a cycle would be a more feasible explanation. Like ruffed grouse for instance....

 

[whitewater]

Down here in Louisiana, I see 10 years of excellent woodcock hunting and 10 bad years of bad woodcock hunting. Thru the mid 70s to mid 80s, we did good, but to the mid 90s sucked. From about 97 - 06 was good but we have struggled since then. This season so far, I have not even seen a bird. One could argue about nesting habitat in the NE and CAnada taking about 10 years to recover from logging operations. Or perhaps adverse weather conditions in the spring. Who knows? All I know is - Down years suck!

 

[Ranger Rick]

Cycles

All wildlife populations go through cycles. We see it in lakes we fish. Grouse are the most know for their cycles, but it happens with all species. Conditions change. Habitat matures, dies, food sources change.

Whitewater - the woodcock are in decline because of a maturing forest and they require young growth of early successional species, such as tag alder and aspen. Clearcut those and within 4-5 years you'll have good woodcock habitat again. It's not "taking 10 years to recover from logging". The lack of logging is what is causing the decline of this, and other, wildlife species. We have a wealth of public lands up here in WI and MI. Unfortunately, much of it is sitting idle and the timber left to grow old and die. The alder thickets I shot 100's of woodcock in 10-15 years ago no longer hold birds because they've declined, half fallen over dead, with tall grasses and berry brush growing up in their place. I'm working with our Ruffed Grouse Society to go in to clearcut some of these to produce good habitat again.

We see the same thing with our walleye fisheree on our favorite lake. Right now we're going through a down period. Weed beds are changing after a heavy infestation of rusty crayfish. there's good natural reproduction, but with Native American spearing and heavy fishing pressure, the fishing has declined. When people get tired of a poor catch and go elsewhere, the population will rebound again in a few years.

I train my dog at an old farm belonging to a friend. The training field really needs to be mowed or burned off to remove the heavy growth of thistle and shrubs now encroaching. As a grassland, it's in decline. With all the thistle and brush it's a pain [litterally] to train a dog in.

On the farm I hunt in SD, there's a marsh that I've seen from 20 acres in size down to 5 during a drought. There used to be cattails in the middle, which are all gone now. The grasses have also changed to a tall, thick stuff you can hardly walk through. Poor habitat as the birds must not be able to move around in it much, either. Good one year, lousy a couple years later.

It's all ebb and flow. High to low predator populations. Plentiful rain [and insects for chicks], followed by drought. A disturbance replenishes a grassland, then it matures to transition into another species of cover not conducive to good bird habitat. etc. etc.. The only constant in the universe is that things will change.

 

[hunter94]

the biggest non cyclical disturbance is brought about by the landowner..with lasting affects......case in point, Iowa.

 

[1fun37]

the biggest non cyclical disturbance is brought about by the landowner..with lasting affects......case in point, Iowa.

Growing up on a farm in the 50's in north central Iowa with so many birds, now with the family farm still in operation, all you see is total corn or soy production, black from fence to fence. Even family resists the chance to use some CRP for field ends or ditch strips.
They don't hunt and just look at that yield for the almighty dollar!