Black Pheasant: Wild or Stocked?

[remy3424]

Very unique for sure, was/is it a rooster? Hard to see any spurs, but it kind of has tailfeathers. A cackle would have been the telltale sign to shoot.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

A cackle would have been the telltale sign to shoot.

While we're discussing pen-reared vs. wild, hen vs. rooster, whether to shoot or not, we mustn't forget that some folks claim some hens cackle.
This is patently false. They may make wing noise & maybe even some other little weird sounds....but never a cackle. Shoot the ones that do.

 

[Ndhusker]

While we're discussing pen-reared vs. wild, hen vs. rooster, whether to shoot or not, we mustn't forget that some folks claim some hens cackle.
This is patently false. They may make wing noise & maybe even some other little weird sounds....but never a cackle. Shoot the ones that do.

And while we’re on this. I always notice that hens poop when flushing but haven’t noticed it happen with roosters. Can’t figure out if they don’t or I just don’t notice since I’m preparing to shoot them instead of watching them fly away like a hen.

 

[MinnHunter]

Very unique for sure, was/is it a rooster? Hard to see any spurs, but it kind of has tailfeathers. A cackle would have been the telltale sign to shoot.

I am curious as well. I cant SEE anything that says its a male. What am I missing? Spurs? 4th toe?

 

[Chestle]

I've shot some blacks. In 2000 my BIL bought a "Century Hunt" at a put and take. He wanted to shoot a century, 100 birds. Invited all the family shooters. This place put the birds out in dozens every week and left them. There were a BUNCH of blacks and they wanted us to focus on them and get them gone. Apparently they are not all that uncommon at places that mass produce birds.

 

[jackrabbit]

I am curious as well. I cant SEE anything that says its a male. What am I missing?

Look at the red tint, especially around the eyes. I think that says male a lot more than it says female. I also think a few tail feathers got ripped out during the retrieve. But, wild, mutated, released, who knows.

 

[Munster927]

I am curious as well. I cant SEE anything that says its a male. What am I missing? Spurs? 4th toe?

My opinion, since they are a genetic variance/mutation, hen or rooster, get rid of em so they aren't in the gene pool.

I NEVER want hens shot, so I'm not one of THOSE people that don't care, it's just my opinion on a mutation.

Similar to albino deer. Most DNR/Game and Fish want those shot so they are removed from the gene pool.

 

[MinnHunter]

My opinion, since they are a genetic variance/mutation, hen or rooster, get rid of em so they aren't in the gene pool.

I NEVER want hens shot, so I'm not one of THOSE people that don't care, it's just my opinion on a mutation.

Similar to albino deer. Most DNR/Game and Fish want those shot so they are removed from the gene pool.

Still Illegal to shoot albino deer in Wi. THE deer state.

 

[Munster927]

Still Illegal to shoot albino deer in Wi. THE deer state.

My uncle told me that before, I just find that odd.

 

[remy3424]

Same in Iowa...I think if they have more white than normal they are protected....whitetail deer. I was in a group once when a pheasant with a bunch of white flushed, the clackle gave him away. I all 4 of us shot and my youngest cousin, dropped it on the 4th shot fired at him. Very unusal bird, not what you would call "pretty", just pretty unusal, he was mounted...the rooster that is. The landowner had seen at least one earlier in the year.

 

[Labs]

Color phase & cross species birds are interesting. Years ago hunting near our then farmstead NE of Devils Lake, we found ourselves under a mallard tornado (if you've never experienced this, it's one of the coolest hunting experiences there is). Of all those thousands of birds, this is the drake Toni picked out & dropped. It's all but certain it's parents were a wild mallard and a white park mallard which is not incredibly unusual, but it's a pretty cool bird none the less. Made an interesting mount...