Brood sightings?

C

cyclonenation10

Well-known member
Just wanted to get a thread going for any updates from people starting to see broods this summer. Heard of one sighting last week in Eastern IA, however I'm not completely sold. Have not seen any yet out at our farm the past couple of weekends. I am optimistic that this dry weather should lead to another pretty strong hatch.
 
SW Iowa saw 2 separate broods 2 weeks ago of 4-6 birds. Larger than I expected, so must have been an early hatch. I expect it could be another 2-3 hatch year this year.
 
It is very unlikely for a hen to raise 2 broods a year. This is from Emmett Lenihan, a Pheasants Forever farm bill biologist.

Lenihan said pheasants will attempt to re-nest up to three times if their nests are destroyed or they are otherwise unsuccessful.

“On their first attempt, hens will lay an average of 11 to 13 eggs, and sometimes you may even get more than that,” he said. “If they lose their first nest, they’ll try a second one. If they lose that one, they’ll try a third time.”

It’s common each fall for hunters to observe a young rooster they’ve killed in October or even early December that hasn’t fully matured and say it’s from a “second hatch.” However, in reality, hen pheasants only raise one brood per season, Lenihan said. He said younger birds killed during the season are likely from a second or third nest, but that hens are physically incapable of rearing more than one brood per season.

“They’ll always only pull off one clutch,” he said. “They’ll try to re-nest, but it’s physically impossible for them to raise more than one brood each year. There’s just not enough time for them to do so.”
 
This is what I meant, not that the same hen laid multiple nests. Last year towards the 1st of September we saw a chick the size of a baseball out and about. Hoping for another solid season
 
I was out this morning to spray canadian thistles, I had 2 hens flush underfoot, 5 eggs in the first nest and 10 in the second. Saw one nest with 7 or 8 hatched eggs. I also something that seemed strange. We have a newer shelterbelt, about 5 years old. My father mowers around these cedar and spruce trees, a few of the later planted ones have hoops of field fence around them to help prevent deer raking them. I found one that had the hoop of fencing knocked off from around the tree and laying beside the tree. I picked it up and put it back in place and I then noticed what I counted, 21 hatched egg shells where that wire had been, they were a foot or 2 from the tall grass surrounding the tree. Guessing there was a nest or 2 under that spruce tree, but why all the hatched shells were all pushed out, left me unable to explain that. It is dry and has been hot, temps are dropping back to seasonable after today I believe, so we should have a good hatch I am going to say.
 
remy3424 said:
I was out this morning to spray canadian thistles, I had 2 hens flush underfoot, 5 eggs in the first nest and 10 in the second. Saw one nest with 7 or 8 hatched eggs. I also something that seemed strange. We have a newer shelterbelt, about 5 years old. My father mowers around these cedar and spruce trees, a few of the later planted ones have hoops of field fence around them to help prevent deer raking them. I found one that had the hoop of fencing knocked off from around the tree and laying beside the tree. I picked it up and put it back in place and I then noticed what I counted, 21 hatched egg shells where that wire had been, they were a foot or 2 from the tall grass surrounding the tree. Guessing there was a nest or 2 under that spruce tree, but why all the hatched shells were all pushed out, left me unable to explain that. It is dry and has been hot, temps are dropping back to seasonable after today I believe, so we should have a good hatch I am going to say.
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Those eggs were unhatched > "I had 2 hens flush underfoot, 5 eggs in the first nest and 10 in the second."??
 
Prairie Sunsets said:
Those eggs were unhatched > "I had 2 hens flush underfoot, 5 eggs in the first nest and 10 in the second."??
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Yes, the hens were sitting on them when they flushed...it is June 7th, not unusual, the first nesting attempts are hatching now and for another week or 2.
 
remy3424 said:
Yes, the hens were sitting on them when they flushed...it is June 7th, not unusual, the first nesting attempts are hatching now and for another week or 2.
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Seems late; but I think you're in the northern tier? I know spring was "late" this year, but if June hatch is not unusual, why does the DNR use total rainfall in April-May as a predictor of brood success > https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/annual/2022aug_roadside.pdf I'm no biologist--thank god--but I would think chicks hatched today, would be susceptible to higher rainfall totals for the rest of June....not to mention all the mowing that's going on.
 
Prairie Sunsets said:
Seems late; but I think you're in the northern tier? I know spring was "late" this year, but if June hatch is not unusual, why does the DNR use total rainfall in April-May as a predictor of brood success > https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/annual/2022aug_roadside.pdf I'm no biologist--thank god--but I would think chicks hatched today, would be susceptible to higher rainfall totals for the rest of June....not to mention all the mowing that's going on.
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The peak of the hatch is the first and second week of June.
 
April/May showers help with forb growth which leads to insects vital to chick survival. Also plants tall enough to shade and conceal the vulnerable young birds.
I also believe eggs need a certain amount of humidity to hatch?
 
Potential stupid question. (I have a million of them.)

Does anyone ever go out with their dog at this time of year (or in the next few weeks) to sample their quail and pheasant populations?

I would like to sample my population to get a benchmark for the start of the life cycle, and then see how much mortality occurs between now and opening day.

Stupid parts:

1.) Scattering birds with newly hatched young would itself result in mortalities.

2.) Having the dog go on point, and then pulling the dog off WITHOUT flushing will disincentivize the dog to hold its points.
 
Fishin'Rod said:
Potential stupid question. (I have a million of them.)

Does anyone ever go out with their dog at this time of year (or in the next few weeks) to sample their quail and pheasant populations?

I would like to sample my population to get a benchmark for the start of the life cycle, and then see how much mortality occurs between now and opening day.

Stupid parts:

1.) Scattering birds with newly hatched young would itself result in mortalities.

2.) Having the dog go on point, and then pulling the dog off WITHOUT flushing will disincentivize the dog to hold its points.
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Bothering upland birds anytime in the summer is a bad idea, especially during the peak of the hatch. A great way to scatter birds and push them to predators. Sorry but I can't think of a worse thing to do. And in many states it is illegal on state ground. Leave them alone til fall. This is one of the reasons Kansas just banned trail camera's on state land.
 
Prairie Sunsets said:
Seems late; but I think you're in the northern tier? I know spring was "late" this year, but if June hatch is not unusual, why does the DNR use total rainfall in April-May as a predictor of brood success > https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/annual/2022aug_roadside.pdf I'm no biologist--thank god--but I would think chicks hatched today, would be susceptible to higher rainfall totals for the rest of June....not to mention all the mowing that's going on.
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June 10th is considered “Peak Hatch” date.
 
We're gonna need some more rain in the forecast to produce bugs otherwise there is going to be nothing to eat on the parched landscape once these chicks hatch.
 
My dog will not be in any cover that I think I would possibly hunt until opener now. May until opener would be a good time frame to avoid dogs in cover where you want to find birds in the fall.

We did have some decent rains early, but it has been about 3 weeks without any now here.
 
westksbowhunter said:
Bothering upland birds anytime in the summer is a bad idea, especially during the peak of the hatch. A great way to scatter birds and push them to predators. Sorry but I can't think of a worse thing to do. And in many states it is illegal on state ground. Leave them alone til fall. This is one of the reasons Kansas just banned trail camera's on state land.
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Thanks westksb.h.!

I figured if it was a good idea, then I would have heard of someone doing it! I didn't know if the birds would scatter, or if they would all run to their momma. Certainly do not want to decrease the number of birds OR push them off of our property.
 
Fishin'Rod said:
Thanks westksb.h.!

I figured if it was a good idea, then I would have heard of someone doing it! I didn't know if the birds would scatter, or if they would all run to their momma. Certainly do not want to decrease the number of birds OR push them off of our property.
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I don't think it's necessarily ideal from a hunting perspective, but we will run our dogs on our property 2-3x prior to the season (usually not until September/October. By that time the birds are old enough to not have to worry about them getting caught by the dogs or anything.

We are out there quite a bit and I always have the dogs with me whenever I am out there working on projects, and so sometimes I can't fight the itch to go run them and see what we can kick up. I'm sure we would probably shoot a few more birds each year if we waited until the opener to stir them up at all, but I don't necessarily think it hurts the population running them around a month or so prior the the season - just educates them and makes them harder to kill hunting (I could be wrong on this, just my hunch).

To be honest, I get just as much enjoyment running the dogs and flushing birds at our place as I do shooting a limit, so the potential pleasure of doing so a few times in the early fall outweighs the potential downsides of educating birds for me.
 
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