creating better pheasant habitat on private land

[Bob Peters]

There are two different spots where I hunt, and they are good and have birds, but I was just wondering how to make a good property better? Some of the grass is thin, and some of it is reed canary, which I heard is not good for pheasants. The landowner hunts deer and pheasants and is open to improving the property for the betterment of wildlife. Is there a way to grow that thick big bluestem or switchgrass that pheasants like? Do the best grass/crp fields come from controlled burns? I know one landowner with an 80 in crp and he has to do a controlled burn every 3 years I believe. Another landowner with a similar size plot doesn't ever burn. I know I have a lot of questions, but I'm just curious how all these gov't programs work for set aside land. I have contacted pf biologists in the past and will do so again soon. As far as state (MN) biologists should I contact the MN DNR or USDA? I did order and read a book on native prairie grass identification. I also was scheduled to take a class with the MN DNR on native prairie plant ID before the virus hit. I realize there isn't one neat answer to this question, just looking for general tips to move me in the right direction.

 

[remy3424]

If the existing grass is enrolled in a conservation program, he will need to get permission to kill the existing vegetation and replant to native grasses, guessing that might not be what the government wants done, it is already established now. As far as burning, that is dictated in the contract, the mid-contract manangement details what maintenance is to be done, anything different needs to be approved. Canary reed grass isn't the preferred cover, but it is thick cover and I continously do shoot birds from it. A lot of old established waterways/wet areas are full of it.

If he can put in some sorghum food plots next to the heavy cover, that would be beneficial. If he attends the local PF banquet, just talk to their habitat guys, likely will hook him up with the seed. Deer might prefer corn and pheasants will do fine with that too. Don't get too worried about planting the sorghum, we use the same hopper as corn, just plant it a little shallower.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Anyone can throw out options that will provide for some of the needs for pheasants on a piece of ground, and they are usually right that their management idea is pheasant friendly. However, to make your parcel of ground better for pheasants than it already is, you have to direct your management toward the limiting factors that your ground has. Said another way, it won't benefit pheasants to put in a practice that, though beneficial to pheasants, is already available in adequate amounts to support the maximum number of pheasants that the property can already produce. In the northern states winter food can be a limiting factor. However, it may well not be on your ground. You would be best served to get a biologist (PF or DNR) out on the property to evaluate where your limitations lie. Then address those before considering anything else. If you read many of the habitat posts on here, people often favor this type of habitat or that. Often, that is biased to where they often find birds while hunting and is usually either winter cover or some kind of fall food plot or crop field. However, before either of those habitat types can be of benefit come fall, you have to nest, brood, and recruit those young of the year birds into the population. Most generally, the nesting and brood-rearing habitats are the most limiting factor. Since we rarely have the money to go all the way with habitat, getting a biologist to identify what habitat type is missing and addressing that first is usually the best scenario.

 

[Golden Hour]

I would speak with a state biologist regarding the CRP. Having had the pleasure of hunting some pretty amazing areas, I can say that growing pheasant populations requires great nesting conditions. Big, open tracts of grass. Sounds like that is available, but perhaps not as thick as it should be. A local biologist will be your best resource as there is so much variability in soil quality, pH, certain native species ability to thrive, etc. After nesting, the grass will provide bugs for the chicks.

Food really isn't much of an issue for pheasants until the snow comes (making scratching difficult) and the days get short. That is where food plots become incredibly helpful. I am a huge fan of sorghum, but corn is easy and readily available. And it works. It's just a touch more difficult to pull it off the cob for a pheasant than a deer.

Lastly, if your winters are tough, you have to have thermal cover. Which we all know that thick, overgrown, nasty cattails are about the only thing that suffice.

Beyond that, pheasant numbers can be further enhanced with trees. Protection from the wind and predators is a bonus. Make sure the trees/shrubs aren't going to be a nice place for hawks and owls to hang out. Unless you've got an owl license. In which case, let me know the process.

All stuff you probably know. Not sure why I felt compelled to reiterate it, but I did, lol.

 

[gimruis]

Beyond that, pheasant numbers can be further enhanced with trees. Protection from the wind and predators is a bonus.

A nice stand of pine trees is very beneficial winter cover for deer, turkeys, and pheasants. They are difficult to hunt because there's no ground cover but in a heavy snow the critters are pretty much safe and dry in them. It obviously takes a while for trees to grow to adequate size though.

 

[Golden Hour]

A nice stand of pine trees is very beneficial winter cover for deer, turkeys, and pheasants. They are difficult to hunt because there's no ground cover but in a heavy snow the critters are pretty much safe and dry in them. It obviously takes a while for trees to grow to adequate size though.

I'm a big fan of Eastern Red Cedars, as they grow easily and quickly. I know they are a pain if you let them sprawl, but any time I hunt my cedars, there are tons of pheasant tracks and often actual pheasants sitting underneath, soaking up an extra ten degrees of warmth that the dark green needles absorb from the sun in the winter.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Bob, to better answer some of your questions, native warm-season grass (NWSG) evolved with fire. Big bluestem and Indiangrass both are fire dependent, which means for them to prosper they need fire. A normal burn rotation can be every other year in areas with greater annual rainfall, to every 10th year in grasslands that exist in near desert rainfall belts. As for Reed Canary, it likes to grow as a single species and, therefore, eliminates all "diversity" which is what our gamebirds thrive on. It can be treated with Roundup when the NWSG is dormant and eventually eliminated or significantly reduced. Getting an open stand of NWSG that has a lot of native forbs too is the goal to serve as nesting and/or brood-rearing habitat. If you need brood-rearing habitat, there are enumerable ways to do that. Many of those involve the aforementioned forbs and/or legumes. You may find it hard to beat a stand of yellow or white sweet clover! I still recommend meeting with a biologist for a comprehensive evaluation. However, you can learn a lot from the Pheasants Forever website. Just remember that a lot of the packaged "pheasant" food plot stuff is the ole snake oil ruse of the past and does more to line the pockets of those folks than fill the gamebag for you.

 

[Matt D]

Quick question as we have been having some discussion on this. For those that have gone down this road would you recommend starting with PF biologist or a biologist from the state? This would be for SD. Thanks.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Quick question as we have been having some discussion on this. For those that have gone down this road would you recommend starting with PF biologist or a biologist from the state? This would be for SD. Thanks.

I think you are going to find that the State biologists have more experience on average and also there are probably more of them. Both could serve you well.

 

[Golden Hour]

Quick question as we have been having some discussion on this. For those that have gone down this road would you recommend starting with PF biologist or a biologist from the state? This would be for SD. Thanks.

Depending on where you are at, there is probably some coordination or familiarity between the PF and state biologists. A quick note to someone at SDSU might also yield some results. Best of luck and I'd be happy hear what you learn if you pursue this.

 

[Matt D]

I think you are going to find that the State biologists have more experience on average and also there are probably more of them. Both could serve you well.

Depending on where you are at, there is probably some coordination or familiarity between the PF and state biologists. A quick note to someone at SDSU might also yield some results. Best of luck and I'd be happy hear what you learn if you pursue this.

Thanks guys. Going to start with State and see what he has to say. This would be North Central part of the state. IMO the main thing it needs, if possible, is to get the CRP taller/thicker. Hopefully they can offer some guidance there.

 

[Matt D]

Have traded a few emails with biologist from the state. He is going to go out and look at the land and then we will talk more. According to FSA 75% of the CRP has to be cut in the next 3 summers for mid term maintenance. It had 50% of it cut in 2017. I asked the Biologist about burning as an option versus cutting it. Here in Ohio that is the most successful tool we use for getting really good regrowth. He said it is an option but is not widely used in SD. Curious if anyone has seen controlled burns on CRP in SD? Thanks

 

[Weimdogman]

In regards to S.D. The feds do controlled burns on some wpa's.
Guys from some pf groups do controlled burns.
Some rural fire depts are happy to do controlled burns as a training exercise. Donations are probably expected , as they should be!

 

[Prairie Drifter]

It doesn't matter where the burns are being conducted, big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, indian grass, blue gramma, hairy gramma, side-oats gramma, and buffalo grasses all evolved under the effects of fire and that is necessary to keep them vigorous. Setting your projected dates and goals ahead should ensure a positive response.

 

[sdviking]

Have traded a few emails with biologist from the state. He is going to go out and look at the land and then we will talk more. According to FSA 75% of the CRP has to be cut in the next 3 summers for mid term maintenance. It had 50% of it cut in 2017. I asked the Biologist about burning as an option versus cutting it. Here in Ohio that is the most successful tool we use for getting really good regrowth. He said it is an option but is not widely used in SD. Curious if anyone has seen controlled burns on CRP in SD? Thanks

Advertise that you have CRP available for Haying and then go out and mark the area you want hayed. Ours came back taller and thicker after we had it hayed. Would be nice if the NRCS would allow us to no-till drill in a few other taller varieties of grasses after haying. We have a wetland in wetland easement surrounded by CRP. We are attempting to plant cedars along the wetland on the higher ground. Wildlife will like that.