Flushing Survey Results

FLDBRED

FLDBRED

Well-known member
Here are the results from the recent Flushing Survey!
Courtesy of Mr. Lynn Appleman
2012 Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area Flushing Survey Results

Thanks again to everyone – landowners, group leaders, volunteers and dogs – for all your help with this year’s flushing surveys. This email includes 1) 2012 sex ratios and sample sizes. 2) Group Details, listed as #Roosters:#Hens, Group#, Group leader. You can see what other groups saw on the same day you were along. 3) Central Susquehanna Flushing Survey Results for past years. Please remember, the purpose of flushing surveys is to flush a sample of the wild pheasants and determine pre-nesting season sex ratio. It is not a total count of birds. Our sex ratio data are used along with rooster densities to calculate hen densities. Colleen

GREENWOOD VALLEY STUDY AREA:
2012 – 21Roosters:10Hens; Sex Ratio = 1R:0.5H - Sample Size = 31
TURBOTVILLE STUDY AREA:
2012 - 113Roosters:113Hens; Sex Ratio = 1R:1H - Sample Size = 226

Group Details:
Greenwood Valley Feb 12, 2012 – 37 volunteers and 32 dogs
05R:02H Group 1 Lynn Appelman
01R:01H Group 2 Shon Robbins
03R:01H Group 3 Colleen DeLong
01R:00H Group 4 Butch Krick
05R:03H Group 5 Kevin Wenner
06R:03H Group 6 Wyatt Knepp
21R:10H TOTAL Feb 12th

Turbotville Area Feb 19, 2012 – 70 volunteers and 59 dogs
37R:46H Group 1 Shon Robbins
07R:11H Group 2 Brandon Black
06R:11H Group 3 Allen Hornberger
03R:03H Group 4 Butch Krick
05R:10H Group 5 Kurt Bond
06R:07H Group 6 Kevin Wenner
04R:00H Group 7 Wyatt Knepp
03R:00H Group 8 Colleen DeLong
71R:88H TOTAL Feb 19th

Turbotville Area Feb 26, 2012 – 67 volunteers and 54 dogs
31R:22H Groups 1 and 2 Keith Sanford/Lynn Appelman
00R:00H Group 3 Shon Robbins
03R:00H Group 4 Wyatt Knepp
01R:00H Group 5 Colleen DeLong
01R:00H Group 5B Tom Ricker
02R:00H Group 6 Butch Krick
03R:03H Group 7 Kevin Wenner
01R:00H Group 8 Brandon Black
42R:25H TOTAL Feb 26th

In 2012 we also saw northern harriers, meadowlarks, American kestrels, short-eared owls, turkey, deer, a bald eagle, rabbits, and woodcock.

History – Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Flushing Surveys
Greenwood Valley Study Area:
2008 sex ratio = 1:0.7 – sample size =33
2009 sex ratio = 1:0.9 – sample size =52
2010 sex ratio = 1:0.8 – sample size =51
2011 sex ratio = 1:0.7 – sample size =36
2012 sex ratio = 1:0.5 – sample size =31
Turbotville Study Area:
2008 sex ratio = 1:1.1 – sample size =107
2009 sex ratio = 1:1.4 – sample size =200
2010 sex ratio = 1:1.5 – sample size =272
2011 sex ratio = 1:1.2 – sample size =249
2012 sex ratio = 1:1.0 – sample size =226

Colleen DeLong
Wildlife Biologist
Pennsylvania Game Commission
_________________________
 
Now we'll have to wait for the sping crowing counts. I hope this spring is better than the last one as far as nesting goes.
 
Everyone I talked to was pleasantly surprised with the results, some were downright shocked in a good way. That last spring had even effected the turkey nesting, not to mention the grouse. It looks like these birds have found a permanent home in Pa.! Now if we can get a good spring, it'll be the first break these birds have had since leaving Montana!
 
Good news that there are wild pheasants.
The rooster to hen ratio is bad going into nesting.
 
The Pike Run stab at pheasants in Pennsylvania is now to be opened to hunting as the pheasant response there has been poor....to say the least.
The central drainage sections of the state hold the greatest potential...along with the most CREP, contiguous cover and crops.
Access will be the bugaboo for many.
Be nice to see Pa. harvest 1 million pheasants a year again but I expect long-term success and short-term access will dictate much less.
 
mnmthunting said:
Good news that there are wild pheasants.
The rooster to hen ratio is bad going into nesting.
Click to expand...

The PF and PGC Biologist both were looking for a 1to1 ratio of Roosters to Hens.They were more concerned about the health status of the flock, than just nesting. You have to remember this in a NON HUNTING environment and of course that ratio will change once hunting is allowed. They said if the ratio was tilted towards to many Roosters it would be a RED flag that something is wrong.Having said that, they were happy with the ratio!
 
OldDublin said:
The Pike Run stab at pheasants in Pennsylvania is now to be opened to hunting as the pheasant response there has been poor....to say the least.
The central drainage sections of the state hold the greatest potential...along with the most CREP, contiguous cover and crops.
Access will be the bugaboo for many.
Be nice to see Pa. harvest 1 million pheasants a year again but I expect long-term success and short-term access will dictate much less.
Click to expand...

We owe a great deal to the efforts of all those evolved in Pike Run, with out them a lot of what is happening might not have. There are now Wild pheasants in that area thanks to their efforts. They are going to keep it Rooster only, and continue to monitor it!

It sure would be nice to harvest a million birds again, but realistically I think everyone is just hoping for a self sustaining, hunt able wild population. The PGC realizes this and it is one of the reason they have committed to increase the stocking back to over 200,000 birds in areas that don't show the promise of sustaining wild birds.
 
Yes, I know.
Regardless, the success was minimal in the Pike Run area.
It is a shame.

The one and only reason that the PGC increased the pheasant release back to 200K was the influx of Marcellus money...w/o that windfall, no 200K.

I have always been satisfied with how the PGC distributes pheasants...and the quality of the pheasants has routinely been top shelf.
I know the last big floods set back the hatchery restarts...hopefully all is a go now for next Fall.
 
It's true that the money from the Marcellus Shale was what enabled them to fund the program, but they could have used that money for countless other projects. We are very lucky to have Commissioners willing to fight for such programs.

I guess it comes down to how you measure success at Pike Run, true they didn't meet the birds per square mile they needed to keep the area a WPRA, but the information gained is priceless going forward!
 
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FLDBRED said:
It's true that the money from the Marcellus Shale was what enabled them to fund the program, but they could have used that money for countless other projects. We are very lucky to have Commissioners willing to fight for such programs.
Click to expand...

I thnk you are very lucky indeed in Pennsylvania....tho I doubt the satisfaction with the PGC and Commissioners extends to most of the USoP. ;)

FLDBRED said:
I guess it comes down to how you measure success at Pike Run, true they didn't meet the birds per square mile they needed to keep the area a WPRA, but the information gained is priceless going forward!
Click to expand...

All info is good. I agree...the lack of bird numbers tho will fuel those opposed to any reintroduction of pheasants into Pa.
That's the inherent problem with any study data...it can be interpreted in many ways.
As the pheasant situation exists today, some Keystone kids will have a quality opportunity not common east of the Mississippi.
That's a good thing.
 
We are extremely lucky indeed! The Game Commission is doing an outstanding job! It's uncommon in today's day and age to have an agency that has as much support as the Game Commission! What is being done here in Pa is being recognized all over the country!
 
I am also very interested in the PGC bobwhite quail plan. It is several years behind the pheasant plan but I hope it moves forward. From what I have heard, I live close to one of the areas they may want to try and establish some quail.
 
Yep, I am excited about that also Brian! I am really intrigued about the Wild Captive Breeding Program for the quail, you can probably relate to that. We have checked out some locations for birds, but so far not much success!
 
I talked to some of the PGC people who were at the flushing survey and they said there may be some wild quail in Adams county. They mentioned another county, it may have been Chester. I know I've never seen a wild quail around Adams county but there may be some on an old farm or something. A friend of mine kicked up a single quail around Biglerville a few years ago when rabbit hunting. He has hunted that area quite a few times and that was the only quail he ever saw, so I think it was a released bird.
One of the areas mentioned as a possible release site in the future was the Gettysburg Battlefield but it will be quite a few years until that happens. I'm looking forward to the future of quail in Pa.
 
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