Getting Rid of Trees = More Pheasants?

C

cyclonenation10

Well-known member
Been spending alot of time at our farm trying to cut down and kill as many of the crap soft maple trees as I can along our fencelines bordering our CRP and everywher else. Lots of work to do, but slowly putting a dent in them. Does anyone have any evidence or studies they've read that have shown improvements in pheasant numbers from doing so? Or just anecdotally?

Keep telling myself it is not a waste of time..
 
About 5 years ago in the southern half of Minnesota, the DNR cut down every tree in state land. If I remember correctly the justification was the the birds of prey sat in the trees picking off young pheasants.
 
No proof, but as said, removing the perches for the raptors has to help things. Plant some conifers to replace them or create some stands of these for blizzard refuges when all your ground cover is blown full of snow. The birds will ride out the storms in them, those might be the only birds that survive when we get those snow and blows that last a day or 2...I sure don't miss those!
 
A good shelterbelt is a must for any decent pheasant property. Grass is good for nesting that’s about it. Weeds, trees, and water make birds. Cutting down single rows and lone trees may help save a few here and there but nothing to change a property, time would be better spent elsewhere.
 
cyclonenation10 said:
Been spending alot of time at our farm trying to cut down and kill as many of the crap soft maple trees as I can along our fencelines bordering our CRP and everywher else. Lots of work to do, but slowly putting a dent in them. Does anyone have any evidence or studies they've read that have shown improvements in pheasant numbers from doing so? Or just anecdotally?

Keep telling myself it is not a waste of time..
Click to expand...
Trees are not good around nesting areas since magpies and crows use them for perches and look for hens coming/going on the nest and then raid the nest
If you want trees evergreens type trees are best since magpies can’t perch on branches as easy as regular trees
 
Those maples need to go, not wasting your time. Leave them go and they will just seed the nearby area down and then you will really have some work to do.
 
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