Impacts of Late Season Pheasant Hunting

C

cyclonenation10

Active member
I was just curious if anybody avoids hunting pheasants in nasty cold/snowy weather for the sake of the birds? I've always had pretty good luck in extremely cold and snowy weather, but wonder if that has a negative impact on the overall population (hens in particular). If it is really nasty out, does busting birds from good cover and shelter belts expose them to more predators and the elements? Does anybody think this has a big enough impact to keep them from hunting in this type of weather?
 
I had considered not hunting on really cold days, but never had to make the decision (it never got really cold on the weekends). However, this past January, it was forecast to be below zero, and fresh snow. So, I decided to do some research.

I arrived at sun-up, with the intent to approach them while in their roost. Best-laid plans, etc. I got close to the roosting cover, and there were tracks all over - they had already been up and about, and nothing got up from the roosting cover. Could see where they had been earlier in the morning (before dawn), so they had been there. Went to another cover area, and got one rooster up.

Went to another area, and there were tracks all over, again. This was a milo field, and there had been lots of feeding activity. Got some birds up there. Went to grass nearby, and lots of tracks, so the birds had been moving.

From my observations that day, the cold (six below zero) didn't seem to bother them.
 
Late in the season, birds will only hold, if it's cold and windy. I never go early in the morning, that's not nessesary.Its unethical to hunt birds early in the morning.
 
Goosemaster said:
Its unethical to hunt birds early in the morning.
Click to expand...

Just curious...what's your rationale behind this statement? And do you also feel it's unethical to hunt them the last 1/2 hour of the day?

Here's my opinion. I hunt, almost exclusively, public areas & ditches. In these areas, there are ample opportunities for birds to find whatever type of cover they prefer for given weather conditions & time of day. In really bad weather, after feeding early in the morning, most roosters usually find trees somewhere to hang out in for the day (commonly near a farmhouse), making themselves basically impossible to hunt. I have to rely on finding a couple that aren't hanging out with the rest of the crowd. If I bust hens from their refuge, they fly a little ways & find another equally cozy spot. If I'm lucky enough to find a couple roosters, it's their misfortune.
 
Last edited:
Unethical ... maybe in your world.

If you push birds early AM, they have time to find another suitable habitat to shelter in or time to return to where you walked through.

If you push birds the last 60 minutes of the day ... some birds know right where to go ... escape cover provides protection. Other birds may land in an area that exposes them to predators and/or the weather as dark fast approaches.
 
Unless there is a pending blizzard - hunting birds in late season has little impact on bird survival. These birds should be healthy enough to survive occasional disturbance. These birds often move to the next good cover and maybe why you walk a spot one day and see nothing and then a week later it is full.

Winter is long ... and it is often the accumulative effect of a long, snowy winter that results in significant mortality rates.

Birds exposed to blizzard conditions or a significant ice storm can die that day ... but again most mortality occurs over a longer time period.
 
brittboy said:
in my part of the world, the more rosters you shoot, the more hens survive the winter
Click to expand...

Precisely. Frequently, people who know how to manage pheasants on their land have very late season rooster roundups. Some people get concerned when they hunt a slough, flush hundreds of hens, & shoot the very few roosters they see. Miraculously, on a normal year, there's still a good hatch the following spring. It's because there are always a few roosters hanging out where nobody can get at them.
 
Last edited:
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Precisely. Frequently, people who know how to manage pheasants on their land have very late season rooster roundups. Some people get concerned when they hunt a slough, flush hundreds of hens, & shoot the very few roosters they see. Miraculously, on a normal year, there's still a good hatch the following spring. It's because there are always a few roosters hanging out where nobody can get at them.
Click to expand...

Yep, I think I read somewhere that as long as 10% of the roosters are left, all the hens will be bred in the Spring. Quite a reward for those crafty roosters that make it through the season!
 
roadscholar said:
Yep, I think I read somewhere that as long as 10% of the roosters are left, all the hens will be bred in the Spring. Quite a reward for those crafty roosters that make it through the season!
Click to expand...

Yep, I think a 10:1 hen:rooster ratio is fine. Most of my reading leads me to believe a 7:1 ratio is about ideal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top