Interesting Article

[CowboyBirdDogs]

http://www.pheasantblog.org/bstpierre/will-the-early-arrival-of-spring-produce-more-pheasants/

I never knew about quail being able to hatch multiple broods! This article lifted my spirits some.

 

[Preston1]

This is a good well balanced article. I am glad that the writer of this article brought out the fact that there are regional differences to how the wild pheasant hatch responses to wet spring weather. He pointed out the "Exception in the south and west."

I have been keeping up with the progress of wild pheasant in S. W. Kansas the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle since the early 70's, and I have noticed the best pheasant and quail hatches occur in wet springs and in showery (not flooding) summers.

It is good that the Pheasant Forever biologists brought this up first. I wanted to bring this point up in an earlier thread, but as they say I didn't want to open a can of worms.

If you look at the North American wild pheasant breeding range map:

http://www.unl.edu/nac/atlas/Map_Html/Biodiversity/National/Ring-neck_Pheasant_Abundance_Map/Map.htm

It is obvious from that map weather stress related to cold and chill relative to the hatch and chicks is greater farther north. And the farther west and southwest the greater the stress related hatch and chick survival relative to heat and drought. Rain always benefits the birds in the stressful heat of summer (keeping thing green and warm and damp hatches more insects) both quail and pheasant.

We need more rain in the western panhandle and it looks like for the next four days rain is on the way.

 

[maximus1]

I have heard of double hatches before but most articles try to down play the possibilities of this happening. This was quite interesting and brings hope to all of us that just maybe it will happen and we will finally have an upswing in bird numbers for a change. Here in Oklahoma the quail hunting has been on a downhill slide for so long that something has to go right for a change. Here's hoping for the perfect conditions for a great nesting season.

 

[CowboyBirdDogs]

It was definitely a well put and very informative article. Hope with all these rains the nesting conditions are great and we continue to get them throughout the summer.....hey, we can dream!

Come on slutty bobwhite hens! And double nest hatchin pheasant hens!