Pheasant Introduction.

J

jmac

New member
Hey do any of you out there know if this practice is still being utilized by any state. My father told me that many years ago in Nebraska, land owners were given 100 chicks a year to raise in an open pen and then allowed to fly off when they were big enough. The point being to introduce pheasants to the area. Just curious. I should say that the state game and fish, if I remember correctly, was the organization that provided the chicks.

Anybody know anything about this or remember this??? Thanks
 
I vaguely remember my Uncle and Grandpa doing something similar back in the early seventies, I think they were even doing that with turkeys, but haven't heard anything about those programs lately
 
With the large amount of research proving that the stocking of pen-reared gamebirds into wild habitats is largely a waste of time and money, state governments rarely support such programs anymore. Those programs survived longer than they should have when this research came out, due to the wide popularity of the programs. However, as $ became more of a restriction, these programs largely fell away.
 
Prairie Drifter said:
With the large amount of research proving that the stocking of pen-reared gamebirds into wild habitats is largely a waste of time and money, state governments rarely support such programs anymore. Those programs survived longer than they should have when this research came out, due to the wide popularity of the programs. However, as $ became more of a restriction, these programs largely fell away.
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Ditto! Well said PD.
 
ok why

UGUIDE said:
Ditto! Well said PD.
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ok why, ringneck pheasant are an invasive species. they had to be introduced some way to this country, not disagreeing with you, however, pen raised birds, allowed to fly off, after they are old enough, are wild pheasants. thats my opion. yes it might not be economicly sound, however, areas that dont have large populations of phez, may benifit from this practice. I dont know , thats why i started this thread. still like to hear other opions on this matter. thx for your posts:)
 
jmac said:
ok why, ringneck pheasant are an invasive species. they had to be introduced some way to this country, not disagreeing with you, however, pen raised birds, allowed to fly off, after they are old enough, are wild pheasants. thats my opion. yes it might not be economicly sound, however, areas that dont have large populations of phez, may benifit from this practice. I dont know , thats why i started this thread. still like to hear other opions on this matter. thx for your posts:)
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Studies show about 5% or less of pen raised birds survive more than a year. Key words here are "or less" and "more than a year". Most successful introductions are trapped wild birds into areas with sufficient habitat to allow survival and reproduction. Pen raised simply do not have skills needed to survive in the wild.
 
Pen raised pheasant have everything that's needed to survive in the wild.

Except; Captivity hasn't given them needed experience to cope with predation.
Think of all the critters out there that will eat pheasants! If you happen to be in a area that predators are being controlled you will see some success.

They do fine finding food, cover and will fly like the best of them in a week or two.

Pheasant chicks are readily available form hatcherys and small operators.
Get 50 or so raise them.

If you do let me know, I can give information on the release.
 
pen raised birds

uguide and mnt,
ok , i see, i have to agree, that if less than 5 percent make it, its not a good idea. thx:eek:
 
jmac, you can up that %.

I'm raising and releasing pheasants again.
 
mnmt

are you raising ringnecks,or any exotics? i think its really cool thing to do. had a friend that raised all kinds of exotic pheasants and quail. he had goldens and reeves, and alot more. i loved looking at those pretty birds. let me know how your project goes.:thumbsup:
 
jmac said:
ok why, ringneck pheasant are an invasive species. they had to be introduced some way to this country, not disagreeing with you, however, pen raised birds, allowed to fly off, after they are old enough, are wild pheasants. thats my opion. yes it might not be economicly sound, however, areas that dont have large populations of phez, may benifit from this practice. I dont know , thats why i started this thread. still like to hear other opions on this matter. thx for your posts:)
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If pen-raised pheasants had not been released years (60 to 40 years ago) ago in Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, we would not have wild pheasants in the Texas panhandle at all.
Yes, I agree the others, the pen-raised pheasant probably did encounter a 95% mortality in the wild their first year, but the few that manage to survive were the seed stock that eventually got wild birds started in the first place.
 
most wild pheasants don't even survive more than a year. Studies show that each year there is about a 70% mortality rate in wild pheasants. and I've read reports of even lower statistics.

Heres an exert from pheasantsforever.org

"Mortality
Rarely if ever does a pheasant die of old age, in fact, the average life span is less than 1 year. The pheasant is a prey species and must face 4 major sources of mortality beginning the day it is laid in the nest as an egg through the day it dies."

So yeah a pen raised pheasant has some obsticals but I think if you were to raise some pheasants in your country yard and have a few run off every now and then I bet the odds of them surviving and breeding the next spring would be pretty good. Nothing to brag about but enough to be able to hunt a few around the house
 
Exactly!!!!! When I raised birds and released them for me to shoot or others and had a few ( less than 5 ) get out, not even a small operation, tiny is more like it. Still had birds hatch out and raise young! I would have to say that the birds that got away were around 15. Out of those 15 , 5 were hens and two of them raised clutches of young. Not perfect habitat and there were no wild pheasants before release. None there now however!! Habitat loss has been bad!!! Had 5 escape and 10 that were shot at and not harvested!!!!
 
Inregards to pheasant mortality of pen raised birds; wild pheasants rarley make it more than a year. "The average life span for ring necks is remarkably short. Many young do not live beyond October 1, and the average adult male live only 10 months. Females live about 20 months". This is from the Oklahoma department of wildlife website. Based on this info I'm not sure lifespan is an arguement that holds water for releasing pen raised birds in the wild. The fact is pen raised or wild, pheasants have ample predators and have short life spans.
 
Pennsylvania has been stocking pheasants for many years now. The past few years they released just over 100,000 birds statewide each year. Before that it was over 200,000 birds per year. None of them have helped increase pheasant numbers in the state. The only thing that is showing any promise is the trapping of wild birds from out west and releasing them in areas of good habitat. Some sportsman clubs get day old chicks each year free from the state to raise and release. The birds released by the state and the clubs do survive through the winter, but not many. Every once in a while some may have some chicks but the chicks don't last too long. But I still enjoy going out and doing some pheasant hunting. If the birds weren't released I wouldn't have much to hunt in the fall close to home.
 
Yes a wild pheasant has a short life span. But at least they last 10 months. The vast majority of released birds do not last one week.
 
lets assume that the 5% survival rate of pen/released birds is accurate

What % of wild pheasants survive their first winter? I dont think Ive ever seen that number
 
Once a pheasant wild or pen raised makes it through the first year odds get much better for the second.

Pheasant mortality varies so much from year to year and different areas or regions.

Biggest factors are habitat. During mild Winters, marginal cover will be adequate. Tough Winters bird loss will be high, say in grasslands without good shelter. Good food source is very important. Then there is always predation, some areas worse then others,
 
Pen-raised pheasants are tame and stupid because of over 100 generations of living in a pen and inbreeding, selecting only good layers, and easy going birds to reproduce, not wariness or alert wildness (like the real wild, wild world would select) as reproducers.
So what pheasant breeders need is new authentic (never been in the pen wild virgin wild eggs-wild genes) truly wild true pheasants.
Over 30 years ago I raised some pure Bianchi's (white-winged pheasant) a true pheasant sub-specie of the ring-neck. Those birds were recently removed from the wild only three or four generations removed from the wild.
These pheasants were 100% wilder and more wary and alert than any of my other tame pen-raised pheasants I had.
The new wild blood can be the regular Kansas blue back or grey-rumped pheasant ( Phasianus cholchicus torquatus) but directly out of China never been in a pen, new blood.
The North American Mallard duck frequent cross breed with Russian and European mallards, same specie. Keeping the specie wild throughout the northern hemisphere of the world.
 
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