Rooster and Hen ratios?

sjohn

sjohn

Active member
No recent chatter on the forum. I guess everyone is either planting, fishing or working. I'll be fishing for the next two weeks between some work and field prep. Stripers and hybrids will be hitting the fryer.

What does the Rooster Hen ratio look like now that winter has passed and spring has sprung?
 
In SE Iowa from running my dog a half dozen times I would say 2 to 3 roosters to 1 hen. Roadside birds are mostly roosters.
 
Working here.
I haven't been out to survey pheasants yet this spring.
Following the 2019-20 season, though, I thought the rooster/hen ratio seemed real high.
I think hunters were more successful than usual during the 2020-21 season, mostly due to the weather, early harvest, & decent hatch.
So my hope would be that it creeped downward a little.
The most recent estimates showed the ratio has been climbing & has been almost as high as 9:10.
I've heard several versions of what's best, but my opinion is that in SD it would ideally be 2.5:10 or less in the spring.
Ace & I tried hard to reduce it last season, & we'll continue to do so.
 
I think roosters are always more visible than hens.

I hope those ratios seen are very high. I've always heard 1 rooster to 8-10 hens is plenty but doubt it is ever like that.
 
dukxdog said:
I think roosters are always more visible than hens.

I hope those ratios seen are very high. I've always heard 1 rooster to 8-10 hens is plenty but doubt it is ever like that.
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Agree with the above.I know it’s a little early—but-any chance some hens may have already gone to the nest??
 
I don't mess with the birds out of season, but my trail cam pics late in the winter showed lots of hens and enough roosters, guessing a 35% roosters, which is too high, I will need to after them more this fall. We had plenty of snow with extended extreme cold, I was very happy to see the survival. I have to think the 50 gallons of corn I had out when the weather was the worst saved many.....sure hope so anyway, made several walks in frigid temps and deep snow for them, it did finally give me a chance to use a pair of snowshoe that I had purchased a decade ago...they worked great!

Sorry, just noticed this is in the South Dakota area...I am only about 30 miles away
 
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I've been fishing.. and releasing.

Since pheasants are polygamous, it only takes one rooster to keep the local population going. I've heard that even a ratio of 50 hens to 1 rooster is sustainable for reproduction from a biologist.

Turkey season started here in MN yesterday for season A. I will be hunting season B. Glad I didn't select A, as there was snow and below freezing temps.
 
gimruis said:
I've been fishing.. and releasing.

Since pheasants are polygamous, it only takes one rooster to keep the local population going. I've heard that even a ratio of 50 hens to 1 rooster is sustainable for reproduction from a biologist.

Turkey season started here in MN yesterday for season A. I will be hunting season B. Glad I didn't select A, as there was snow and below freezing temps.
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50 hens to 1 seems way too rich, 20 hens to 1 seems much more viable.
 
from my observations it seems like if it gets lower than 1-3 the population suffers. At least at my farm it does. A few more roosters seem to help alert to predators and help scratch out the food the hens can't get to etc...if rooster numbers get too low the hens seem to leave my farm for more rooster populated areas.
 
gimruis said:
Since pheasants are polygamous, it only takes one rooster to keep the local population going. I've heard that even a ratio of 50 hens to 1 rooster is sustainable for reproduction from a biologist.
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I want to expand the populations, not just "keep it going", guessing 50:1 isn't getting all the hens bred....unless we have some over achiever rooster studs! I thought I remember reading 10 or 12 to 1 was optimal....at any rate, to keep the populations growing, no need for a 1:1, but hunting them it would be nice! I would also think that with favorable conditions, more roosters wouldn't hurt things.
 
Thanks for the chatter! good info.

I just got off the water after 5 days of fishing. Caught 104 stripers and hybrids in about 21 hours on the water. Weather was cool for SC. Upper 40s in the AM warming to middle 60's. Water temp at 64-66F. IMG_6701.JPGIMG_6719.JPG
 
Nebraska DOW guys always told me 10:1 is the ideal ratio of hens to roosters (moral of the story if there are alot of birds, shoot the roosters!)
 
huntnfool said:
Nebraska DOW guys always told me 10:1 is the ideal ratio of hens to roosters (moral of the story if there are alot of birds, shoot the roosters!)
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My opinion based on everything I've heard/read is somewhere between 4 hens to 1 rooster, to 12 hens to 1 rooster. I usually land on 7:1.
 
You should find a good number so they don't fight each other. It's pretty hard to find a balance when it comes to animals. You can create the perfect conditions for them and some are still going to fight with each other. It's not like you can fully control them because at one point their instincts are going to be shown. I've watched many videos related to digital sabong and I must say that rooters can be more aggressive than lots of animals if they are pissed. I don't even know why and I am thinking about asking a friend who is a vet and knows better
 
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