Stocked pheasants

ranchodeluxe said:
CARPTOM is spot-on. SDGFP doesn't have the budget to buy the couple thousand birds I saw today. Let alone 6 mill? Delusional.

One thing I have not seen mentioned here,maybe it's well-known or not. SD Commercial operations that are licensed preserves are typically located in the highest quality habitat and have PLENTY of wild birds. Where the pen-raised bird fits into their operation is in being able to offer two additional birds per day,per hunter at an additional price. Limit 5 on preserves, three on non-licensed. Now it may be true they have bought up all the birds but believe me I get around right in the heart of pheasant country a lot. I know where the preserves are. I'm tellin' ya, they ain't letting even a fraction the number of birds go that I see. Not this late in the season when biz really tapers off.And not at $12 a copy. Remember,these are folks who,for the most part are SD farmers and ranchers. Now I'm not gonna say they are cheap,but,does a Jewish carpenter come to mind?
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Pay 2 Play operations cannot or will not run all of their fields every day. They want to fill and be done, just as soon as possible with disturbing the least amount of birds. Buying birds helps accomplish this, as they are easier to harvest for their clients.
 
In past years I contracted, raised and sold birds to SD preserves or pay to hunt operations. They are required under law to replace an established % of the birds that they harvest. To suggest that the majority of birds in SD are pen raised is simply not economical. I charged $11 dollars per bird two years ago. The cost would be higher now. It is a labor of love to raise pheasants. I assure you that most of what you encounter are indeed wild pheasants.
 
I believe stocked pheasants are running $20/bird in South Dakota as supply was low and demand high this year.

I get shooters that are not interested in UGUIDE camps because they can't shoot enough birds in a day (3 max) and want to shoot like 25 birds a day.

Different market, different client. That's why preserves exist and thrive in the state. It is a good system in the state. If preserves went away a lot of habitat would go away with them.
 
That just blows my mind that some people like that kind of excess, 25 birds a day, very sporting. I could do that a lot cheaper on a preserve here.

The guys at our feed store know I raise birds and bird dogs so one of the owners showed me some pics of their driven pheasant "hunt" in New Zeland in between chasing red stag or chamois or something. 100s of birds (roosters and hens) lined up with the gunners and the guy tried to tell me they were all wild.:eek: Come on, how long would that place have wild birds if they drive them and let the shooters (not hunters) indiscriminately shoot anything that flies over, what a joke. I just said cool, let me get my scratch and get on my way. Horses for courses I guess.
 
Pen birds

I guide at a local preserve in ohio. I know they are about out of birds at this preserve and are havin to try and find some. Ive heard thats the case in most of the country. As far as wild birds. I hate having to take people out on birds that were just put out 30 minutes before. If you run into leftovers though they can be pretty wild. Last trip up my female found a 3 year old rooster that had been on the preserve a couple years. you better believe that thing was wild. He moved on her about 8 different times and didnt get him pinned till he came to the edge of a cut soybean field and ran outta cover. Even then he held in a downed tree top and it was hard to get him out.
 
I'm 54 and have hunted SD since the 70's. Back then everything was wild. Started paying for access in the late 80's. Initial cost was $50 per gun per season. Went to one particular farmer because he had superb habitat and always lots of "wild" birds. He's 81 now and his son has taken over and the price is $200 per day per gun. Was very surprised following the severe winter of 1991 or 1992 or 1993 I cant remember the specific year. We went to the farm out of a sense of obligation to the farmer but we were expecting poor hunting. What we got was outstanding hunting. Birds everywhere, on top of hay bales, in the road, on top of the buildings, flocked by the hundreds in the cut crops. We had short hunting days and long nights. The last day we reached our limit after 30 minutes so we sat around drinking with the farmer all afternoon. He admitted, after several bourbons, to stocking the fields in the spring with 4000 laying hens that he claimed bred with the wild roosters. He also admitted to stocking roosters in the fall. Went out a 2nd time 6 weeks later to the same farmer in early December. My son was only 12 so I though it would be a lot of fun for him. Couldn't find a bird. The farmer drove across the fields with his truck looking for birds without success so took us to his brothers place where we had some luck. I've given up the big group hunts now and prefer just my sons and I. As far as the mortality of stocked birds, I think its pretty low. Draw your own conclusions. Stopped going in early 2000 due to the cost. Primarily a public hunting guy now but will pay in years like this year. Don't need to kill limits a day. Just need an adrenalin flush on a regular basis to keep the old legs going.
 
Bryan Casto said:
I guide at a local preserve in ohio. I know they are about out of birds at this preserve and are havin to try and find some. Ive heard thats the case in most of the country. As far as wild birds. I hate having to take people out on birds that were just put out 30 minutes before. If you run into leftovers though they can be pretty wild. Last trip up my female found a 3 year old rooster that had been on the preserve a couple years. you better believe that thing was wild. He moved on her about 8 different times and didnt get him pinned till he came to the edge of a cut soybean field and ran outta cover. Even then he held in a downed tree top and it was hard to get him out.
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When I lived in WI my place was across the road from a hi buck hunt club.This is a subject of wonder for me. I could see their cropstrips that were on a facing sidehill and would watch them plant birds.Then I would watch the hunters,more specifically,their dogs.Maybe the dogs belonged to the club and were cared-for by the same guy planting birds,but I swear those dogs followed the scent trail of the bird-boy?Any chance that was the case?
 
ranchodeluxe said:
I swear those dogs followed the scent trail of the bird-boy?Any chance that was the case?
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Absolutely. In our NSTRA trials some dogs are trained to follow the scent of the bird planters 4-wheeler and other just pick it up naturally.
 
dogs

Im sure that is possible. we usually give ours 30 minutes if they are planted. I havent seen any dogs on the preserve i guide/hunt do that but i see how a dog could pick that up easily, if thats all they are used for. When i go by my self i hunt leftovers usually, but if i do release birds i take them to the center of the preserve and just toss em in the air and mark the area they fly/ land. Some clients opt for this and we call it a sportsmen release. I kinda like those.
 
Uncle Buck said:
Thousands and thousands on private groun, 99% preservs, yes.

BUT--- MILLIONS AND MILLIONS WILD ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LANDS.

SEEMS LIKE THIS POST COMES UP EVERY YEAR TO PROMOTE A RURAL MYTH.
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Yep and even promoted by the moderators here too!

PT Barnum was right.

Every preserve operator I have ever talked to fans this myth up big time. Been the worst in recent years when wild bird hunting in the dakota's has been very good, sucking their paying customers away.

Game and fish folks will tell you they aren't as worried as it's a drop in the bucket compared to wild birds and few of the released birds survive the hunting season.

The genetics issue is more important in small populations than in the abundant ones--with abundant good habitat (although declining lately).
 
Just a quick comment. If you are coming from out of state and hunting on a pay to hunt operation the best way to know if they release birds is to check the SDGF&P website.

If the operation has a preserve license released birds are in the equation. If they are not listed as a licensed preserve then any bird releases would have to be done illegally.

DB
 
Downtown Bang! said:
Just a quick comment. If you are coming from out of state and hunting on a pay to hunt operation the best way to know if they release birds is to check the SDGF&P website.

If the operation has a preserve license released birds are in the equation. If they are not listed as a licensed preserve then any bird releases would have to be done illegally.

DB
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I have never released birds but are you telling me that it is illeagal to do so without being a preserve?
 
IMO, I think you may be reading the law wrong. In order to be a hunting preserve. You must release so many birds a year I believe may be the rule. It's not against the law for folks to do so without a preserve license.

It reads something like that here in Minnesota.
 
Pheasant Stocking

Just about every pay place in SD has a pen which contains pen raised bird and from my experiences of hunting around but not at these pay places the birds that manage to leave these pay places are very wild in a short period of time.
 
haymaker said:
I have never released birds but are you telling me that it is illeagal to do so without being a preserve?
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The point of my post was not to declare what constitutes legal release or not. We see multiple questions on the forum each season from newbies asking how do they know if a commercial operation is all wild birds or a combination of wild & released birds. A very valid quick and dirty test is to look up the preserve listing. If that operation is on the list as a preserve then it is highly likely that commercial operation is focused on selling the opportunity to shoot limits of birds. It is also very likely your limit will include a high percentage released birds. If an individual wants to fee hunt and only wants a wild bird experience using this process can save a whole lot of time. Process of elimination. How many SD preserve operations make it clear in their marketing information that the hunter will be shooting released birds?

If a commercial operation is not on the list then what they are selling is access. At that point it becomes incumbent on the buyer to ask the right questions and determine if whats for sale is "good" access.
 
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