Houndawgg-
Welcome to the forum.
I am a long long ways from NJ, being in arid SW Kansas (18 inches annual rainfall), but I do have some thoughts on grass and pheasants. I am in a short grass prairie area, but when the first CRP enrollments came about the recommended grass mixture was a tall grass mix. This grass mix developed a heavy thatch, which is not advantageous to upland birds. Upland birds like to have an open understory that permits ground travel and a covered overstory that hides them from raptors. Grass has a relatively few insects, which are the primary food of young chicks. This thick thatchy grass provided ideal habitat for rats, mice and, therefore, snakes.
When it came time to re-enroll CRP acres, it was required to burn at least half the grass, then interseed with forbs and legumes. After the burn you see that the grass really wasn't that thick, but in clumps, the the thatch made it thick. The interseeded forbs and legumes, which have an overstory, filled in these voids, left an open understory and provided much better habitat for the upland birds. Forbs and legumes attract lots of insects.
A local wildlife biologist or the extension agent should be able to give you a good mix for your area. I would suspect that a grass/forb/legume mixture would be recommended. Shrubs is another good item for upland bird habitat. The shrubs can provide berries and will usually have a good number of insects. There is one shrub that attracts grasshoppers like crazy. The shrub takes a beating from the grasshoppers, but survives to live another day.
Good luck in your habitat development and please give an update.
Maynard Reece Byrd
Dodge City
