State Considering Changing Pheasant Season

[Justin7mm]

This is posted on WDFW website:

21   Timing and Length of Eastern Washington Pheasant Season   
Background Information:
The structure and timing of pheasant and other upland bird seasons have changed many times.

All upland bird populations and hunter harvest have declined significantly over the past 30-40 years, which is attributed to changes in habitat.

In 2004, the pheasant season opener was moved later to the weekend after the modern firearm deer opener.

In 2005, the season was extended into January to mitigate lost season length.

For several years prior to the last three-year season package, all upland bird seasons extended through Martin Luther King Day.

For the last three years the pheasant season has been a consistent 12 weeks, ending one week earlier than other upland bird seasons.

Some hunters want the season to always end on Martin Luther King Day, but others express concerns with hunting upland birds this late in the winter.

Because hens are not hunted, there is little chance that hunting can impact pheasant populations.

use this link to go and comment on the changes.  http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/seasonsetting/2015-2017/comments.php

I think every person on here should vote for option number 1-  This gives us a 12 -13 week season starting when it does now and ending on MLK weekend every year.

[T-Bone]

Justin, I couldn't agree with you more!!!

For some reason, the setting of pheasant seasons has always been more on emotion (for lack of a better word) than logic. A mass slaughter of late season savvy roosters in one week by ending the season on the MLK Holiday is very unlikely. I've protested the last three year change since its inception.

Nonetheless, I see in the current 2014 Reg.'s that once again the E. WA. Pheasant Season will end a week earlier than the other upland bird seasons.    :vdid:

Tom

[Justin7mm]

I think the options to start the season at the beginning of October are terrible for several reasons.  Its too hot for the dogs most of the time, which limits your hunting to early and late in the day.  There are usually still LOTS of crops standing which doesn't help us hunters at all.  Pheasants will camp out in the middle of a standing corn field all day where its nearly impossible to get to them.  Farmers are also less likely to let you stomp around when the crop is up, or when people are working on things.  Then there is the whole identification problem.  Even as the season stands now, some years there are young of the year birds that are barely the size of a chukar.  Good luck trying to figure out rooster or hen.  I hope people get involved in this process

[AspenBud]

Until the state figures out a solution to the birds' habitat problems on private land I doubt lengthening the season will matter much one way or another to the species' survival.

[wildweeds]

You guys are going to hate me for this but I've seen great pheasant hunting in eastern washington and the IMO the populations from year to year is weighted heavily on weather, wet springs and dry summers are bad ju ju for any upland gamebirds,moisture is needed in summer for bug production because the bugs are the majority of a young birds diet.The season IMO can't be set in stone in advance and left alone for years,a population assesment needs to be made with road count and the season set depending on that road count metric.I leased some ground for years,there were years where I'd put up 20+ shootable birds per day all season long,the last few years I leased it were horrible,I hunted an entire week and saw 15 hens and one lone rooster,I let him live because I felt sorry for the population,gotta have roosters to have more roosters.I'd also decrease the daily limit by 1 bird,sorry folks with the population we have we don't need a daily limit that matches North Dakota/South Dakota and Montana.I'd shorten the season as well,it would open the 3 rd weekend in October and close on December 31   

[Forks]

I agree 100% with wildweeds.

[Shoffy]

here's my 

open and close all upland bird hunting on the same day (chukar, hun, quail and pheasants)
leave the season length alone .. maybe extend to MLK day if that's a big deal to a lot of people
reduce the limit on wild eastern Washington pheasants down to 2 roosters on normal years. If the birds have a good hatch, raise it up to 3 for that year. Bringing the limit down to 2 on poor / fair years would give a few of those young 1st year hatch birds a chance to survive the opening weekend..

Extending the season into the winter I don't believe would make much of an impact on pheasant numbers ... most of the young first hatch birds get shot the first couple weeks anyway ... by winter the wise ol' roosters likely to survive the rest year because they've been shot at a few times and have gotten good at avoiding people 

[birddogdad]

You guys are going to hate me for this but I've seen great pheasant hunting in eastern washington and the IMO the populations from year to year is weighted heavily on weather, wet springs and dry summers are bad ju ju for any upland gamebirds,moisture is needed in summer for bug production because the bugs are the majority of a young birds diet.The season IMO can't be set in stone in advance and left alone for years,a population assesment needs to be made with road count and the season set depending on that road count metric.I leased some ground for years,there were years where I'd put up 20+ shootable birds per day all season long,the last few years I leased it were horrible,I hunted an entire week and saw 15 hens and one lone rooster,I let him live because I felt sorry for the population,gotta have roosters to have more roosters.I'd also decrease the daily limit by 1 bird,sorry folks with the population we have we don't need a daily limit that matches North Dakota/South Dakota and Montana.I'd shorten the season as well,it would open the 3 rd weekend in October and close on December 31   

my last year late season trips to moses lake area, every step i took was into a pile of coyote poop.. i think that has as much to do with population as weather.... plenty of birds still (january) but very VERY wild (due to coyote pressure IMO). Since it is "enhanced" by the state, i like the after big game seasons to work dogs and would spin it that way (start later-end later). Dogs would agree that no snakes and cooler weather is a good thing.... we are no Dakota here!

[AspenBud]

You guys are going to hate me for this but I've seen great pheasant hunting in eastern washington and the IMO the populations from year to year is weighted heavily on weather, wet springs and dry summers are bad ju ju for any upland gamebirds,moisture is needed in summer for bug production because the bugs are the majority of a young birds diet.The season IMO can't be set in stone in advance and left alone for years,a population assesment needs to be made with road count and the season set depending on that road count metric.I leased some ground for years,there were years where I'd put up 20+ shootable birds per day all season long,the last few years I leased it were horrible,I hunted an entire week and saw 15 hens and one lone rooster,I let him live because I felt sorry for the population,gotta have roosters to have more roosters.I'd also decrease the daily limit by 1 bird,sorry folks with the population we have we don't need a daily limit that matches North Dakota/South Dakota and Montana.I'd shorten the season as well,it would open the 3 rd weekend in October and close on December 31   

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