How long til Pheasant hunting is No More?

[rosscrazyelk]

I am not a over the top bird hunter but I do like to get out and chase them around from time to time. I am not sure what to contribute it to but every year the bird hunting gets worse.  All the areas I grew up hunting have all but been closed off to me but there still is some land that I have found that for the past ten years has been pretty good. Last year my group of friends and I went out and between 4 of us got three birds in two days.. It was not that long ago I would limit out every day.
This year in two days I saw only four roosters and just about as many hens.
I notice that the farmers are cutting down all the drainages  which used to be great for cover and some of the lands that were in crp are now growing hay but not leaving any cover for the birds.
Now I know it is not the farmers responsibility to provide shelter for the birds but  are they really gaining that much more money by cutting a little drainage?
 I know that there is pheasants forever , does anybody know if they do anything in this state. it seems everytime I read something by them it always in north or south dakota or kansas. never here.
Can the state try to talk to farmers about helping the birds out a  little?
Like I said I am  just a guy who likes to hunt birds from time to time but at this rate I don't think there will be any in the years to come. Your thoughts?
Thanks

[ellensburgpo]

There will be on private land and release sites. If I were PF and deciding where to spend money it probably wouldn't be Washington either. Expensive land and low numbers to begin with. And the way people treat private land in many cases it's not surprising that it's harder and harder to get on. Not referring to you, just generally speaking. And if I were a non hunting farmer I would plant every inch I could to make more money to support my family.

It's a tough situation but I don't see a likely way that it gets better in this state. More efficient farming practices. More expensive land so conservation groups can't get traction. The best pheasant hunting I've ever seen in Washington has always been private and on ground that isn't conducive to fence to fence farming so it has habit.

[JBar]

Farmers are still paid to put land into CRP but usually there is a time limit or contract with a specified amount of time. Usually the property put into CRP is steeper land that is risky to farm anyway ( I'm only speaking for the area I hunt in ). We've seen a decline in the birds the last few years also but not because of cover or feed loss but to bad springs taking a toll on chicks. This year was better than the last few and hopefully we'll have a good spring again this year. Last trip over we probably seen around 60 birds in a day and a half hunting.   

[Curly]

Bird hunting has been going downhill for 20 years or more. I believe the same issues now as back then.....you mentioned it Ross, farming practices are too clean and there is little habitat left for birds.

Bird hunting is one of my favorite things to do but after putting my dog down a few years ago,  I have not gotten back into it and probably won't until I can retire and spend several weeks back in the Dakotas and Montana for birds each fall and winter. 

[WAcoueshunter]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,152699.0.html

[rosscrazyelk]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,152699.0.html

I remember days like that. . So sad

[Birdguy]

Ross, the south sound PF chapter has a couple farms they do work on every year to try and increase habitat. I would think that the east side chapters do the same. Talk to the guys at the sportsman show at the PF booth to get more info. Otherwise you are probably looking at hunt clubs like so much of the "recreation" these days. I know a lot of farmers in Montana are getting $100 a day per person as a trespass fee  . Going to Montana I realize that there is public ground and all but to get that kind of $$ with no advertising sends a pretty clear message. This is one of the big reason I started raising birds until our state made it so expensive I could no longer justify it.

[mtaylor]

I appreciate that this thread has not turned into a bash on farmers and modern agriculture. Its true that alot of bird habitat has been lost to modern technology in agriculture, and modern farming practices. With the EPA, educated consumers, and some other government agencies farmers/ranchers have to be on their toes to comply with regulations. Farmers are becoming more efficient growing more food on half the acerage it used to take, but with low commodity prices and higher costs of production they are trying to make every inch of land pay. There are many farmers that are doing a good job of maintianing and building habitat for birds and big game, but like mentioned earlier those places are usually private property and not many people can hunt them. This was my first season in WA, and the pheasant hunting was not as good as ND, but it is alot better than ID!!! I was able to get into some good coveys of quail too. Here's to a better hatch this spring and lower preditor populations!!! 

Farmer MTaylor

[Special T]

WaCenturian was in charge of the last great program we had in this state. $ is no longer really spent on increasing edge habitat. Once again predator management would be a great help, and the rules have changed in regards to killing magpies, not to mention the protection of all the other predators that pheasant face.

[Special T]

I would also add that the kinds of crops being raised has a HUGE impact on numbers. Hay is really hard on sitting hens, lopping their heads off. Colombian basin numbers used to be huge when the sugar beets were common crop. I have noticed fields with mustard in them hold great numbers and taters aren't too bad either.

[rosscrazyelk]

Thanks for the input guys. 
I don't get to do it as much as I like but I love watching a pheasant  rise up.
I want to introduce my niece to it but am really afraid with the lack of birds/ excitement it won't take hold for her like it did when I was a kid.

[Blackjaw]

Maybe the first time, take your niece to one of the good game farms on the east side so she gets the bug before you hike after wild birds? That might let her understand why you like it and keep her motivated to hike for miles after the wild ones.

[constructeur]

Cooke Canyon holds a kids and ladies day, sometime near the end of Summer/early season. Check their website if you're interested.