Yakima pheasant

[Hilltop123]

Just a heads, bird hunters. Just seen the pheasant release truck loading up birds and heading to the.release site off sheep company. So they said. They may have been blowing smoke but they were loading birds. Hope this helps.

[wildweeds]

Sad,just sad that We destroy fish Wildlife have managed to miss manage yet another resource that used to be common on its own into a canned type outdoor experiance.

[Old Dog]

 

[huntingcl]

  X2

[jdb]

Sad,just sad that We destroy fish Wildlife have managed to miss manage yet another resource that used to be common on its own into a canned type outdoor experiance.

i completely agree that wdfw ruin a nocturnal emission but you do realize that pheasant aren't native

[wildweeds]

Yeah non native but then neither are chukars,hunt or valley quail either. The Native birds the state did a number on before pheasants were Sage and Sharptailed grouse. As far as I'm concerned the " not native" is a chicken poop excuse for laziness. Fact of the matter is pheasant season in washington should be a month shorter and bag limit reduced to 1 per day. Takes birds to make birds. And if the bird is non native, why is a license even required? That's right......... MONEY, Midwest states know that pheasants are great for their economy which is why the birds are managed far better.

Sad,just sad that We destroy fish Wildlife have managed to miss manage yet another resource that used to be common on its own into a canned type outdoor experiance.

i completely agree that wdfw ruin a nocturnal emission but you do realize that pheasant aren't native

[boneaddict]

I thought they already released.   Well that's good, I hope a couple make it over the hill to my place.  I usually winter a couple as I leave corn and stuff up for them.   I haven't seen a single female this fall.   They need to start thinning out a few raptors if they ever want pheasants.  You know that will never happen.  And yes, better management. 

[wildweeds]

Ahhhh Raptor management, that is done in South Dakota,One farm we hunted there were rules, rules were shoot anything that kills pheasants and that included, fox,coyote, skunks, hawks and owls. I was sitting in the truck with the host one morning when he looked in the rearview, jumped out and smoked a barn owl. Ravens are bad for birds in eastern washington they love chukars. Turkeys love quail and pheasant chicks. Tuccannon area had lots of pheasants in the early 90s and not many turkeys, lots of turkeys now and very few pheasants. My freind used to be the manager at the WT Wooten in the 90s, and even though biologists say turkeys don't eat chicks, Gary saw it with his own eyes over and over at the feeders he had at the compound.

I thought they already released.   Well that's good, I hope a couple make it over the hill to my place.  I usually winter a couple as I leave corn and stuff up for them.   I haven't seen a single female this fall.   They need to start thinning out a few raptors if they ever want pheasants.  You know that will never happen.  And yes, better management.

[Hilltop123]

The change in farming practices, has not helped either.

[boneaddict]

And trapping ......or the acute lack of

[T-Bone]

Study after study after study on increasing pheasant #'s...HABITAT! Not shortening the season, not reducing the bag limits, not shooting state and federally protected raptors; many of which prey primarily on rodents (especially barn owls). Pheasants can't carryover without shelter belts and brush to protect them from the Winter weather and predators. Also, the over use of herbicides and pesticides along with cosmetic mowing and other modern "clean farming"  methods do untold damage to adult pheasants and especially young pheasants that feed on insects. That said, I have nothing against shooting coyotes and truly feral cats that hunters encounter out in the field.

Take a mid-late Winter drive through the Palouse or E.WA away from the WDFW Areas and ask yourself, "Geez if I were a pheasant...Where would I find protection, food and a safe hiding space in plowed fields covered in white?" Closing, shortening the season and reducing bag limits doesn't provide that, but those non-solutions cost nothing to WDFW or farmers; so despite studies showing ZERO benefit; folks keep insisting in mentioning them and stupidly stocking pen raised birds on the plowed fields to feed the coyotes.

[metlhead]

I can agree with the habitat issue in some areas. The topic speaks of Yakima. Much different issue than the Palouse. I have seen the population crash compared to the early eighties. Raptors everywhere,yet, there is still a tremendous amount of solid winter cover and available food/water on the rez. Not even seeing many hens. Quail are as thick as I remember and I believe they nest in places that many predators avoid. We can't stockpile upland birds, but as waterfowlers might say- dead hens don't lay eggs.

[Hilltop123]

Study after study after study on increasing pheasant #'s...HABITAT! Not shortening the season, not reducing the bag limits, not shooting state and federally protected raptors; many of which prey primarily on rodents (especially barn owls). Pheasants can't carryover without shelter belts and brush to protect them from the Winter weather and predators. Also, the over use of herbicides and pesticides along with cosmetic mowing and other modern "clean farming"  methods do untold damage to adult pheasants and especially young pheasants that feed on insects. That said, I have nothing against shooting coyotes and truly feral cats that hunters encounter out in the field.

Take a mid-late Winter drive through the Palouse or E.WA away from the WDFW Areas and ask yourself, "Geez if I were a pheasant...Where would I find protection, food and a safe hiding space in plowed fields covered in white?" Closing, shortening the season and reducing bag limits doesn't provide that, but those non-solutions cost nothing to WDFW or farmers; so despite studies showing ZERO benefit; folks keep insisting in mentioning them and stupidly stocking pen raised birds on the plowed fields to feed the coyotes.

This is directly connected to the farming practices of today. IMHO

[JLS]

Study after study after study on increasing pheasant #'s...HABITAT! Not shortening the season, not reducing the bag limits, not shooting state and federally protected raptors; many of which prey primarily on rodents (especially barn owls). Pheasants can't carryover without shelter belts and brush to protect them from the Winter weather and predators. Also, the over use of herbicides and pesticides along with cosmetic mowing and other modern "clean farming"  methods do untold damage to adult pheasants and especially young pheasants that feed on insects. That said, I have nothing against shooting coyotes and truly feral cats that hunters encounter out in the field.

Take a mid-late Winter drive through the Palouse or E.WA away from the WDFW Areas and ask yourself, "Geez if I were a pheasant...Where would I find protection, food and a safe hiding space in plowed fields covered in white?" Closing, shortening the season and reducing bag limits doesn't provide that, but those non-solutions cost nothing to WDFW or farmers; so despite studies showing ZERO benefit; folks keep insisting in mentioning them and stupidly stocking pen raised birds on the plowed fields to feed the coyotes.

Well said.

You can't stockpile upland birds.  You have to provide with good habitat that provides nesting cover, aerial cover, forbes and insects that are critical to chick survival, and so on.

I don't care if you shoot every hawk and owl you see, it's a temporary fix as well as illegal.

When you look at how farming practices have changed over the last 25 years, it's pretty easy to see why upland bird numbers are a shadow of what they used to be.

Pheasants can utilize the thick cover just as well as quail can, so obviously something in the habitat has changed that favors one over the other.

[Wacenturion]

Study after study after study on increasing pheasant #'s...HABITAT! Not shortening the season, not reducing the bag limits, not shooting state and federally protected raptors; many of which prey primarily on rodents (especially barn owls). Pheasants can't carryover without shelter belts and brush to protect them from the Winter weather and predators. Also, the over use of herbicides and pesticides along with cosmetic mowing and other modern "clean farming"  methods do untold damage to adult pheasants and especially young pheasants that feed on insects. That said, I have nothing against shooting coyotes and truly feral cats that hunters encounter out in the field.

Take a mid-late Winter drive through the Palouse or E.WA away from the WDFW Areas and ask yourself, "Geez if I were a pheasant...Where would I find protection, food and a safe hiding space in plowed fields covered in white?" Closing, shortening the season and reducing bag limits doesn't provide that, but those non-solutions cost nothing to WDFW or farmers; so despite studies showing ZERO benefit; folks keep insisting in mentioning them and stupidly stocking pen raised birds on the plowed fields to feed the coyotes.

Absolutely right on.  All those other things people allude to really have little impact on pheasant populations when the correct habitat is in place.