pheasants 2011

[shootem]

Anybody have an idea how the pheasant hatch went this year? I've seen plenty of quail but not many pheasants.

[Rhinoron247]

The visual counts are way down on the Yakima Rez.

[BIGINNER]

i have barely seen any pheasant this year too.    even in places where usuallu i see tons of them on any given day.  lots of quails and chukar though.  lats weekend i saw about 150-200 chukar  and i was in the chukar area for only anout 2 hours.

[gunnarnewt]

    At least around here, the wet spring really hammered 'em. 

[Sumpnneedskillin]

There hasn't been much of a hatch of anything around here.  Recently have seen a few clutches of very young quail.  But not many.  I tried calling for permission to hunt some new property and the guy said he wasn't granting permission because of the bad hatch.

The pheasant numbers here are down too.  Have not seen many at all.  There were places where we routinely saw several roosters and a bunches of hens, now we're seeing nothing.

[CamoDup]

down around here too.... I have only seen 4 this year (all roosters) in the places I usually hunt.  Quail numbers look good though. I have seen a bunch of them.  Ill find some more this fall though and let you know   

[Gringo31]

This year seems to be one of the best pheasant years I've seen... 

[bobcat]

Every year it is the same story, pheasant numbers are down. Wild pheasants have been mis-managed to the point that we have pathetic wild pheasant populations in this state. Given the economic realities I don't see it ever coming back here either.

If you're talking about the Moses Lake area, I'm not sure what type of "management" would help the pheasant numbers. There's just a lack of quality pheasant habitat, due to private farm lands leaving no cover for the birds. There are no fencelines and very few wet areas that don't get mowed/plowed, and every year they burn the ditches, leaving nowhere for the birds to hide. There is the public land around Potholes with plenty of good cover but a lack of food. Just my opinion, I dont think it's management at all, but lack of habitat that is to blame. I do agree that pheasant numbers will never be what they used to be, at least not in central Washington.

[T-Bone]

Actually, I think the season could be better than just "OK". I saw more clutches of young pheasants and Huns than I've seen in years on my back road trips to my trout lakes. Last year, the prediction was all "Doom & Gloom" and I did fine on pheasants and very well on quail.
Get out and scout; you might be surpised. 

[jetjockey]

Every year it is the same story, pheasant numbers are down. Wild pheasants have been mis-managed to the point that we have pathetic wild pheasant populations in this state. Given the economic realities I don't see it ever coming back here either.

If you're talking about the Moses Lake area, I'm not sure what type of "management" would help the pheasant numbers. There's just a lack of quality pheasant habitat, due to private farm lands leaving no cover for the birds. There are no fencelines and very few wet areas that don't get mowed/plowed, and every year they burn the ditches, leaving nowhere for the birds to hide. There is the public land around Potholes with plenty of good cover but a lack of food. Just my opinion, I dont think it's management at all, but lack of habitat that is to blame. I do agree that pheasant numbers will never be what they used to be, at least not in central Washington.

What your talking about is management.  I just got back from SD and you should see what the farmers do to manage their pheasants.  The farmers out there have learned that selling pheasant hunts can be as profitable, or more profitable then farming.  They manage their land to have good habitat and food.  That in turn gives birds good roosting areas and areas to get out of the weather during rough winters and wet springs.  Its too bad WA farmers haven't learned the same thing.

[bobcat]

What your talking about is management.  I just got back from SD and you should see what the farmers do to manage their pheasants.  The farmers out there have learned that selling pheasant hunts can be as profitable, or more profitable then farming.  They manage their land to have good habitat and food.  That in turn gives birds good roosting areas and areas to get out of the weather during rough winters and wet springs.  Its too bad WA farmers haven't learned the same thing.

Right- but the "management" has to be done by the private land owners. I don't think there's as much money in pheasants as there is in farming, in this state. That's why they don't manage their land for wildlife.

[whitey]

Pheasants forever came out with the outlook and they said the season will be lower than last year.

Here is the artical.

http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/2011waforecast.jsp