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Q:
In the Northeast, state budgets are calling for cuts in wildlife management programs. What's your opinion on pheasant stocking programs? Should they remain or be ditched?
Question by BioGuy. Uploaded on June 30, 2010
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Answers (27)
I'm all for the pheasant stocking programs.Here in Idaho they bring alot of $$$ to the F\G.And give a great oppertunity for young hunters to get a chance to hunt ringnecks,when access is hard to find.And the raptors are happy as hoggs.
I'm talking about the northeast where suitable pheasant habitat is rare. It's one thing to stock pheasants where good habitat exists...its another to throw pheasants into marginally suitable habitats. For the folks commenting from out west...take that into account.
If the interest is there, shouldn't be to much of a problem to get the voters involved!
In KY the budget for fish and wildlife is provided by hunters an fisherman, alone. While this can leave the agencies short handed, the sqeacky wheel gets the grease. If hunters are not buying pheasant stamps or putting a voice in Frankfort, it may as well be forgotten. While I am a huge supporter of recent elk restoration efforts, if you are only poaching whitetail, have at'r, no one will bother. In essence, I understand and you need to get a group together to let your state congress know how you feel.
Thats tough not just from the stand point of money when you put an animal habitat in and animals have a hard time surviving in it may just not be meant to be. I would say if a the percentage of loss does not appear to be slowing don't press on and make other programs or animals struggle. Mite be tough because of the tradition involved and the popularity of the animal.
Its not so mutch what we think! but what are you gona do and the hunters in your local will do?
C~FL
BioGuy, the point raised about introducing imports to marginal habitat at the State's expense is a valid one. It matters not, which state you're in...if WMP have discerned habitat as marginal and therefore not suitable for such programs, then heads will roll. Is it right or just? That is not the question...the bottom line is.
In Maine the pheasant stocking program is a complete disaster. Birds that won't fly or can't, ground shooting clustered birds, limited land that they are released on and advanced notice when and where the birds are to be released. Many time a flushing dog will catch the pen raised birds. Not sporting and not enjoyable for a sportsman. For whatever reason pheasants can't survive in Maine. We have no native birds.
Great question! I grew up hunting released pheasants in western Washington and it was a very rich and important time in my life and in my development as a hunter. They were released into logging clear-cuts not with the idea of sustaining a population, but for providing a safe hunt. Most of the pheasants were quite sporting even if out of their traditional habitat, and we would occasionally get a grouse or few ducks on the same day. Released pheasants are a great way to introduce new and young hunters to our sport; much easier than say grouse and woodcock. Since most of our funding comes from license fees, we need to be mindful of this and keep developing new hunters.
The money question: If, in the northeast, I am forced to choose between pheasant release programs or preserving grouse and woodcock habitat I would pick the native species. But, I would like to see the pheasant stocking programs continue if at all possible for the above stated reasons.
There are still a few areas in New York where pheasants should be able to make it, like the Finger Lakes and the St Lawrence or Champlain valleys, if we could change our farming practices.
Skip it. Used to live in NY. Waste of time. You don't see many of the stocked pheasants. The habitat isn't there and the dumb things just get hawked and 'yote'd.
Libertyfirst hit a lot of the issues I have with pheasant programs, and bberg7794 brings up a few good point for keeping the programs. The main issue I have with it is the money. On average, it costs about $10+ to raise 1 bird...so lets do some math.
If the agency spends $10/bird and raises 10,000 birds, that's $100,000 dollars spent on rearing pheasants. The money comes from hunting license sales, of which most hunters do not hunt pheasants, yet pheasant rearing is among one of the most expensive programs in wildlife agencies in the Northeast. Not only that, but so few birds, spread throughout a state does not really equate to great hunting opportunities, especially when the birds are dumb, pen-raised birds and extremely vulnerable to predation.
Personally, I would much rather see that kind of money spent on habitat protection and creation for native game birds, such as grouse and woodcock. Instead what I find is that a fox, raccoon, coyote, bobcat, raptor, or any other predator has eaten a portion of my hunting license expense each year.
Does that mean I want to see the pheasant program scrapped? No. But it would be nice if people who wanted to hunt pheasants paid the bill exclusively, rather than piggy backing off other hunters. I would think that a $10-20 pheasant stamp would be an acceptable method of accomplishing such a task. The question then becomes, "Would pheasant hunters front the bill?"
Pheasant stamp for New York? Why not. Maybe excepting the special youth hunting days?
Washington State paid for it's pheasant stocking program with an upland bird stamp too.
For those programs to work there has to be good pheasant hunting. There ain't in NY.
Lol...don't get me started with all the problems NY has with its wildlife management programs :-).
BioGuy say what you mean, I left NY 35 years a go it s##k then and now!
I wish I used to live in NY. There is some really good hunting even on state lands in the northern zone where I live now but pheasants aren't part of it. Great fishing too except for the health concerns. Wildlife management is only the beginning of New York's problems but I try to stay out of politics on the web.
No sense in stocking where they don't flourish.
bberg7794, where in W WN did you hunt rings? Just askin'...sounds like it was quality time for you.
My hunts were also on release sites, all in Region 4; Cherry Valley, Stillwater...out by Duvall.
Point well taken BioGuy about unsustainable covey growth in marginal habitat...that's Western Washington, for sure.
Part of the problem is, and we all know it to be true, is uplander's don't turn in their punch cards out West, so the state will not allow anything other than reported kills for re-stock. So, turn 'em in!
We do a pay to play where a special permit is required to hunt the area where the wind up chickens are released. The price of the permit pays for the cost of the pheasant release program. Wild birds can still be hunted with just a regular bird license if you can find wild birds.
I suspect that if pheasants could survive in the NE, they would already be there. They flourish in the mid-west and their range has grown into all areas that could support them. They need a lot of grain/seeds/insects for their diet. I doubt that there is enough in most of the NE states. Commercial hunting ranches that release pen raised birds are self supporting and harvest all the birds released so I don't consider them stocking programs.
25.00 w m a stocked pheasant permit here in Idaho.Its good for six birds.Two roosters a day.
John, I'm an Idaholligan, and I thought it was for 8 birds..I'm probably wrong. I like the program and participate a lot. There are a lot of old guys like me that can't walk all day, and our habitat is gone in lots of areas. The habitat is good, and the birds fly wild IMO. If they don't fly as fast getting off it is because a lot of them are very big! Problem is, the cost per bird is over $100 so the state is subsidizing a lot of it, and other recreationers complain that it should be done away with. Everything the govt does is outrageously expensive. What if they contracted out to private? The cost would be greatly reduced, but govt wants to get bigger, and there are kooks that think they should!! Opening day is well attended, and then I've hunted lots of big areas, and saw very few hunters.
I like it so well, I've thought about donating $1,000 to raising birds, if they would go just to raising birds, but I'd probably be paying for another govt employee.
Whooops, I have to back off my math. After reading another post, it was the cost for the 6 birds that equalled over $100 according to the Fish and Game, and the tag cost $25. They must be figuring everything like including the cost of the gas, and labor time to travel and plant the birds.
They should stay, otherwise what would we shoot when we go phesant hunting?
Countitandone-The Washington game department used to release pheasants in Skagit County into clear cuts near Lake Sixteen and Lake McMurray, which is where I grew up. I'm not sure if they release into clear cuts anymore. I also used to hunt a lot on Fir Island, where they also released birds, and probably still do. This was in the 80's and I haven't lived in Washington since 1996. As you know, the best pheasant hunting is on the east side. Best of luck in WA.
I think that they should remain because you never see that many pheasants around.
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I'm talking about the northeast where suitable pheasant habitat is rare. It's one thing to stock pheasants where good habitat exists...its another to throw pheasants into marginally suitable habitats. For the folks commenting from out west...take that into account.
If the interest is there, shouldn't be to much of a problem to get the voters involved!
In Maine the pheasant stocking program is a complete disaster. Birds that won't fly or can't, ground shooting clustered birds, limited land that they are released on and advanced notice when and where the birds are to be released. Many time a flushing dog will catch the pen raised birds. Not sporting and not enjoyable for a sportsman. For whatever reason pheasants can't survive in Maine. We have no native birds.
Great question! I grew up hunting released pheasants in western Washington and it was a very rich and important time in my life and in my development as a hunter. They were released into logging clear-cuts not with the idea of sustaining a population, but for providing a safe hunt. Most of the pheasants were quite sporting even if out of their traditional habitat, and we would occasionally get a grouse or few ducks on the same day. Released pheasants are a great way to introduce new and young hunters to our sport; much easier than say grouse and woodcock. Since most of our funding comes from license fees, we need to be mindful of this and keep developing new hunters.
The money question: If, in the northeast, I am forced to choose between pheasant release programs or preserving grouse and woodcock habitat I would pick the native species. But, I would like to see the pheasant stocking programs continue if at all possible for the above stated reasons.
There are still a few areas in New York where pheasants should be able to make it, like the Finger Lakes and the St Lawrence or Champlain valleys, if we could change our farming practices.
I wish I used to live in NY. There is some really good hunting even on state lands in the northern zone where I live now but pheasants aren't part of it. Great fishing too except for the health concerns. Wildlife management is only the beginning of New York's problems but I try to stay out of politics on the web.
I'm all for the pheasant stocking programs.Here in Idaho they bring alot of $$$ to the F\G.And give a great oppertunity for young hunters to get a chance to hunt ringnecks,when access is hard to find.And the raptors are happy as hoggs.
Thats tough not just from the stand point of money when you put an animal habitat in and animals have a hard time surviving in it may just not be meant to be. I would say if a the percentage of loss does not appear to be slowing don't press on and make other programs or animals struggle. Mite be tough because of the tradition involved and the popularity of the animal.
Its not so mutch what we think! but what are you gona do and the hunters in your local will do?
C~FL
Skip it. Used to live in NY. Waste of time. You don't see many of the stocked pheasants. The habitat isn't there and the dumb things just get hawked and 'yote'd.
Libertyfirst hit a lot of the issues I have with pheasant programs, and bberg7794 brings up a few good point for keeping the programs. The main issue I have with it is the money. On average, it costs about $10+ to raise 1 bird...so lets do some math.
If the agency spends $10/bird and raises 10,000 birds, that's $100,000 dollars spent on rearing pheasants. The money comes from hunting license sales, of which most hunters do not hunt pheasants, yet pheasant rearing is among one of the most expensive programs in wildlife agencies in the Northeast. Not only that, but so few birds, spread throughout a state does not really equate to great hunting opportunities, especially when the birds are dumb, pen-raised birds and extremely vulnerable to predation.
Personally, I would much rather see that kind of money spent on habitat protection and creation for native game birds, such as grouse and woodcock. Instead what I find is that a fox, raccoon, coyote, bobcat, raptor, or any other predator has eaten a portion of my hunting license expense each year.
Does that mean I want to see the pheasant program scrapped? No. But it would be nice if people who wanted to hunt pheasants paid the bill exclusively, rather than piggy backing off other hunters. I would think that a $10-20 pheasant stamp would be an acceptable method of accomplishing such a task. The question then becomes, "Would pheasant hunters front the bill?"
Pheasant stamp for New York? Why not. Maybe excepting the special youth hunting days?
Lol...don't get me started with all the problems NY has with its wildlife management programs :-).
BioGuy say what you mean, I left NY 35 years a go it s##k then and now!
In KY the budget for fish and wildlife is provided by hunters an fisherman, alone. While this can leave the agencies short handed, the sqeacky wheel gets the grease. If hunters are not buying pheasant stamps or putting a voice in Frankfort, it may as well be forgotten. While I am a huge supporter of recent elk restoration efforts, if you are only poaching whitetail, have at'r, no one will bother. In essence, I understand and you need to get a group together to let your state congress know how you feel.
BioGuy, the point raised about introducing imports to marginal habitat at the State's expense is a valid one. It matters not, which state you're in...if WMP have discerned habitat as marginal and therefore not suitable for such programs, then heads will roll. Is it right or just? That is not the question...the bottom line is.
Washington State paid for it's pheasant stocking program with an upland bird stamp too.
For those programs to work there has to be good pheasant hunting. There ain't in NY.
No sense in stocking where they don't flourish.
bberg7794, where in W WN did you hunt rings? Just askin'...sounds like it was quality time for you.
My hunts were also on release sites, all in Region 4; Cherry Valley, Stillwater...out by Duvall.
Point well taken BioGuy about unsustainable covey growth in marginal habitat...that's Western Washington, for sure.
Part of the problem is, and we all know it to be true, is uplander's don't turn in their punch cards out West, so the state will not allow anything other than reported kills for re-stock. So, turn 'em in!
I suspect that if pheasants could survive in the NE, they would already be there. They flourish in the mid-west and their range has grown into all areas that could support them. They need a lot of grain/seeds/insects for their diet. I doubt that there is enough in most of the NE states. Commercial hunting ranches that release pen raised birds are self supporting and harvest all the birds released so I don't consider them stocking programs.
Whooops, I have to back off my math. After reading another post, it was the cost for the 6 birds that equalled over $100 according to the Fish and Game, and the tag cost $25. They must be figuring everything like including the cost of the gas, and labor time to travel and plant the birds.
We do a pay to play where a special permit is required to hunt the area where the wind up chickens are released. The price of the permit pays for the cost of the pheasant release program. Wild birds can still be hunted with just a regular bird license if you can find wild birds.
25.00 w m a stocked pheasant permit here in Idaho.Its good for six birds.Two roosters a day.
John, I'm an Idaholligan, and I thought it was for 8 birds..I'm probably wrong. I like the program and participate a lot. There are a lot of old guys like me that can't walk all day, and our habitat is gone in lots of areas. The habitat is good, and the birds fly wild IMO. If they don't fly as fast getting off it is because a lot of them are very big! Problem is, the cost per bird is over $100 so the state is subsidizing a lot of it, and other recreationers complain that it should be done away with. Everything the govt does is outrageously expensive. What if they contracted out to private? The cost would be greatly reduced, but govt wants to get bigger, and there are kooks that think they should!! Opening day is well attended, and then I've hunted lots of big areas, and saw very few hunters.
I like it so well, I've thought about donating $1,000 to raising birds, if they would go just to raising birds, but I'd probably be paying for another govt employee.
They should stay, otherwise what would we shoot when we go phesant hunting?
Countitandone-The Washington game department used to release pheasants in Skagit County into clear cuts near Lake Sixteen and Lake McMurray, which is where I grew up. I'm not sure if they release into clear cuts anymore. I also used to hunt a lot on Fir Island, where they also released birds, and probably still do. This was in the 80's and I haven't lived in Washington since 1996. As you know, the best pheasant hunting is on the east side. Best of luck in WA.
I think that they should remain because you never see that many pheasants around.
Post an Answer