Pheasants in your area
#6168828
02/24/18 04:40 PM
02/24/18 04:40 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 579 Iowa
beeman
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 579
Iowa
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I posted this on Iowa Trapper Talk and now here. What are your thoughts.
In NW Iowa we had good nesting weather last spring and we saw good numbers of pheasant brood. Then when hunting season got here I rarely saw a rooster or hen. My friend talked with a Conservation officer that confirmed what I just said. He could only say he did not know where the birds had gone.
I can only speculate but could all the aphid spraying that farmers do in the corn and bean fields have anything to do with this. I also do not see the number of small birds at my bird feeders that I used to see.
I had a friend of my sons say to me how all the spraying the farmers are doing has cut down on the number of mosquitoes we have. He worked for a farm chemical company.
I do know that the chemical companies suggest that no one enter theses sprayed fields for a week after spraying. My acreage had aphid spray drift onto it from a field sprayed a couple of years ago. I was told to not eat any of my garden produce by both chemical company and state investigator.
I understand that aphids hurt the yields of beans and corn but these chemicals also kill crickets, grasshoppers, butterflies, and other foods of birds.
We need to have someone such as ISU investigate to see what these chemicals are doing to the birds and people of our state.
Anybody else notice the same as I have?
Last edited by beeman; 02/24/18 04:40 PM.
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: foxhunter52]
#6168871
02/24/18 05:40 PM
02/24/18 05:40 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,899 American In the Pyrenees; Fran...
swift4me
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,899
American In the Pyrenees; Fran...
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When I started hunting in the 70's the central valley of California was a pheasant paradise. Not like Kansas, Nebraska or the Dakotas, but it was very good with a 4 bird limit and plenty of roosters for somebody who knew how to hunt. Mostly rice but lots of sugar beets and a fair bit of corn and set aside ground. Ever since it has gone downhill.
I have a good friend who has farmed 1300 acres of ground for 50 years, (rice and walnuts), who is an avid pheasant hunter and even with 200 acres of refuge ground manicured to raise pheasants he can't improve the numbers on his place. He's lucky to kill 4 birds a season, and back in the day they'd kill 20-30 birds a weekend with friends all season long.
Pesticides, West Nile, too many raptors, etc. Not a good trend.
Pete
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6168885
02/24/18 05:53 PM
02/24/18 05:53 PM
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 1,087 Wright county, Minnesota
Birch Tree
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 1,087
Wright county, Minnesota
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I saw more pheasants this year than I have in many many years here, granted even in a down year I walk up pheasants on public grounds without a dog, this year I was flushing pairs and triples and even had a dozen go up one time while walking to my canine sets. I could have limited almost every time if I was carrying a shotgun.
Mark Skokan, Buffalo MN.
MTA and NTA Member.
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6168894
02/24/18 06:00 PM
02/24/18 06:00 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,182 Idaville, Indiana
MB750
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,182
Idaville, Indiana
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Just about any pheasant you see around here are released birds. Our quail disappeared in the 70's & never have recovered. Wild pheasants were hit almost as bad. I have a couple of friends who buy a few every year, pheasants mostly, to release on their farms. A lot of our problem is there are no fencerows or small woodlots left for them to nest in. The coyote & coon numbers have been high, so nesting hens are hit hard. Throw that in with chisel plowing as soon as the crop is out & Lord knows what damage spraying might be causing, as nobody cultivates crops anymore.
For years I have been tomstrap, now I must change because of the whims of the cyber world. NRA Life, ISTA Life, FTA Life, NTA Life
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6168957
02/24/18 07:10 PM
02/24/18 07:10 PM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,366 MT
snowy
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,366
MT
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I see down years then years where the numbers are up. I don't know if spraying is killing them or not. I would say in my area more are taken from their natural prey. Eagles and hawks are all over they get a lot of them.
Today I sent the day at the ranch and I would guess I seen 60 to 80 roosters and not many hens. It isn't unusual to see a few hundred when drive in and taking a walk. There is a lot of birds around this winter. I have been getting some grain and spread a few bags on a ridge and they have been enjoying the little extra help this winter.
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6169187
02/24/18 10:51 PM
02/24/18 10:51 PM
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Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,223 Kansas
Pawnee
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,223
Kansas
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I’m a pheasant hunter, pheasant guide, and farmer. I love bird hunting as much as I love trapping. I spray about 25,000 acres per year, and have great pheasant numbers. I also take great pride in how I spray. Most insecticides that are sprayed are done late in the growing season after the chicks are 1/3 grown or bigger, and have more food sources. Insect numbers usually don’t meet spraying thresholds until crops are in the later stages. Insects are very important when the chicks are small. It’s my opinion that it has more to do with cover. Cover is the most important part of raising birds. That’s one reason why South Dakota has so may birds, lots of cattails. Farming fence row to fence row and spraying in between will limit the amount of cover, thus reducing bird numbers. In my opinion spraying gets a bad wrap. No-till farmers and minimum till farmers are trying to conserve soil moisture, limit soil erosion, and limit nitrogen runoff into streams, in the public’s eyes they are darned if they do, darned if they don’t.
Everything the left touches it destroys
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6169208
02/24/18 11:09 PM
02/24/18 11:09 PM
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Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,223 Kansas
Pawnee
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,223
Kansas
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One more comment. GMO’s also get a bad wrap. When I came back to the farm after college in 1998 we used thousands of pounds of insecticides in April while planting corn, and then thousands of pounds of insecticides for corn bore and root worm in June and July. Very bad stuff!!! One teaspoon could kill 10 head of 1000lbs cattle. I got sick many times handling it, and my dog almost died by just getting it on his paws. Since BT and rootworm GMO corn hit the market I haven’t touched the stuff and glad for it. Billions of pounds less insecticides being used because of GMO corn.
Everything the left touches it destroys
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6169230
02/24/18 11:31 PM
02/24/18 11:31 PM
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 613 Northern Missouri
Northmocats
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 613
Northern Missouri
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Yeah the Pheasant and Turkey here in North Mo. Have been on a steady decline. They keep selling those turkey tags though... They said bird disease and Bad hatches years ago.. I think the chemicals are effecting thier eggs. 15 Years ago I lived in the Best Turkey hunting country in the World with Hundreds of birds, Today not so much, but they are still here. Same with Pheasants.
Last edited by Northmocats; 02/24/18 11:32 PM.
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: beeman]
#6169237
02/24/18 11:36 PM
02/24/18 11:36 PM
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Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 148 Iowa
Hoss2018
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 148
Iowa
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Between our families land and our neighbors land located in southeast iowa we have very good pheasant habitat because we are in crp program and we have a lot of birds because of it, id say between us and the neighbors we have atleast 500 acres of crp and in southeast iowa crp in large quabtities doesnt seem that common which is why there are hardly any birds in general, but where the good cover is there are lots of birds, i dont think spraying affects them unless the birds are living in the fields because lack of cover. One thing i think greatly helps the population that we do is plant a few acres by our crp in corn/beans or milo as a foodplot, i think since we started this like 4 years ago it has increased winter survival leading to a greater population, sometimes ill jump 30 out of one of our little plots and we harvested roughly 25 roosters last season but theres plenty more around, these plots probably arent very effective if u have rediculous deer population as they will wipe it out and ruin it but our deer population gets put in check so our plots last all winter for the pheasants and other critters. Plus i trap the predators hard around are crp which also influences survival heavily i believe
Last edited by Hoss2018; 02/24/18 11:44 PM.
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Re: Pheasants in your area
[Re: TurkeyTime]
#6169250
02/24/18 11:49 PM
02/24/18 11:49 PM
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Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 148 Iowa
Hoss2018
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 148
Iowa
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I hear you NMOcats. 10 plus years ago the turkey hunting was unbelievable. I mean unbelievable. I am glad I got to hunt it. Sad for the younger folks it is gone(hopefully just for now). I was able to learn a ton by having so many birds. My dad said the numbers hed see in fields was huge years ago. Now he says he hardly sees any compared to what they used to be. Our theory is the recent spike in bobcat population is taking a toll on the turkey, some might say habitat loss but some of these areas he talks about that used to be great havent suffered from habitat loss
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