[birdman]

Pheasant Facts to Fight the Fever

Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson

Wherever you might be at dawn during opening weekend- stomping a cattail slough, working the grassy edge of a cut wheat field, or sleeping soundly in bed - here are a few fun facts about the bird that drives me, and many other hunters, mad at this time of year.

- On flat ground, a pheasant can run at speeds of eight to ten miles per hour. Once in the air, the birds can attain speeds of 45 miles per hour.


- The ringneck pheasant is not native to either North Dakota or the United States. The first several hundred birds were brought over from China to the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1881.

- Removal of up to 90% of the roosters in a population of pheasants produces no significant reduction in offspring the next year.

- Pheasants are a polygamous species. The average rooster will have a harem of three to seven hens, and is capable of fertilizing several dozen hens in a mating season without loss of fertility. (Take that Viagra!)

There are several rare mutations in pheasants that will cause them to be mottled or completely black, or on the other hand, albino. The odds of seeing or even shooting such an oddly colored bird are extremely poor.

- Phasianus colchicus torquatus is the Latin name for the ringneck pheasant. Phasianus was the name of a river in Europe where great numbers of pheasants lived, and lends itself to the modern English name for the bird. Colchicus was the latin name of the area surrounding the river. Torquatus, loosely translated from latin, means "adorned with a collar."

- A hen ringneck can lay up to four clutches of eggs over a summer, but will only hatch one set of young each year. The primary goal of the hen is to produce young from the eggs. She will only lay new eggs if the first set was destroyed. Hens do not produce two sets of young. If juvenile pheasants seem small late in the summer, it is because they were a late hatch, and not a second set of young birds.

- The ringneck pheasant is the official state bird of South Dakota.

- Pheasant chick diets consist of such [COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]delicacies[/color][/color] as spiders, slugs and beetles. Later in the season, as fall approaches, young pheasants turn to grains like corn and wheat, as well as soybeans for nutrition.

- In 2002, the average upland game hunter spent over $720 dollars pursuing pheasants in North Dakota.

- The primary range of ringneck pheasants in North Dakota has nearly doubled in size in the last decade thanks to improved cover through the Conservation Reserve Program, several years of mild winters and stocking efforts by sportsman groups.

- Nationally, the years of 1941 through 1945 boasted the largest pheasant populations of all time, due primarily to the lack of men hunting during World War II. Shortly after the war, the populations were put back in check by hunters returning home from overseas.

- Pheasants Forever is a group of 100,000 hunters and conservationists dedicated to preserving the habitat of ringneck pheasants. There are 600 chapters throughout the United States and Canada that devote thousands of hours to promote the heritage of pheasant hunting.

- 2006 pheasant counts have been tremendous, and another good year awaits hunters over much of North Dakota. The difficult winter of 1996-1997 and the subsequent floods of that spring cut the state's ringneck population significantly.

- The current daily limit for roosters in North Dakota is three. There have been times in the past two decades where the bag limit has been two. This number is adjusted by the Game and Fish Department as they see fit in accordance with surveys.

- Pheasant season is the latest-opening game bird season in North Dakota. The reason for this is so that young pheasants have time to grow into their adult plumage. This further helps hunters distinguish between the males and females of the species, as only roosters may be shot.

Using these facts, you can fight pheasant fever off for just a few more days until the crisp fall morning air and the crow of a flushing rooster let you know its time to take aim at the wiliest bird found...in our outdoors.

Article Found at: Pheasant Facts to Fight the Fever

[oudave]

i guess you did not go opening weekend birds were doing about 60mph but the wind was about 55mph

[dogman]

Just a little update, I had a chance to be out in the country around Liberal night before last and the pheasants were EVERYWHERE! There's been a tremendous carryover from last year and with a little bit of favorable weather to help with the hatch we could be looking at another great season. Oh yes I spoke with one of my landowners over in Stevens county and he said we never made a dent in his pheasants this hunting season. and we shot a lot of limits on his ground.

[oucorry]

That is good news Dogman. I can't wait for next season. There were alot of birds around the Hooker area also. Which is not too terribly far from Liberal.

[birdman]

Let's keep our fingers crossed for much needed moisture during the hatch. The bird population seems to be about the best I can remember in recent years, but future populations rely heavily on hatch success from year to year. This area's population exploded in about a four to five year time frame as conditions were excellent.

[oudave]

man that one guy had all over his front yard .every time we went by we saw birds

[dogman]

Just spoke with a farmer from Stevens Co. He said the pheasants were so thick that they were eating his newly drilled corn right out of the ground. Said he had already lost a couple of acres. I had a landowner tell me last year he lost 35-40 acres of newly drilled corn to those pesky pheasants!!!!

[oucorry]

I know just the people to call to get rid of those pesky critters

[birdman]

I like the sounds of that!! Now just cross your fingers for a good rainy spring to aid in the hatch. The only thing better than pesky pheasants is more of em' .....

[dogman]

More good news!! We received huge rains last Mon, nite anywhere from 2-4 inches. It rained hard but no wind or hail and we are receiving rain again today. This is great it will provide good humdity for incubation, good cover, and will be a real shot for the wheat