Pheas Hatch & Brood Size

[tweedlap]

Please share your sightings. Two more weeks of temps in the 80's and we will be off to a super start.

Thanks guys.

tweed

[buckpredator]

Well, this isn't exactly the way I want to see them, but here it goes anyway. Tonight I was helping the old man on the farm and we sat down to have a beer in the yard overlooking a meadow. All of a sudden we see this hen phesant jumping in the tall grass for a couple minutes and then she took off. We then see a coyote in the area the hen was in so I took off yelling to chase the coyote away. When I got to spot where the action took place a little one was dead and two more little ones were scurrying in the weeds. I quickly left the area and soon the hen returned to gather what was left. I hope there was more than just the three little ones I saw. It didn't look like the coyote had any when he took off, but either way one died anyway. They appeared to be just hatched within the last couple days.

[picksbigwagon]

I am surprised your dad didn't have a rifle somewhere behind the kitchen door. Most farms I have been on always seem to have something loaded behind the kitchen door. Next time, have one handy........

[buckpredator]

There is one in the barn. He got three yotes this winter when he stuck his head outside and seen one on different occasions.

[picksbigwagon]

a couple buddies and I have been looking for land to Coyote hunt on, would your dad be interested in allowing us access? If so, email me at [email protected]

we use no traps, only hand calls and electronic calls. we are located in Prior Lake and Savage.

[bluehat28]

I saw the coolest thing today,(Ilive in Sartell MN.)I heard a rooster pheasant clucking like he was mad.When I looked out I saw him harassing the neighborhood cat.WOW what a fight he was not afraid of the cat and came out of the tall grass to challenge it many times.After about 10 minutes and many good spur hits the cat gave up and headed for home. I hope this was not retaliation for chick loss.Oh for a video camera.

[BLACKJACK]

If you saw a pheasant battling a cat, why didn't you get your shotgun out and help turn that ditch kitty into a GOOD (dead) ditch kitty???! Or if you live in town, get yourself a live trap. Fish carcasses work good, then when you get one, go give him a swimming lesson - still in the trap, of course! They fail every time. Free roaming cats are bird killers!!!!

[Quackaddict9]

Quote:

---

If you saw a pheasant battling a cat, why didn't you get your shotgun out and help turn that ditch kitty into a GOOD (dead) ditch kitty???! Or if you live in town, get yourself a live trap. Fish carcasses work good, then when you get one, go give him a swimming lesson - still in the trap, of course! They fail every time. Free roaming cats are bird killers!!!!

---

dogs do the same thing. I guess I should shoot a pretty black lab next time it tries to catch a duckling in the swamp.

[BLACKJACK]

Saw my first batch of young pheasants this morning, 12 of them!! They were along a gravel road getting some grit and early morning rays. One plus of the dry weather we've had lately is that it should really help the duck and pheasant hatches!!

[BLACKJACK]

quacker, you're obviously a cat lover, and you know what, I like cats too, but they're subsidized killers of birds and rodents, especially young ones. They get fed catfood and then they go out and hunt for recreation. And theres a lot of difference between free roaming cats and dogs. But dogs can also be shot at certain times of the year if you catch them chasing deer. If dogs do run, they're generally inept at catching wild game, they're into the chase. Cats on the other hand are sneaky enough and patient enough to become effiecient killers.

Fifteen years ago when I bought my first place in the country, I thought I needed a cat "to keep the rodents down". As I said, I like cats, this one would purr when you petted it, but I also watched the carnage it wrecked on the local critters. It would bring three or four gophers/mice a day, torture them awhile by letting them go and recatching them, when it was dead the cat would go catch another one. Very seldom did it eat them. When young grackles and robins were fledging, they got piled up on the step. Even a young cardinal one time. A bell didn't help, its method of hunting was generally sit and wait anyway, by the time the prey heard the bell, it was too late. When it didn't come home one day, I didn't replace it. That was just one cat, just think of the damage that a whole bunch of free roaming cats can do??! At least foxes, mink, coyotes, even hawks just kill what they need to survive, not cats, they do it for sport. Does it make sense to create habitat for pheasants and ducks and other birds, and then let cats, even nice friendly pets, roam around and kill them?

[Quackaddict9]

Blackjack, I wasnt sure if I was being serious or sarcastic in my previous post. I dont think I read your whole post, so I'm not sure if it was referring to my post? I'll read it after I post this.

Hey! no I dont love cats, but I do love dogs though

[monstermoose78]

I use 1-10s for cats to small to kill any real dog, but its more then big enough to take any big ol tom cat that finds the can of cat food inside. I like cats but only if they are kept in the house at all times. I found whole broods of pheasants dead and not eaten so no cat is safe near my house.

[tweedlap]

Talked to a farmer near Minneota who saw a hen with five chicks on 6/6.

Eightys and nineties this week should be awesome hatching weather.

tweed

[CaptainMusky]

Farm cats are known to be the #1 predator to pheasants. Most farms have many cats and they are very destructive. I hate cats. Talk about wanton waste, when they kill something and then don't even eat it.

[art]

no one knows the exact numbers but most studies will admit that feral and outdoor cats kill birds in the 100 millions and over 1 billion rodents such as rabbits, chipmunks and others. They also compete with native wildlife for these food sources. Cats belong indoors, spayed/neutered.

[LuciandTim]

Maybe you guys should go and find a cat forum, or better yet a thread about cats. Last time I checked this thread was titled "Pheasant Hatch & Brood Size"

Anyways...A buddy of mine reported that he has chicks all over his yard!! This is near Montevideo. Said he has never seen this or the number of chicks he has seen this year in the last week. Unreal....as he put it

[BLACKJACK]

Quote:

---

Maybe you guys should go and find a cat forum, or better yet a thread about cats. Last time I checked this thread was titled "Pheasant Hatch & Brood Size"

Anyways...A buddy of mine reported that he has chicks all over his yard!! This is near Montevideo. Said he has never seen this or the number of chicks he has seen this year in the last week. Unreal....as he put it

---

Hopefully all those pheasant chicks can stay away from the cats running around!!

[CaptainMusky]

Do you want to scold the others for talking about Coyotes too? Just curious, as you said it, this post was about Pheas Hatch & Brood Size.

[First Ice-Mike]

My dad saw a couple broods in the Alberta area - only 2 or 3 chics in both - hopefully this is not a sign of the overall hatch

FI

[tweedlap]

This is an exciting time! Let's get some reports coming in.

Tunerville, SD (East of Watertown) 1 hen 8 chicks.

tweed

[CaptainMusky]

Unfortunately where I live I do not see to many broods. I have seen two dead hens along one short stretch of road near my house. A couple roosters as well, but no broods yet.

[MINNKOTA]

It's going to be a good year in North Dakota

Minnkota

[CodyDawg]

Talked to a neighbor who saw 2 hens with a "whole passel of chicks". Now I can't say as I know the definition of "passel", but that sounds pretty dadgum good to me!

[lawdog]

I'm really wondering what's going on around here. I have yet to see a single brood, but I'm seeing adult roosters very regularly. Thinking we must be late for some reason???

[CAJ]

Have been seeimg some broods here already. We should have a bumper year again. CAJ

[lawdog]

Real heavy rains in our area the last few days. Hope we aren't getting anything flooded out!

[tweedlap]

Webster, SD

I talked to a farmer today, Friday, who was spraying thistles. He said he saw a lot of young birds ranging from

a couple of days old to almost three weeks.

From what he saw: about 50% of the hens are still sitting on eggs.

He would stop and shut his sprayer off whenever he would flush a hen or saw little ones.

This explains why not too many people have been seeing broods,yet.

I, also, talked to a farmer in SW Minnesota who said he was seeing good numbers and finished by saying " you better be ready to hunt this fall!"

Everything seem to be falling in place for great hunting this season.

tweed

[HC Eye Hunter]

I talked to a buddy of mine who is a farmer. He was cutting hay the other day and as he was putting down the alfalfa the chicks would come out and the gulls were cleaning house. He said they were getting chowed as fast as they would come out of the cover.

I have seen this first hand and those gulls can be mean SOB's and tear apart the chicks.

There are alot of hurdles for the chicks to get over before we have a shot at them.

[Fish'n guy]

BLACKJACK, I agree 100% with ya.

I have been seeing more and more broads of younger(1 week or less) pheasants around. I even kicked up a nice Hun the other day. That was sure encouraging.

I am thinking that for all of us rooster chasers out there we are going to have a lot of fun this fall !!

[raymondk]

I went for a drive to mankato I seen 5 broods some were the same size as the hen others looked like they hatched a couple of weeks ago . This is the most birds i seen for a long time a brood every 5 miles I had the dog along so both of us can't wait.