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Pheasant nests

R

RBoots

Well-known Member
We don't have many pheasants around here anymore, but we'll try to help them out if we can. We have 40 acres of field at the other farm that has been in CRP for the last 13 years. It had Indian grass on it that would grow about 7 feet tall every year, it's lain down now due to winter snow. Anyway, we got a letter a couple days ago that it wasn't accepted back into the current CRP program, so we are going to put it back into production. Dad will leave out 5 acres that he planted trees on. It is fully tiled. I was wondering how far along pheasants may be with their nesting at this time of year before we turn it over? I'd hate to destroy a pheasant nest due to the low numbers we have seen for the last 25 years. If they might still be nesting, I'll try to wait for that field last if I can. As for the turkey nests, ah well, got plenty of them, don't need any more.
Thanks

Ross
 
Sorry Ross, Michigan? In MI.We just started getting a few back last fall. As of 1 1/2-2 weeks ago they were still laying. They must be sitting by now. I sure hope this wacky whether didn't mess the eggs up. Don't know if the coyotes are what caused the population level to hit zero here or what. When we had that bad winter a few years ago I saw a rooter Pheasant trying to survive. He had hit some guys chicken flock up for a hand out. Another time I was riding with my buddy, I had picked up horse feed. I saw a rooster trying to find something to eat. I opened up a bag and tossed some out. Don't know if he came back to get it or not but I try to give them a chance to make it...MTP
 
Here in Minn they claim peak hatch is middle of June for pheasants. We have a lot of coyotes but the skunk and raccoon's are what really raise heck with the nests. No fox anymore as apparently the coyote took care of them. I always remember a lot of ruined nests during first cutting of Alfalfa which in them days was well into June. The last three years I have got rid of 16 skunks, several raccoons, some possum and couple of ground hogs out at the old farm site. No junk laying around and half mile from nearest slough.
 
I was just in the Pinconning area a couple of hours ago and saw a pheasant running along the road. Didn't know there were any in that area. Maybe escaped from captivity??
 
I hit a nest along the waterway of my hay field last year ruined the eggs may have amputated leg or legs from the hen. She did fly off. We also have had very few pheasants compared to 20 years ago. I still feel bad about ruining that nest. Won't crowd the waterway this year and hope none reside in the hayfield itself. We have several cats around our place, I worry about them as well, they spend a lot of time in the pastures and hayfields doing what they are supposed to do. We will see. gobble
 
I pulled a turkey hen into my haybine two years ago, no eggs survived. What was left of that hen after the rollers was pretty nasty.
 
Here in northwest Iowa they might not have laid eggs yet but it should be pretty soon. I have kicked a few hens out of the edge of the CRP in the past few days but they were not sitting on eggs.
 
Yep Mike, I'm in MI too. Just south of M57 and just west of 127. We only see one or two a year here, but went for many many years without seeing any at all. The last 2-3 years I have seen groups once early summer each time of approximately 10 birds. I think they are new birds and probably never make it more than a couple months after they mature. I hope if there is any in there they won't have nested yet and either move into the fencerow or into the 5 acres of grass we leave for them. The turkeys have the whole woods, hope they stay there.

Ross
 
Unfortunately I have seen some bad things like that with fawns when we used to do hay. Never a pretty sight and makes you feel bad regardless.
Ross
 
Pheasants are nesting right now around here in North-Easy Iowa. I have an area that we fenced with used chain link fence so the coyotes can't get in it easily. I have let the grass grow tall and leave it alone until after Sept. I then mow it about a foot tall. I leave strips that are not mowed. I switch every other year on the strips. I have pheasants in that area and the surrounding fence rows.

The biggest reason for the pheasant decline is habitat. CRP helps but they actually do better in fence rows and such. There is more protection there than in an open field. Also we have had several bad snow fall winters. They can't eat enough to survive in the bitter cold if the snow is very deep. I have some old car hoods set on concrete blocks that I put cracked corn and sand under to feed the pheasants and other birds. I also thin the stray cat population out too. They are a menace on game and song birds.
 
Not sure if it is true or not, but I heard that here in MI that just passed something that allowed coyote hunting all year round, any time? Hopefully that will help anyway...

Ross
 
We sure have a stray cat population around here as well. You're right, that doesn't help, I didn't think of that.

Ross
 
Ross, they should be sitting right now. Someone on here talked about spanning a chain across the front of the tractor that would drag. It would scare the critters before they got hurt with the tractor or implements. It wouldn't be hard to make something that would work. little to no cost...MTP
 
Haven't seen a Pheasant for years and never seen a turkey around me here in western Ohio.
 
Had this handsome fella come up to the house this spring. We have some reflective windows around our spa where he tried to scare his competition away. Put out some sunflower seeds and cracked corn and he came back almost every day for a couple of weeks. Now I just hear him calling from the fields.
36034.jpg
 
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