Pheasants for Michigan

[EdB]

This is from the Jackson Cit Patriot newspaper. I couldn't find a link to the entire article but I thought I'd share some parts of it because their concept seem interesting and I'm thinking of joining. What do you think about their ideas?

A new conservation group wants to restore pheasant populations in Michigan by going back to basics-releasing birds.

Pheasants for Michigan released about 400 birds in south central Mi last years and hopes to double that this year. They release 10 birds per site with a 5 to 1 ration of hens to roosters. 95% of its funds go to this project. President Mike Scott said that it is not put and take situation. We are releasing 80% hens, and in Michigan you can't shoot hens.

Scott said his group is not trying to compete with Pheasants Forever-many members belong to both groups-but is trying to do something else to improve pheasant hunting in MI. The group has members in Jackson, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Washtenaw and Ingham counties.

The group is holding a winter-long varmit hunting trapping contest in conjuntion with a number of sporting goods stores. The contest is to raise awareness of the organization and it plans future fundraising activities.

Scott has been releasing birds on his own for years and found some of them thrive. "My feeling is, if we can put something out there, a percentage is going to make it. Even a small percentage is better than nothing." Membership is $20. That pays for 4 birds right there. Ideally, Scott said, each member will get a crate of 10 birds to release on the site of his or her choice this summer with the only provision being that it is appropriate pheasant habitat. Their website is http://www.pheasantsformichigan.org/

[Bow Hunter Brandon]

I have been seeing wild pheasant just about every day this week. Usually on the road side I assume getting stones.

[7MM Magnum]

I just requested their info packet,... Thanks for sharing the link! :D

[SALMONATOR]

I just did the same. Thanks Ed.:)

Al

[3006]

You are seeing the pheasants by the road for two reasons. The first is to obtain grit. The second is so they can be seen. The roosters especially will be out in the open where hens tend to gather to round up their ladys for breeding season.

[7MM Magnum]

Well,... looks like they have another new member! :D

That means they can add Alpena County to their list of membership areas. :cool:

Having a good size farm with corn,winter wheat, and plenty of tall grass with forest areas maybe they will let some of those new hatches come Northward!! ;) :) :)

[wild bill]

i've been seeing them along the roadsides by my place over the past few weeks. anywhere from a couple birds up to one group that i counted 26.over the past 3 years there has been several fields around me that have been left to regrow with native grasses and weeds and this is one of the reasons for the amount of birds i have been seeing.

[brdhntr]

I sorta have mixed feelings about this. From the PF studies I've seen, not many of the birds survive, and there are other studies that show mixing the released birds with the wild birds tends to lower the genetic pool, and causes disease problems.

Having said that, I used to lease some property near a pheasant preserve. Part was adjacent, with others as much as 2 miles away. There were more birds than you could shake a stick at. We shot a ton of birds off that land, and never depleted the population, and you can bet some were coming from the preserve.

7mm, you can buy, raise and release birds on your own. In fact, my uncle up in Lachine does just that and has a fair number of birds running around his place. My dad's place in Hubbard Lake has an occaisional bird, too. One thing to help the birds is to remove any dead trees, so the raptors can't sit and look over the field so easily.

[7MM Magnum]

....that there IS a pheasant farm not too far away from us (about 3 miles or so,.. from my wife who knows the people) :D

That might explain why there is this BEAUTIFUL male pheasant hanging around our home and barn for the past 2 months. He usually is out back behind our horse barn every day when I go out to give them their grain and hay.

He's getting pretty plump from all of the grain dribbles that the horses leave behind and he's picking up. ;) :)

UMmmmmm,.... pheasant !!:D