PHACTS PHROM THE PHEASANT PHACTORY
(This is a series of articles written in the 1970s by Darrell Nish, Division of Wildlife Resources then Upland Game Program Supervisor. "Phacts Phrom the Pheasant Phactory" denotes problems facing pheasants in the 1970s that still apply today.)
Carrying Capacity
Importance of Cover
Changes in abundance
The annual cycle
The role of the farmer
Hint to the farmer
Breeding season
Field mowing
-Carrying Capacity: A Definition-
The ring-necked pheasant has been a resident of Utah for so long it is considered by many to be a native. Early records indicate that the Honorable M.H. Walker brought the first pheasants into Utah about 1890 and released them on his farm at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Subsequent introductions, natural dispersal and an intensive game farm program resulted in the establishment of pheasants in all suitable habitat within the state by the early 1940s.
Releases from game farms continued until the early 1950s when research indicated that stocking game birds in areas already occupied by wild populations was a poor management practice and resulted in a waste of more than three-fourths of the birds released. This placed a high price tag on stocked roosters returned to the hunter's bag.
It became obvious that pheasant habitat was like a bucket; it will hold so much and no more. This phenomenon is termed "carrying capacity" by biologists. Subsequent experience and research, both in Utah and the many other pheasant states, has clearly shown that this "carrying capacity" is subject to wide variation both within and between years. Because of this, pheasant populations fluctuate widely, not only from one season of the year to another, but from year to year.
It would require pages to fully explain all of the factors which combine to determine "carrying capacity" at any given time. In a nutshell it can be said that pheasants require food, cover and a place with right conditions for reproduction to be abundant.
Utah sportsmen are fully aware that in recent years pheasant numbers have declined. During the same period some have also observed a marked reduction in the amount of food, cover and the all important nesting areas. In other words, "the bucket has gotten smaller." A multitude of changes in our environment, ranging from more efficient farming to urban sprawl, are responsible for decreased habitat and consequently decreased pheasants.
One of the biggest problems faced by the Division of Wildlife Resources and the sportsmen of Utah, is curtailing this downward trend and hopefully reversing it to some degree. This can be done only through improved habitat and increased "carrying capacity." No other alternative will work.
-Cover: A Necessity in Pheasantdom-
A frequently encountered term in the jargon of wildlife management is the word "cover." Webster defines it as being, "something that protects, shelters or guards... something that is placed over or about another thing... something that conceals or obscures..."
All of these connotations are descriptive of the functions of "cover" insofar as pheasants are concerned; however, more specific definitions are desirable in order to properly show the relationship between pheasants and their habitat.
"Nesting cover" describes those areas that are attractive to hen pheasants for performing the vital functions of nest building, egg laying, incubation and ultimately hatching the annual pheasant crop. The best and most secure cover is that consisting of dry grasses, legumes or weeds persisting in large tracts from the previous year. Unfortunately, this is presently the least abundant type available due to clean farming, burning and grazing. Hens are therefore forced to seek other sources of protection for their nests. All too often they turn to the early-growing alfalfa fields where subsequent nest, hen and chick mortality is high.
"Roosting cover" includes such areas as wet meadows, the fringes of cattail marshes, alfalfa fields, grass or wheat stubble, beet fields or similar vegetation tall enough to hide the sleeping birds.
"Loafing cover" may consist of low growing grass or weeds, a thicket or any similar area where the birds can shade up during the day, dust themselves or simply loaf.
"Escape cover' is usually dense, relatively tall weeds, crops or shrubs which provide adequate protection from predators, including man.
"Winter cover" is best provided by marshes, brushy bottom lands or other areas of dense cover. To provide adequate protection in severe winters, these areas should be large enough to avoid drifting full of snow. Long, narrow patches of such cover offer minimum security in a blizzard. Even a small cattail marsh may fill with drifting snow under extreme conditions.
"Travel lanes" are provided by long, narrow strips of grass, weeds or hedgerows along fencelines, ditchbanks or roadways. They connect roosting, loafing and feeding areas and are extremely important for the safe passage of pheasants from one area to another.
The most important aspect of pheasant "cover" is for all the above types to be located in close proximity and readily accessible without undue exposure. A cattail marsh is of little value as protective or winter cover if there are no nearby sources of food and adequate travel lanes to provide safe movement back and forth.
In summation it can be said that "cover" must be permanent and provide year-round protection. A shortage during any one season of the year is usually fatal.
Whenever pheasant numbers are at a low level, which normally occurs about once in every five or six years, concerned sportsmen respond with a number of seemingly obvious solutions to the problem. Restricted hunting, predator control and stocking more pheasants are the most frequently mentioned. Over the past decades game departments throughout the country have been pressured into wasting untold amounts of the sportsmen's money on such stop-gap measures which, in the final analysis, haven't been solutions after all.
Pheasant populations characteristically exhibit relatively high rates of reproduction. Consequently, mortality rates are high. This results in a high annual turnover in a population. Under average conditions of production and mortality, of each 100 pheasants alive each fall, at least 70 will be lost to one mortality factor or another by the following fall. This will occur whether the population is hunted or not and involves the loss of both hens and roosters. Where hunting pressure is greatest a larger percentage of the roosters will be
lost to the population. However, since pheasants are polygamous and one rooster normally mates with several hens, this added mortality is not detrimental to the population.
Changes in pheasant numbers from year to year are habitat related. Long-term trends in abundance over many years are dictated by changes in habitat or the food, cover and nesting areas available. Short-term trends over a period of a few years are primarily determined by weather conditions and their effects on reproduction.
Low pheasant populations in Utah in the past few years are the result of a combination of habitat deterioration and below normal temperatures during the breeding season.
The problem of low population levels cannot be solved by stocking more pheasants, controlling predators or curtailing hunting. It can only be solved through providing more habitat. With improved habitat, pheasant numbers will continue to fluctuate from year to year, in relation to weather conditions, but at a lower level.
Pheasant populations, and other forms of wildlife as well, go through what is commonly termed an annual cycle of abundance.
Beginning with the breeding season, populations are at their lowest annual level. The number of pheasants in a population at this time is primarily the product of: (1) the previous year's reproductive success and (2) the extent of winter mortality. With the onset of nesting and subsequent hatching of the new crop of pheasant chicks, the population builds. If weather conditions during this period are favorable, the population has a potential for increasing several fold. Less than optimum conditions result in a lower rate of increase.
Pheasants in Utah normally begin hatching in late May and continue into August. The peak of the hatch occurs in mid-june depending on the type of spring. If it is cold and wet the peak may be delayed. The highest pheasant population occurs each year after most of the hatch is complete, in mid to late July.
Mortality begins to trim the population as soon as the chicks work their way out of the egg. By the time the hunting season arrives in November, at least 40 percent of the chicks that hatched will already be lost to various mortality factors, mostly within the first few weeks after hatching.
For this reason, it is desirable to open hunting seasons as early in the year as development of the young rooster's plumage will allow. Soon after October 15th is the best time. However, Utah's season is delayed until November to avoid conflict with the harvest of agricultural crops, a consideration greatly appreciated by farmers.
During late summer the amount of cover and food available for pheasants is at its highest level. As fall progresses into winter, cover and food are drastically reduced due to crop harvest, grazing, fall plowing and matting of low growing vegetation by snow. The amount of cover and food in late winter is but a fraction of that a few months earlier, especially under clean farming and grazing practices which are the rule in most of the state. Reduced pheasant abundance is closely related to this reduction in habitat. If winter weather is especially severe, as was the case in 1972-73, pheasants suffer greatly.
Well-intended individuals frequently attempt to offset the lack of winter cover by feeding pheasants during the winter months. Such efforts are a poor substitute for the all important cover discussed earlier. Time and money spent on feeding would be better used for improvement of cover and food plots. Pheasants seldom die of starvation but succumb to other causes of mortality such as freezing or suffocation, which increases under conditions of poor cover.
Pheasants are a product of the farm as wheat or corn. They are a crop that is produced and harvested annually. The most fertile, productive farmland has the best potential for producing an abundance of pheasants.
Just as crop production is dependent upon soil type, fertility and sufficient moisture, pheasant production is dependent upon the right kinds and quantities of vegetation used for food, nesting, roosting, escape cover, winter habitat and other life processes.
It has become increasingly evident in recent years that the more intensively and efficiently an area is farmed, the less desirable it becomes for pheasants.
It seems that at least 30 percent of the land in good pheasant habitat must be uncultivated. From 5-15 percent of the area must be in permanent protective cover such as cattail marshes or shrubby bottom lands which provide both protection from enemies plus critically needed winter cover.
Permanent vegetation is needed along fencelines, ditches and roadways to provide a network of safe travel lanes between feeding areas and protective cover. A good "interspersion" of cover types is needed for maximum pheasant production.
The history of agriculture has been one of continued technological development. Today's farmer has the tools to produce more from his land than at any time in history, with a minimum of man power. Such changes have been necessary for him to keep pace with the rest of society and continue to operate at a profit.
Small farms are disappearing, either through subdivisions or consolidation into larger farms. The result has been more intensive farming, larger fields and markedly decreased cover for pheasants in some areas.
In spite of these trends, one simple fact remains: The farmer is still the best friend the pheasant has, because, for better or for worse, the ring-neck is totally dependent upon him for existence. Such as it may be, the farmer provides the cover, the food and absorbs resulting crop depredations. He also serves as the host to the annual influx of pheasant hunters, sportsman and rapscallion alike.
He, therefore, is not only the pheasant's best friend, but the pheasant hunter's also. He deserves to be treated like a friend. His rights as a private landowner should be respected.
Whether he chooses to allow hunting or not, his land is still an integral part of the pheasant factory. He can make it productive or unproductive with a sweep of his plow. Rather than be abused by thoughtless acts, he should be encouraged to continue to produce this valuable resource. Yes, he should even receive a reward for his efforts.
It is widely recognized that the pheasant rides the farmers' coattails. The ring-neck is affected, either directly or indirectly, by whatever the farmer does with his farm management program. There are ways to use land whereby both landowners and pheasants or other wildlife are the benefactors.
Many farmers enjoy pheasants and like to have them around. Some have inadvertently lost them as a result of farming practices which have eliminated cover. Good pheasant numbers can be maintained with a minimum of cover.
Some practices which benefit pheasants as well as the farmer include the planting of shelterbelts, hedgerows, maintenance of vegetation along fencerows and seeding of idle acres.
Shelterbelts planted around farm buildings provide protection from weather, particularly in areas of irritable prevailing winds. These same areas provide a source of protection from winter weather for pheasants if properly planted. They also make the farm more attractive.
Hedgerows serve as a living fence or as a drift fence which traps snow and adds to the soil moisture reserve the following spring. Some consider the latter benefit more than enough compensation for the space required to maintain the hedgerow. Wind damage to crops may also be reduced by this added protection. Pheasants utilize this cover for escape and protection from enemies and also as safe travel lanes.
Many farmers burn fencelines as a means of weed control. It is a questionable practice since damage to fences almost invariably results. Cover provided along fences and ditches serves as important nesting cover for pheasants, especially that persisting from the previous year. It also provides safe travel lanes.
A preferred alternative to burning for weed control is the use of herbicides. They allow the maintenance of perennial grass cover, which in itself, discourages the establishment of weeds, and saves fences.
Lands not being used for crop production will prove more beneficial to the farmer if planted to a permanent cover of grass mixed with alfalfa. This protects the soil from erosion and at the same time provides critical nesting cover for pheasants.
Proper grazing of such lands in summer or fall will provide forage for livestock without serious detriment to pheasants, provided grazing is not excessive.
Fencing of large areas and rotation grazing may be a desirable practice. Weed control in such areas can be accomplished with herbicides or by spot mowing. Both of these practices can be deferred until after the nesting season, but before the weeds concerned have gone to seed.
The diversity which trees, shrubs and other vegetation provide to the landscape lends itself to a quality environment.
Persons desiring additional information concerning the improvement of wildlife habitat on the farm should contact the Division of Wildlife Resources. They will be happy to help.
The spring of each year is an eventful season as far as pheasants are concerned. As soon as the winter snows recede, as early as late February in some years, the winter-hardened birds disperse from areas of concentration into surrounding farm lands, which provide a nursery for the annual crop of the popular game bird. By late March or early April dispersal is complete.
The brightly plumaged roosters, described by one writer as, "swaggering warlords, loud of mouth and edgy of disposition,"
have established their "territories" and collected their "harems" which are jealously protected from intruders. From mid-April to early May the harem activities of courtships, mating and nest building are of paramount importance.
By late May, egg laying, which occupies 12-15 days for the average clutch, is complete. Incubation follows for an additional 23-24 days, until mid-June, when hatching reaches a peak. Some clutches may hatch as early as late May depending on spring weather, while others, started later, may not hatch until July or August.
Contrary to popular belief a hen pheasant will only hatch one clutch of eggs and rear one brood each year. However, if her first nest is destroyed during the egg laying or early incubation period she will probably try again, perhaps even a third time if necessary.
Studies have shown that a high percentage of the first nesting attempts are destroyed, either by predators or farming operations. This is especially true for nests in hay fields where mowing operations have been known to destroy as high as over 90 percent of the nests and 40 percent of the hens using this type of cover.
Nevertheless, through renesting attempts, over 70 percent of the hens still alive in the fall will normally have brought off a brood. Research has also shown that broods hatched early in the year, as a result of first nesting attempts tend to be larger and produce young which survive longer than those hatched later in the year.
Most successful nests are produced in cover other than in hay fields. Since 35-40 days are required for a hen to complete the nesting process, the nest must be undisturbed for this period of time. Permanent, undisturbed grasses or weeds along roadsides, fencelines and waste areas provide the most secure nesting cover.
Good nesting areas must be of sufficient size to minimize chances of predation. Nests located along narrow fencelines or ditchbanks are easy prey for marauding predators. The best solution to this problem is the provision of adequate, safe nesting cover--not predator control.
In spite of all of the apparent adversity, given favorable weather conditions during the April-May period, a pheasant population has the potential for substantial increase each year. Fall populations normally consist of at least 70 percent birds-of-the-year. It is axiomatic that pheasant abundance in the fall is primarily determined by reproductive success in the spring.
Anyone who has spent time in an alfalfa field during spring mowing season knows that numerous hen and chick pheasants are unable or unwilling to escape fast-moving, modern harvesting machinery. In fact, wildlife biologists speculate that the loss of hens, eggs and chicks during the haying season may exceed the harvest of roosters during the fall hunting season. Most farmers are upset when they accidentally run pheasants through hay swathers, and many put forth a concerted effort to "shoo" pheasants from in front of swathers. However, this takes an immense amount of time and isn't always effective. A few simple precautions during hay cutting season may help save pheasants from a premature death.
Hen pheasants bring off only one brood per year, but are amazingly determined to do so. If her nest is destroyed, then hen will continue to renest until her eggs hatch successfully or until she is physically unable to produce eggs. Generally, if a hen loses chicks that have hatched, she will not attempt to renest. Hens will make from one to four attempts at nesting. Because of this, from 40-70 percent of adult hen pheasants successfully hatch their eggs. Hen pheasants are notorious for remaining on the nest even in the face of death from farm implements.
Ring-necked hen pheasants prefer lush vegetation that is at least 6-8 inches in height to nest. Alfalfa, because of its rapid, dense growth, offers perfect conditions for nesting and provides pheasant broods with an abundance of escape and loafing cover as well as insects. Unfortunately, the "first-cutting" maturity date of alfalfa in Utah, generally June 1st, coincides with the peak of the pheasant hatch. Many birds remain in alfalfa fields as contemporary, high-speed swathers begin the harvest.
Typically, farmers begin to mow alfalfa fields from the outside and work in a circle toward the middle of the field. This forces hens and chicks to move to the middle of the field to remain in standing cover. As a result, many birds are killed during the last few swaths because of their reluctance to run across the freshly mowed, open field.
By mowing alfalfa beginning in the middle of the field and working toward the outer edge, pheasants are pushed out of the field into standing cover in adjacent fields and avoid the blades of the swather. Another variation is to begin mowing on one side of the field and working toward the other. Pheasants are pushed out the end of the field instead of being forced to the middle.
When using these patterns, it is a bit more cumbersome to maneuver mowing equipment. However, the survival rate of pheasants in these fields will generally increase.
For more information about agricultural practices to benefit wildlife and available cost-sharing, contact the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources Office. Or E-Mail Dean Mitchell Upland Game Coordinator