Where have all the pheasants gone?

[MossRoad]

 

[CalG]

Vermont has never been able to maintain a population of pheasant. Wrong habitat. They have tried!

 

[Beltzington]

Again, there is NO scientific evidence that Turkeys do anything that harms pheasants. Please post some data, study, proof of this, or stop perpetuating the rumor.

And there is no conclusive evidence that coyotes actually impact game. Embarrassingly enough Georgia Outdoor Network has launched "kill a coyote save a fawn" drive. Not sure when the hunting challenged decided to contest natural selection, but if they want to go there it should be "kill a hunter save 11 deer." Seems simple minds always want to blame something for there inability to hunt. Ah, my mistake simple minds...

 

[hawkeye08]

Pheasants around here vary greatly in numbers year to year. Our land and most of the surrounding land has been farmed for decades, pretty much the same way. We have fence lines and borders with cover along with pastures, but this year, the pheasants are not showing much, while a few years ago, we had 10-20 roosters around often (easier to see the pheasant roosters than the hens). We have a couple of large groups of turkeys though that we have only had a time or 2 in the last 25 years.

Coyotes vary greatly year to year as well as deer. Several years ago, a poaching ring decimated the elk herd locally (was 50-60 with several bulls) to where there was only a few. My daughter saw the elk herd a few weeks ago, it is perhaps back to 20.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Records from the Hudson Bay company, going back to colonial days reflect a correlation between fur bearing animals and predators. Records clearly show that an increase in fur bearing animal skins one year is followed the next year by an increase in predator skins...and vice versa.

 

[teejk]

Records from the Hudson Bay company, going back to colonial days reflect a correlation between fur bearing animals and predators. Records clearly show that an increase in fur bearing animal skins one year is followed the next year by an increase in predator skins...and vice versa.

Coyote population around here has been "thinned" in recent years ("good old boys" needing some excuse to get out of the house). So this year I have never seen so many rabbits. That will change since coyote pelt prices have plummeted and few people bother to shoot them now. It's a big cycle that will repeat.

 

[Jstpssng]

Coyote population around here has been "thinned" in recent years ("good old boys" needing some excuse to get out of the house). So this year I have never seen so many rabbits. That will change since coyote pelt prices have plummeted and few people bother to shoot them now. It's a big cycle that will repeat.

There are groups around here that have coyote contests and/or offer bounties to help our hurting deer population. That and mange has taken a toll on the coyotes in the last few years; now like you, we are seeing an abundance of rabbits for the first time in a long while.