Anyone find the pheasant numbers down

blackpearl

Tommyaya4 wrote: »

Completely agree the biggest problem pheasant face is habitat loss and pesticide use

Pesticides are more controled in the last 5 or 6 years than ever before more birds about when they were not been controled i dont think pesticides is the problem.

Eddie B

blackpearl wrote: »

Pesticides are more controled in the last 5 or 6 years than ever before more birds about when they were not been controled i dont think pesticides is the problem.

There are far more pesicides used now than there was in the 80's. Pesticides are poisonous. That's just a fact. A lot of people are having sinus problems these days, and it's believed it's being caused by modern pesticides.

Even if pesticides aren't affecting the adult birds, it must be affecting the chicks, who rely on insects for food, especially in the first few weeks of life.

Birdnuts

Eddie B wrote: »

There are far more pesicides used now than there was in the 80's. Pesticides are poisonous. That's just a fact. A lot of people are having sinus problems these days, and it's believed it's being caused by modern pesticides.

Even if pesticides aren't affecting the adult birds, it must be affecting the chicks, who rely on insects for food, especially in the first few weeks of life.

Your spot on EB - the populations of species of insects that are vital chick food for many farmland birds have fallen steeply in the last 2 decades. The likes of saw-flies etc.. You only have to look at the sharp falls in the likes of wild honey bee numbers, grasshoppers, butterflies etc. to see the damage that sprays and habitat loss are doing to our farmland wildlife. I remember a time not so long ago when if you drove in the countryside in the summer the front of your car would be plastered with all types of insects - you rarely see that now:(

Vizzy

On the pesticides, where I am there is a "company" who's main business is not farming (TommyAya4 will probably know who I am talking about) have now bought VAST tracts of land. Every ditch is gone and replaced with timber post and rail.
Any land which was anyway wet or scrubby has been drained.
Any land that had previously got feed crops is now grass and any land that they have under crops i.e. Barley or wheat , is sprayed at least 4 times.
Under no circumstances is anybody allowed to shoot this land,so,effectively there are thousands of acres which are now simply sterile.
With regard to the number of pheasants about, I must admit that I have met my fair share this year. Probably not as many as in previous years but my own theory on that is that because of the mild winters in the last 3 or 4 years, pheasant have no need to wander out on to fields when they have a plentiful supply of berries etc in any wood/copse, and as said above, even if they do venture out, there is nothing for them to eat.

Tommyaya4

Vizzy wrote: »

On the pesticides, where I am there is a "company" who's main business is not farming (TommyAya4 will probably know who I am talking about) have now bought VAST tracts of land. Every ditch is gone and replaced with timber post and rail.
Any land which was anyway wet or scrubby has been drained.
Any land that had previously got feed crops is now grass and any land that they have under crops i.e. Barley or wheat , is sprayed at least 4 times.
Under no circumstances is anybody allowed to shoot this land,so,effectively there are thousands of acres which are now simply sterile.
With regard to the number of pheasants about, I must admit that I have met my fair share this year. Probably not as many as in previous years but my own theory on that is that because of the mild winters in the last 3 or 4 years, pheasant have no need to wander out on to fields when they have a plentiful supply of berries etc in any wood/copse, and as said above, even if they do venture out, there is nothing for them to eat.

All my uncles great hunting and dog men are nearly finished with hunting they used hunt all that land they would end up in court if they even looked in over a fence now but that "company" run the village so u darent say a word against them

Tommyaya4

blackpearl wrote: »

Pesticides are more controled in the last 5 or 6 years than ever before more birds about when they were not been controled i dont think pesticides is the problem.

They amount of spraying and slug pellets haveyp have an effect on what wild chicks are eating look at what's happening bees

blackpearl

Tommyaya4 wrote: »

They amount of spraying and slug pellets haveyp have an effect on what wild chicks are eating look at what's happening bees

Slug pellets are their 20 years no effect that i see, spraying going on a long time to,their has been a hughe decline over the last 6 to 7 years .

Base price

I agree with a point that Eddie B made regarding gardens. Years ago when I started shooting every farmhouse had a large garden (up to half an acre) with potatoes, cabbage etc growing. Pheasants love potatoes however people seldom bother growing their own spuds & veg any more.

Tommyaya4

blackpearl wrote: »

Slug pellets are their 20 years no effect that i see, spraying going on a long time to,their has been a hughe decline over the last 6 to 7 years .

Well that must make you right so but we have had plenty of birds because we manage where are reared birds are put out

blackpearl

its a hard one to call so many reasons and no real answers.

Eddie B

blackpearl wrote: »

its a hard one to call so many reasons and no real answers.

Well I think that is the answer. Many different factors that are causing the decline, not just one specific thing. Habitat loss, pesticides, predation, hand reared birds, lack of food etc.

We see it with corncrake, curlew, lapwing, and to a lesser extent pheasant and snipe.

For me, it was a gradual thing. In the 80's the place was full of pheasants, never having to release any, to now almost relying solely on the released birds for a bit of sport.

Base price

Eddie B wrote: »

Well I think that is the answer. Many different factors that are causing the decline, not just one specific thing. Habitat loss, pesticides, predation, hand reared birds, lack of food etc.

We see it with corncrake, curlew, lapwing, and to a lesser extent pheasant and snipe.

For me, it was a gradual thing. In the 80's the place was full of pheasants, never having to release any, to now almost relying solely on the released birds for a bit of sport.

I wonder what impact released birds had on the wild pheasant population. Someone posted something simular about reared birds been fed antibiotics. Around here where adult birds have been released in recent years, ye never see chicks in the fields when herding, mowing or topping anymore. We were always on the lookout for chicks/youngsters when mowing/topping.

blackpearl

A lot of clubs leting out cocks only not a good job,years back when people were rearing their own birds their was a lot of hens going out now when your dog comes on set your nearly sure its a cock..

Tommyaya4

Every club should still be rearing birds if we rear 150 Poult we would have hopefully 50% females then the adult birds purchased would be all male few years ago we were able to get 80 hens from a shoot in England all rearing stock the last weekend of the season we put up 27 hens in 2 days

blackpearl

On the last day of the season we put up 14 hens in a field of game crop a cock crowed at the top of the field we looked at one another and walked out of the field, it would be ashame to shoot him and all them hens about.

Paullimerick

Well lads. Been working over here in scotland. Near North berwick. And no joking I would believe there is more pheasants than crows out here lol.

deeksofdoom

I think releasing of estate birds in springtime is having a huge effect. They are a better fed stronger bird and when they meet birds paired up and ready for breeding season, with established territories in the wild they run the wild birds off, scare them off their nests etc, they'll breed and lay eggs, but they won't nest and they don't rare their chicks.