Decades ago, there was a pheasant survival study done, somewhere in the Midwest IIRC. Two 10 sq. mi areas were partitioned off; I don’t remember how now but one was open to hunting with the usual regulations an the other was closed off completely. Nor do I remember for the period of time whether it was five or ten years.
But, starting out with about equal numbers and tagged birds, the blocks’ numbers were about the same after the designated period of time. Conclusion: you cannot stockpile pheasants. In the wild there is about a 3-yr lifespan regardless.
A rooster can mate with up to twenty hens in the spring, but competes with them for food and cover over the crucial winter months so carrying a lot of roosters over the winter is actually counterproductive for game farms and even places in SD where the wild population is strong and there are also released birds.
Anyway, if egg to death averages 3 years or less for a wild bird, imagine that of a pen-reared and then released bird.
