Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Coyote predation on pheasants

My dad and I own and manage 2 properties for pheasants in west central Minnesota. There are some studies out there, you will have to google them to find them but I believe they were out of SD, that indicate coyotes can be good for the pheasant population. The coyotes somewhat control the nest predators (it would warm my heart to see a coyote kill a feral cat!).

Here are some pheasant facts directly from Pheasant Forever's website. On a side note, PF is a great organization where all money except the membership money stays with the local chapter to spend how they want to spend on local projects. I am not aware of any other national conservation orgs that have that model. Apologies in advance for the long post, but there is some really good info below!

Oh, and how has the pheasant hunting been this year? Pretty darn good! Shot my limit of 3 in about 30 minutes last weekend. I average about 2 per time out and only hunt a few hours at most.

PHEASANT FACTS
•Weight: Male ring-necked pheasants (roosters) average 2 to 3 pounds while their female (hen) counterparts average 2 pounds.
•Length: Males measure 24 to 35 inches long (a rooster's tail accounts for more than 20 inches of length); hens are smaller with a much shorter tail.
•Flight Speed: 38-48 mph (but can reach up to 60 mph when chased)
•Favorite Foods: Corn, seeds, insects
•Preferred Habitat: Undisturbed grass
•Average Nest Initiation: Early May
•Average Incubation Start: Late May
•Length of Incubation: 23 days
•Average First Hatch: Mid-June
•Average Clutch Size: 12 eggs
•Average Nest Success: 40-60%
•Average Hen Success: 50-70%
•Average Rate of Chick Survival: 50%
•Major Nest Predators: Fox, raccoon, skunk, feral cats
•Major Adult Predators: Human, fox, hawk, owl

SURVIVAL

Rarely, if ever, does a pheasant die of old age. In fact, the average life span is less than 1 year. The pheasant is a prey species and must face major sources of mortality beginning the day it is laid in the nest as an egg.

•Survival Rate - Mild winter, good habitat: 95%
•Survival Rate - Severe winter, good habitat: 50%
•Survival Rate - Mild winter, poor habitat: 80%
•Survival Rate - Severe winter, poor habitat: 20%


WEATHER & HABITAT DRIVE PHEASANT POPulations

Weather is another extremely important factor in determining pheasant numbers. Severe winter storms can potentially decimate pheasant populations overnight. Cold wet springs can claim an equally devastating number of newborn chicks who do not develop the ability to regulate their own temperature until three weeks of age. The direct effects of weather are obvious—less obvious is the indirect role weather can play on pheasant numbers.

PHEASANTS THRIVE IN MILD WEATHER

Generally speaking, pheasants do best in mild weather conditions. Mild weather is especially appreciated during the nesting period, as the amount of rainfall can greatly determine nesting success. Rain is essential in that it spurs vegetation growth, creates nesting cover, and attracts insects for new broods to feed on. However, heavy rains or flash flood events can wash out nests before eggs hatch or wash away the young pheasants before they can escape the rising water.


As the nesting season progresses into June and chicks hatch, mild weather remains key for pheasants. Chicks become susceptible to exposure in elements that are too cold or too wet. In addition, periods of extended drought can adversely affect cover quality and make insects and food less available.

Winter: The Toughest Season

A 2°F night with even a moderate wind of 11 mph creates a wind chill of -25°F. How can pheasants survive such conditions?

The arrival of cold and snow don’t necessarily mean a death sentence for pheasants. In fact, these hardy birds can do remarkably well in even tough winters provided quality winter cover is available. Winter habitat includes grass cover for roosting at night, trees and shrubs to loaf in during the day, and food. With adequate habitat, pheasants’ body fat content can be at its highest in January.

Pheasants essentially need to burn 25 percent more energy to survive during extreme winter conditions. As an example, the temperature inside a high-quality shelterbelt - ideal cover from the cold - can be 5°F warmer.

Finally, the same wind that creates biting wind chills can also be a blessing, as it blows many farm fields free of snow and uncovers areas where pheasants can feed.

INDIRECT WEATHER EFFECTS

Hot dry summers can impede insect production, depriving chicks of the protein they need early in life. Drought conditions will stunt vegetation growth, reducing the amount of cover on the landscape and leaving birds vulnerable to winter storms. Precipitation is essential but too much or the wrong form at the wrong time can be the difference between a great and poor pheasant reproduction year.

IS THERE AN ANSWER FOR ADVERSE WEATHER?

Although weather conditions cannot be controlled, providing critical habitat elements (nesting cover, brood rearing cover, winter cover and food plots) when conditions are favorable is essential to helping pheasant populations rebound after a tough year. Known for their prolific nesting abilities, pheasants have been documented in some states to double their population in a given year provided seasonal weather is optimal for nesting success.

SHOULD BAG LIMITS & SEASONS BE ADJUSTED?

Ring-necked pheasants are promiscuous birds, and one rooster (male) may mate with as many as a dozen hens (females). Hunting males only removes "surplus" roosters not needed for reproduction in the spring. In addition, since hens and roosters are easily distinguished in wingshooting situations, pheasants are managed more conservatively than other upland gamebirds—as the hen segment of the population is protected from hunting. Thus, adjusting season length and bag limits on surplus roosters will have almost no effect on future populations!

HOW DOES HUNTING AFFECT ROOSTERS IN A PHEASANT POPULATION?

Survival of roosters in hunted populations is normally very low, but that is not a concern. In fact, hunters could harvest 93 percent of pre-hunt rooster numbers without harming the population. However, such a high rate of harvest is very unusual, if not impossible. The normal range is 45-65 percent. Adding an average crippling loss of 10 percent means that 55-75 percent of roosters are often removed from the fall population. In states where significant harvest occurs (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota), rooster kill averages around 70 percent. Elsewhere, particularly in western states, fewer hunters and less interest usually result in a reduced harvest rate.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HUNTING ON HENS?

Few states currently allow legal shooting of wild hen pheasants and there is little definitive data on how hen hunting affects reproduction. Some biologists have speculated that if more than 25-35 percent of hens were harvested, reproduction would decrease. The record is ambiguous—controlled hen seasons in Montana, Idaho, California, Iowa and Nebraska apparently did not limit reproduction, but data from Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota indicate the opposite. Due to the ambiguity and past traditions, we don't hunt hens today.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF RESTRICTING BAGS?

Reducing bag limits will have little effect on pheasant populations. In most states, the seasonal bag limit per hunter is only 2-4 roosters. The only reason to reduce bags is to more equally distribute the harvest among hunters. Considering the majority of hunters are active only during the first two weeks of the season, the effect of restricting daily bag limits would be minimal.

exactly!

Here ya' go:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=coyote+catching+cat+

Geno

"seasonal bag" should read "daily bag

Geno, thanks for the link!