Recall the male's morning cry, sort of like that of a rooster, but shorter, not as drawn out. Look out the window and see one strutting along the fence row, pecking at insects. That was late 1980s. Come to think of it, where have all the opposums gone?
"Where have all the Pheasants gone, long time passing....." "A perfect storm killed our pheasants: a mix of high commodity prices, expiring CRP contracts, dubious energy policy, and weather. Federal ethanol subsidies boosted corn prices, encouraging farmers to withdraw from the Conservation Reserve Program that kept thousands of acres of erodible land in grassy cover. Farmers bulldozed fencerows and cleared marginal land that had never been farmed before". "We took away the habitat. Weather did the rest. Beginning in 2006–07, Iowa endured an unprecedented six winters out of seven with snowfalls far above normal, each one killing 20 to 50 percent of the adult pheasant population. Cold, rainy springs and floods that ruined nesting seasons followed. When you have good habitat, bad weather has an impact on pheasants. When you have poor habitat, bad weather is disastrous". "Finally, partisan wrangling in Congress held up the reauthorization of the 2012 farm bill for two years, denying funding for conservation programs at that critical time". Ringneck Relief "The farm bill is finally law, and it contains several provisions that will aid farmland wildlife". (Read More)
They were common when I was growing up in the UP of Michigan, but I'm not sure if they are now. My older brothers would hunt partridge and pheasants, and we'd eat them, but I don't remember either of them being one of my favorite meals, so I suspect they were so-so, as far as taste goes. I haven't seen one since I've been in Maine, and when I look at our state wildlife and game site, I see that pheasant hunting in Maine seems to be restricted to sites where they are stocked.
When we moved into our present home in 1977, we had a line of growth along the property lines, where pheasants would travel. My Uncle would hunt small game, including pheasants, and would hang the fanned tail feathers in the garage. In PA, most pheasants where raised and stocked for hunters, as I recall. I was never a hunter.
We had a few pheasants pass by occasionally in the field behind our house in NE Ohio in the 50's. Too far south for them in GA. Stocked quail hunts are popular here.
We'd find them wild in the woods across the road from our house. I've seen plenty of them, although I didn't hunt them.
Most of the time we saw them only at a distance, following each other in a line. One time I got close enough to get a good look at a male when I was a kid. It was a big deal to spot one, even back in the late 50's in our area. The head was more greenish than the blue. Another picture. Apparently they are not native to North America. Introduced from Asia and Europe a long time ago.
The Case of the Disappearing Pheasants For several years now we’ve seen pheasant chicks in the garden, scurrying after their mother through the grass. We’ve assumed the nest was in the garden but have never searched for it as we didn’t want to disturb the birds. This year though my partner noticed a clutch of eggs in some low shrubs right next to the path to the front door. As we’d both been away for a fortnight we wondered if the birds had become used to an absence of humans and so chosen this spot for the nest. However the shrubs had been badly damaged by rabbits during the heavy snow of last winter and there were few leaves. In previous years the pheasants could have nested there and we might never have noticed. As it was we were impressed at how well camouflaged the female was when sitting on the eggs. To avoid frightening the birds away we hurried past this spot whenever we went out. When there the female always sat tight and never showed any sign of movement. Rain and wind had no effect either. One day it snowed and she sat there with snow spattering her plumage. The male meanwhile strutted round the garden, inflating his plumage to make himself look bigger, and chasing off any other male pheasants that came near. (Read More)
Critically-endangered Edwards’s pheasants reared at Sudeley Castle "Five chicks have successfully reached their six-month birthday and fledged, thanks to a breeding programme led by Sudeley Castle’s Gamekeeper, John Sherlock, who is a member of the World Pheasant Association (WPA)". "This is Sherlock’s third attempt to breed this rare species at Sudeley Castle, which has long been home to one of the largest public collections of endangered species of pheasants from around the world. Currently 17 species are kept at the castle pheasantry, which was first established by the late Lord Ashcombe in the 1980s". Endemic to the rainforests of Vietnam, the Edwards’s Pheasant, which is known for its red legs and facial skin, suffered from deforestation, hunting and the use of defoliants during the Vietnam War. The species was listed critically-endangered in 2012 and the population is currently believed to number between 50 and 249, although they haven’t been seen in the wild for almost 20 years. Four of the five Edward's Pheasants bred at Sudeley Castle
About 20 years ago, in October, I was on a grand estate in England and one field was full of Pheasants. Had to be over a 100 birds gleaning the left overs from the fall harvest. It was spectacular! When was the last time you saw a red squirrel?