color and variety pheasants

hollowpoint

Looking to release few birds round my land. Already have good stock of wild birds on it.... any suggestions welcome to add variety and what would be better to relaease cocks or hens....

richiedel123

hollowpoint wrote: »

Looking to release few birds round my land. Already have good stock of wild birds on it.... any suggestions welcome to add variety and what would be better to relaease cocks or hens....

My opinion would be to release none if there is already a good stock on the land. New ones bought could bring in disease or drive existing birds out of the area.

hollowpoint

richiedel123 wrote: »

My opinion would be to release none if there is already a good stock on the land. New ones bought could bring in disease or drive existing birds out of the area.

Fair point, had thought that myself, wouldnt look to release big numbers, maybe 5 to 10 max... could go oppisite way i suppose and dilute a good gene pool thats there already....

richiedel123

hollowpoint wrote: »

Fair point, had thought that myself, wouldnt look to release big numbers, maybe 5 to 10 max... could go oppisite way i suppose and dilute a good gene pool thats there already....

If you are going to release some get decent strain of birds. Different breeds react in different ways to hunting. For example Michigan fly fast once flushed but normally run like feck before you get near them. The melinistic are also the same fly quick but are very fond of running. If I was going to release anything I would try a few hens like the melinistic as they seem to be great mothers and are very fertile. You won't drive the native cocks out of the area and you will bring some colour into the area. But as I said buy them from a reputable person selling them

hollowpoint

richiedel123 wrote: »

If you are going to release some get decent strain of birds. Different breeds react in different ways to hunting. For example Michigan fly fast once flushed but normally run like feck before you get near them. The melinistic are also the same fly quick but are very fond of running. If I was going to release anything I would try a few hens like the melinistic as they seem to be great mothers and are very fertile. You won't drive the native cocks out of the area and you will bring some colour into the area. But as I said buy them from a reputable person selling them

Was told melanistic hens are sh**e mothers and if anything to "stay away from them" but instead cross melanistic cock with the likes of ring neck hen...?

richiedel123

hollowpoint wrote: »

Was told melanistic hens are sh**e mothers and if anything to "stay away from them" but instead cross melanistic cock with the likes of ring neck hen...?

Every 1 has a different opinion on birds. I personally found melinistic hens to be good mothers and very fertile. I kept birds for breeding myself and out of all them I had 3 melinistic that sat on nests in the pen and 1 ring neck that done the same.
I found this year we released melinistic hens at breeding time and we seen a few young clutches of half melinistic birds which was great. Try get a few ring neck and a few melinistic and see how clutches go next year

hollowpoint

richiedel123 wrote: »

Every 1 has a different opinion on birds. I personally found melinistic hens to be good mothers and very fertile. I kept birds for breeding myself and out of all them I had 3 melinistic that sat on nests in the pen and 1 ring neck that done the same.
I found this year we released melinistic hens at breeding time and we seen a few young clutches of half melinistic birds which was great. Try get a few ring neck and a few melinistic and see how clutches go next year

Nice 1, sounds gud, i like the look of the melanistic birds. Might sound like a stupid question but its 1 of the areas in shooting that i would no notion about but would melanistic be a hardy bird and do well in the wild? The ring neck seems to be the preffered release bird so i wouldnt like to release a bird that wouldnt be able to "hack it" so to speak....

thehound

if you have good stock dont release any just keep vermon under control phesants will look after themselves good wild stock is better than anything

richiedel123

hollowpoint wrote: »

Nice 1, sounds gud, i like the look of the melanistic birds. Might sound like a stupid question but its 1 of the areas in shooting that i would no notion about but would melanistic be a hardy bird and do well in the wild? The ring neck seems to be the preffered release bird so i wouldnt like to release a bird that wouldnt be able to "hack it" so to speak....

I find them great hardy birds and survive well. But last year I released a lot of them to see how they fared out along wit black necks. And scotch and whites. The melinistic and black necks survived great I found but the scotch and white weren't a great success

hollowpoint

richiedel123 wrote: »

I find them great hardy birds and survive well. But last year I released a lot of them to see how they fared out along wit black necks. And scotch and whites. The melinistic and black necks survived great I found but the scotch and white weren't a great success

Sounds like melanistics could be worth a go, cheers!

wildfowler94

If you've feeders out and maybe a cover crop and good vermin control you'll help the ones there, release a few different see which work best

hollowpoint

wildfowler94 wrote: »

If you've feeders out and maybe a cover crop and good vermin control you'll help the ones there, release a few different see which work best

Have couple feeders out with wheat mixed with aniseed oil, so far the crows are enjoying it! Have'nt seen any pheasants at them. Fairly on top of the vermin side of things, mink traps down year round, ladder traps aswell in operation year round on the land and use the octagnal 4 catch compartment trap on the surronding areas. Foxes get .308 treatment and local covers done with hounds regularly and d smaller covers with springers and terrier.

wildfowler94

hollowpoint wrote: »

Have couple feeders out with wheat mixed with aniseed oil, so far the crows are enjoying it! Have'nt seen any pheasants at them. Fairly on top of the vermin side of things, mink traps down year round, ladder traps aswell in operation year round on the land and use the octagnal 4 catch compartment trap on the surronding areas. Foxes get .308 treatment and local covers done with hounds regularly and d smaller covers with springers and terrier.

Great job a bit of advice regarding the crows eating your feed, place branches or pallets against the side of the feeder, leave gaps at the bottom..crows won't go near it but pheasants still will

Kells1

hollowpoint wrote: »

Nice 1, sounds gud, i like the look of the melanistic birds. Might sound like a stupid question but its 1 of the areas in shooting that i would no notion about but would melanistic be a hardy bird and do well in the wild? The ring neck seems to be the preffered release bird so i wouldnt like to release a bird that wouldnt be able to "hack it" so to speak....

Melanistics are extremely hardy but they do have a tendancy to wander quite far from their release area.

hollowpoint

Kells1 wrote: »

Melanistics are extremely hardy but they do have a tendancy to wander quite far from their release area.

Would'nt mind them wondering, there's at least 60+ acres around me thats no shooting and its enforced by the land owners cause they dont like people coming in from the local town onto their land. So this could give them a chance to establish. I know all the land owners and i would have no problem cause they me and know the sheer amount of vermin control i do in the area and most importantly i'm insured...