Pheasants,gunclubs

villa1979

Im in a large gun club 52 members in total the club bought 30 hen,25 cock pheasants to release for a large club like ours myself and other members think its not enough birds to release. We have said we think its a waste releasing hens as we don't think they breed and would be better buying 100 adult cocks but older members just wont listen we do also rear 75 poults to release, which after vermin, road kills, buzzards I would say only 50 poults make it to the shooting season.I like to know how big your clubs are and how many pheasants each club releases thanks lads

meathstevie

villa1979 wrote: »

Im in a large gun club 52 members in total the club bought 30 hen,25 cock pheasants to release for a large club like ours myself and other members think its not enough birds to release. We have said we think its a waste releasing hens as we don't think they breed and would be better buying 100 adult cocks but older members just wont listen we do also rear 75 poults to release, which after vermin, road kills, buzzards I would say only 50 poults make it to the shooting season.I like to know how big your clubs are and how many pheasants each club releases thanks lads

It all depends on habitat, if you have no suitable ground for pheasants you could release 500 and they'll still move away from the area. Feeders will tie them to the area a bit but you need the right cover and food sources in your area.

Other than that I do not want to comment on a clubs' internal kitchen, that's something you will have to sort yourselves. It's maybe also worth keeping in mind that there's plenty of other genuine wild game that can be hunted.

villa1979

meathstevie wrote: »

It all depends on habitat, if you have no suitable ground for pheasants you could release 500 and they'll still move away from the area. Feeders will tie them to the area a bit but you need the right cover and food sources in your area.

Other than that I do not want to comment on a clubs' internal kitchen, that's something you will have to sort yourselves. It's maybe also worth keeping in mind that there's plenty of other genuine wild game that can be hunted.[/QUO

Just looking for numbers of pheasants released to gun club members so I can mention at the next meeting what other clubs are releasing

Birdnuts

Your poult survival rates actually sound very impressive. Blesssington game club release a mix of Reeves type poults and Cocks over recent years. On averge about 200-300 birds between cocks and poults and lads have had good shooting over those years. Below is a link to study from the UK on pheasant returns from 6 large commercial shoots. Gives a good idea of the fate of released pheasants over the course of an averge year.

http://www.gwct.org.uk/research/species/birds/common-pheasant/fate-of-released-pheasants/

richiedel123

I'm in a club of 55 lads and we normally buy about 200 adult pheasants in September/ October to release. We used to release 2: 1 ratio before but changed to all cocks this year.

ronn

About 25 in my club and we're releasing 200 adult cocks in October,

villa1979

thanks lads for the replies

Stonehall9

villa1979 wrote: »

thanks lads for the replies

About., 38 in our club and we released 150 adult and 250 reared, as an earlier poster said , we have the habitat to release and survive them, plenty of vermin control and feeding is the main thing, on average each man shoots between 6 and 10 birds each, lots of wild birds pulled in by the feeding and lack of vermin too I reckon, speaking of vermin, I have never seen as many magpies and ravens around this last month ?? Anyone else have this?

villa1979

we have a savage amount of land lots of heavy cover and plenty of bogs vermin we handed in 5000 points for the vermin competition. Its that I think a club with 52 members releasing 55 adult birds and 75 poults is not that good we had a very bad season last year not many pheasants around when I see other clubs releasing 200 pheasants and only 20 members I start to question my club and the chairman who seems to have the final say in everything

villa1979

cheers for the replys lads if I could get some more off other gun club members it would be great

blackpearl

I am in 3 clubs average number of members 50 for each club 5 to 600 poults for each club have to say top class hunting in all clubs,corn beet spuds bogs and plenty of heavy cover .

SureHowBad

We have about 60 members in our club with a lot of ground. Mostly tillage and dairy with some cover and very little bog. We put down a minimum of 200 poults reared from 6 weeks in release pens around the club with about 80:20 cocks to hens. A few lads in the club rear about another 100 under bantams. Vermin control is middling, same few all the time, but what we have started doing in the past 2 years is feeding the birds after releasing them and found this to have improved returns drastically. I've found that not only do you hold the reared birds much better but the wild birds don't be long figuring out how to use the feeders as well! We've found also that reared hens do breed but wouldn't be prolific. In short,

1. Hopper feed the poults after release
2. Release mostly cock birds as you're paying for them and, unless you're shooting hens, the breeding returns from the reared hens aren't worth it.
3. Hammer the vermin.

I'd say for a club your size min 200 poults and would be pushing for more, and like everything, you get out what you put in!!

Big Davey

A little off topic BUT I am wondering why guys are not into vermin shooting ? I have heard so many people moaning about only a few guys doing vermin shooting in every club.
I have experience in clay shooting but no experience in game whatsoever and the shooting that appeals to me is rabbit, pigeon etc I am even planning to get an air gun at some point for ratting.
Surly sport is sport at the end of the day I don't know why the obsession is there for just pheasant with some lads only turning up for pheasant season.
I have applied for my gun license again as I sold my gun when the recession hit as I could not justify what my clay habbit was costing but now want to get back into shooting.
Can anybody recommend a game club in meath that is taking new members ?
Thanks




QUOTE=SureHowBad;94722113]We have about 60 members in our club with a lot of ground. Mostly tillage and dairy with some cover and very little bog. We put down a minimum of 200 poults reared from 6 weeks in release pens around the club with about 80:20 cocks to hens. A few lads in the club rear about another 100 under bantams. Vermin control is middling, same few all the time, but what we have started doing in the past 2 years is feeding the birds after releasing them and found this to have improved returns drastically. I've found that not only do you hold the reared birds much better but the wild birds don't be long figuring out how to use the feeders as well! We've found also that reared hens do breed but wouldn't be prolific. In short,

1. Hopper feed the poults after release
2. Release mostly cock birds as you're paying for them and, unless you're shooting hens, the breeding returns from the reared hens aren't worth it.
3. Hammer the vermin.

I'd say for a club your size min 200 poults and would be pushing for more, and like everything, you get out what you out in!! [/QUOTE]

thehound

we have 35 members released 200 poults last year returns were not great but you learn every year putting out a lot more hoppers this year to hold birds.vermin control is the big thing only few lads in our club at it caught 25 greycrowes myself in last 2 weeks,if every member worked 1 trap it would make such a differance

grassroot1

We have 51 members and released 50 adult cocks and 20 hens (the hens help to keep the cocks from straying). We hope to release 200-250 poults later in the year and will release 150 mallard.
Each club is different, how much of a sub do you pay OP?
Of course there is nothing stopping you from rearing a extra few birds yourself, I hope to release 50 grey partridge myself just to see if I can get them to breed on our farm.
I will say this to anyone in a club, if your not happy with the way you club is being run get involved both running it and rearing/vermin control.

Staloejunior

15 members and we release 50 one year old hens in february and raise 125 poults a year in a 60/40 ratio hen to cock ratio.

if only a minor percentage of birds breed successfully then thats a positive in its own right. If 10 hens breed that could be up to 50-70 additional birds born and raised in the wild for the following year.

But every club to their own opinion.

A good gun club should maintain vermin control, otherwise your swimming against the current.