Who says you cant have pheasants in the north east?

[OnPoint]

Hi everyone I'm from Toronto and I i've been training my dog for the past three years maybe for actually on the same 2 wild pheasants in little bush of crownland beside the highway nice to see them but never see lil ones or more it's the same to birds

[Lakon]

Hi everyone I'm from Toronto and I i've been training my dog for the past three years maybe for actually on the same 2 wild pheasants in little bush of crownland beside the highway nice to see them but never see lil ones or more it's the same to birds

LOL...Those two birds have so much exposure with your dog they're on a "first name" basis with him!

[Hawkman]

In the early 80's I used to see pheasants near Finch & Keele in Toronto all the time! It was a joy to watch them walk around the creeks and they never ran because they apparently had no concern about being attacked. Hunting out of town however, I have never encountered a pheasant anywhere outside a game farm or private release area.

A few of us are planning a private release of about 200 birds this spring. Licences have been obtained and birds have been reserved with a deposit. Other land owners nearby have already done small releases and claim to have seen birds around long after the initial release. We are going to work on the habitat as well and see if we can get a population going!

My theory is that birds would have naturally spread to other places from where they are normally plentiful. The fact that they are not spreading must be because of our harsh environment and lack of suitable habitat as mentioned above.

Still, we can be hopeful and keep doing controlled releases. Our MNR might be broke, but private individuals are allowed to purchase permits and raise birds to legally release into the wild.

This is our first year but we are determined to do our best and give these birds a chance to survive the next winter. If we somehow succeed and create a few breeding pairs out there, plus continue releasing more birds every year, then we just MIGHT establish a pheasant population in that area. Wish us luck!

[terrym]

My advice would be to stagger your bird plantings, don't drop them all at once. I think you will find most won't live more than a week before becoming owl/hawk/fox/coyote food.
And if you truly want to establish breeding pairs, don't shoot the hens.

[Pointersrule]

In the early 80's I used to see pheasants near Finch & Keele in Toronto all the time! It was a joy to watch them walk around the creeks and they never ran because they apparently had no concern about being attacked. Hunting out of town however, I have never encountered a pheasant anywhere outside a game farm or private release area.

A few of us are planning a private release of about 200 birds this spring. Licences have been obtained and birds have been reserved with a deposit. Other land owners nearby have already done small releases and claim to have seen birds around long after the initial release. We are going to work on the habitat as well and see if we can get a population going!

My theory is that birds would have naturally spread to other places from where they are normally plentiful. The fact that they are not spreading must be because of our harsh environment and lack of suitable habitat as mentioned above.

Still, we can be hopeful and keep doing controlled releases. Our MNR might be broke, but private individuals are allowed to purchase permits and raise birds to legally release into the wild.

This is our first year but we are determined to do our best and give these birds a chance to survive the next winter. If we somehow succeed and create a few breeding pairs out there, plus continue releasing more birds every year, then we just MIGHT establish a pheasant population in that area. Wish us luck!

Like I mentioned to you the other day....if your planning on doing this to have a fun couple of shoots...then go for it but if your doing with the intention of starting a breeding population...not a chance....heres why, the birds you are releasing are hatchery birds and have no wild instincts in them whatsover......some will make it beyond a week or more....most will be toast by the next weekend....if you or anyone are serious about this this what might help you and I have seen the sucess with my own eyes....its called "The Surrogator"...click the link below...the premise behind it is that the birds are raised in the wild and have a surrogate mother for those first crucial weeks (and heat food water and shelter).

http://wildlifemanagementtechnologie...nal_Surrogator

[fishhawk]

In the early 80's I used to see pheasants near Finch & Keele in Toronto all the time! It was a joy to watch them walk around the creeks and they never ran because they apparently had no concern about being attacked. Hunting out of town however, I have never encountered a pheasant anywhere outside a game farm or private release area.

A few of us are planning a private release of about 200 birds this spring. Licences have been obtained and birds have been reserved with a deposit. Other land owners nearby have already done small releases and claim to have seen birds around long after the initial release. We are going to work on the habitat as well and see if we can get a population going!

My theory is that birds would have naturally spread to other places from where they are normally plentiful. The fact that they are not spreading must be because of our harsh environment and lack of suitable habitat as mentioned above.

Still, we can be hopeful and keep doing controlled releases. Our MNR might be broke, but private individuals are allowed to purchase permits and raise birds to legally release into the wild.

This is our first year but we are determined to do our best and give these birds a chance to survive the next winter. If we somehow succeed and create a few breeding pairs out there, plus continue releasing more birds every year, then we just MIGHT establish a pheasant population in that area. Wish us luck!

Good for u guys. I have herd of the surrogator working well, I have also herd from land owners down in the U S stats having success with releasing young birds, between 4 and 6 weeks old. The theory being they adapt faster to the wild at a young age and it has worked mind u these are rich ranchers that have sunk a lot of money into habitat work.

[Pointersrule]

Fishhawk...the Surrogator gives them a place to hide from Predators when they go to Roost (sleep at night) amongst all the other benefits such as food, water and heat....it just up's your percentages of survival for the birds you release....if I had my own land......I would have 2 of these.

[finsfurfeathers]

Surrogator looks cool however I think old school still produces better results. Several Bantum chickens can incubate a clutch of 12-15 eggs each. Left too brood the hatched chicks and raise them free range the resulting birds would have the best chance.

[fishhawk]

[QUOTE][/QFishhawk...the Surrogator gives them a place to hide from Predators when they go to Roost (sleep at night) amongst all the other benefits such as food, water and heat....it just up's your percentages of survival for the birds you release....if I had my own land......I would have 2 of these.UOTE]

I agree, if i had my own land surrogator for sure. They seem to work especially well with quail.

[Hawkman]

The surrogator you say, eh...? Hmm.... Sounds pretty good but fairly expensive for my taste and what we are planning to do.

We are just a bunch of guys who like to hunt and we've been friends for a while, so we are HOPING for some kind of success.
Our "captain" owns the property and is doing everything by the book, meaning he has talked to the MNR, obtained a licence, studied the rules, and spoken to others as well. A neighbour had previously released pheasants and he thinks he's seen survivors.

We will build a large pen for these chicks, right in the environment where we intend to release them. This enclosure will be predator proof as can be.
Many of our camp members are experienced builders and I'll be 'supervising' them - since I can't build anything myself!

Anyway, our HOPE is that with these young birds growing up in the natural environment, with food and extra shelter provided by us humans, they will not exactly be shocked by the elements when they are released.
I like the tip about not releasing them all at once by the way. Thanks for that. Not that it was the plan - I think.
Also, thanks for the reminder not to shoot any hens if possible. That might help the situation as well.

We are prepared to try this for a few years in a row and see the results. We will learn a thing or two in the process. We will plant corn and grass and stuff as recommended in the meantime. There are trespassers during the deer season but we haven't noticed much activity during moose and bear seasons. Neighbours always keep an eye on each other's properties and we have cameras and security system installed at and around the cabin as well. Someone will be there every weekend to keep an eye on the happenings.

Pheasants are not the smartest birds and we've heard they are not very "family-oriented" either. The breeder told my friend that it's not uncommon for a hen to drop an egg and keep on walking!!! Also, just like chickens, they are cannibalistic and will kill & eat their own friends and relatives!

So the challenges are there but we play outdoors for fun and this is our Flavour of the Day, so to speak. Maybe we'll get to shoot a few roosters next fall and never see any of these birds again. Maybe not.