Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
Most serious bird hunters, like me, spend more than a little time thinking about bagging that trophy pheasant to mount above the mantel piece. But a great shot and beautiful bird doesn’t necessarily lead to the best trophy. For that, you need to take care of your from the moment you bring it down, until you get [...]
Chances are if you’ve been out pheasant hunting already this year and had success, many of those birds are young-of-the-year pheasants. Some never get the chance to wise up to hunting pressure, but it’s more a numbers thing – the average lifespan of the ring-necked pheasant is less than one year. Where there were successful [...]
Hunting pheasants is great, but I like to think of myself as a responsible hunter and, as such, I know that conversation and helping keep the pheasant populations thriving is part of my role. In extreme winters in the northern states, it is not uncommon to see a multitude of pheasants scratching in the snow [...]
Corby Named Pheasants Forever Youth Education Coordinator in KansasPheasants Forever has named Rose Corby of Haysville, Kansas, as the organization’s first-ever Youth Education Coordinator in the state. Corby will be working with the 40 Pheasants Forever chapters and 11 Quail Forever chapters in the state, as well as other conservation organizations, to recruit and increase youth participation in upland hunting and other outdoor [...]
Pheasants Forever Hosting 15 Landowner Habitat Tours Across NebraskaNebraska Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) is hosting 15 different landowner habitat tours during the next four months for landowners and future landowners interested in creating better habitat for pheasants, bobwhite quail and other wildlife. The tours kick off on Saturday, May 19th with the Carter Canyon Ranch Tour at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center, [...]
You Get the Guns, Youth Get Shooting Opportunities ForeverBy purchasing your ticket for the Iowa Pheasants Forever (PF) State Council Forever Shooting Sports 52-Gun Raffle, sponsored by the Iowa Pheasants Forever State Council, MidwayUSA and Sportsman’s Warehouse, you can help further Iowa youth shooting sports. Fifty-two brand new firearms will be raffled off, with all proceeds going to youth shooting sports in the [...]
Will the Early Arrival of Spring Produce More Pheasants?I woke up this morning with one question in my mind: Will the early arrival of spring produce more pheasants? To help me answer this question, I reached out to Pheasants Forever biologists Aaron Kuehl from Illinois and Jim Wooley from Iowa. While the guys made it clear there is no simple answer to my question, [...]
Are You Like Your Bird Dog?We’ve probably all heard the sayings about owners and their dogs looking alike, but what about shared mannerisms? I’ll venture our bird dogs mimic their hunting masters in a variety of ways. Here’s a sample of the similarities and adaptions I believe my shorthair, Trammell, and I share. Methodically Short and Deliberately Dainty. I am [...]
Hunting Pheasant Without a DogIt’s a simple question. Can you hunt pheasant without a bird dog? The simple answer is yes. Simple doesn’t always mean good. I’ve had enough experience hunting pheasant to know that a question like this deserves some consideration. First of all, I am a dog guy. Plain and simple, the dog work of a pheasant [...]
