ShopPosts Tagged ‘pheasants forever’
Pheasants in the Winter Months
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
Habitat is the key for pheasants in winter and all year long.
During the coldest month of the year, January, pheasants require twice the energy they burned in October. Yet with adequate habitat, their body fat content can be at its highest in January.
Pheasant bio-energetics requires the birds have three cover types to help survive the coldest of winters. The cover types are roosting, loafing, and food cover. Winter habitat includes grass cover for roosting at night, trees and shrubs to loaf in during the day, and food.
The purpose of each is to reduce the pheasants’ vulnerability to predators, to reduce the birds’ energy requirements, and to increase the body fat content of hens for spring nesting. For each 160 acres, 5 acres should be set aside to provide each of these covers. The relationship of theses covers to each other is also important. Ideally, each cover requirement should be located next to the other, or at most, one quarter mile apart.
With the first deep snow or ice storm, people start to worry about pheasants starving. Keep in mind though, that death due to starving during inclement weather is extremely rare if they have adequate winter habitat. The importance of habitat year-round is paramount to pheasants.
The Big Spur Blog is written by Jesse Beckers, Pheasants Forever’s Regional Wildlife Biologist for North Dakota. If you have a pheasant habitat or pheasant biology question for Jesse, email him at JBeckers@pheasantsforever.org.
My First Bird Dog: Make Retrieving an Addiction (VIDEO)
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
While puppies are cute and naturally fun, any pheasant hunter has an eye to the future when that dog is ready for more rigorous work in the field. Not to mention housebroken.
While “Sprig,” my now 3-month-old English cocker pup, has been getting healthy doses of basic obedience and plenty of play time, I’ve been looking for signs that I’ll have a legitimate hunting dog on my hands. I like her energy, willingness to explore new environments and a nose that’s constantly “on.” When I picked her up, the breeder – who also trains, trials and hunts extensively – gave me one piece of advice that I’ve held above all else: “Make retrieving an addiction.”
Starting with a glove in the apartment and graduating to a tennis ball, Sprig has shown natural retrieving instincts and, most importantly, seems to enjoy it. Next we’ll move outside with a dummy and, since it’s been an unseasonably warm winter in the upper Midwest, some light grass.
What did you see in your pup early on that got you excited about your future hunting buddy?
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Puppies: What the Training Manuals Don’t Say
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
- When everyone’s a Dog Expert
- Meet My First Bird Dog!
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
TriStar O/U is New PF Visa Program Gun
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
The TriStar Setter S/T 12 Gauge Over/Under is the new shotgun model for Pheasants Forever’s Visa Program.
Over the last decade, Pheasants Forever’s Visa card, brought to you by U.S. Bank, has helped to raise more than $500,000 for Pheasants Forever’s wildlife habitat conservation efforts. Local Pheasants Forever chapters* use the gun as a raffle prize for members who apply for the card at the banquet.
The TriStar Setter S/T 12 Gauge Over/Under will be appearing at Pheasants Forever banquets in 2012. For your chance to win:
- Attend your local Pheasants Forever banquet
- And apply for the Pheasants Forever Visa card at that local banquet – absolutely free
You’ll be entered to win the TriStar Setter S/T to be given away that night. It’ll be the cheapest raffle you enter, and even if you don’t win, feel good about the fact that all cards give a percentage of every net purchase back to Pheasants Forever.
The TriStar Setter S/T 12 Gauge Over/Under.
*Participation in the Pheasants Forever Visa Program is optional for Pheasants Forever chapters.
Field Notes are written and compiled by Anthony Hauck Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
VIDEO: U.S. Sen. Klobuchar Addresses PF
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
U.S. Senator Klobuchar understands the value of conservation, including programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). Since 2006, when she became the first female U.S. Senator from Minnesota, she has fought for the sportsmen and women of Minnesota and across the nation. She comes from a family of hunters, anglers and conservationists and she’s fought hard to uphold those traditions in Washington, D.C.
We are very much looking forward to working with Senator Klobuchar in crafting a strong conservation title in the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill.
Here is Senator Klobuchar addressing Pheasants Forever’s 2012 Minnesota State Convention in a video message:
The D.C. Minute is written by Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Government Relations.
Happy Birthday, Aldo!
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
Leopold with his bird dog, Gus.
January (the 11th to be exact) would have been Aldo Leopold’s 125th birthday. What is remarkable is that people still notice and publicize his birthday 64 years after he died. It speaks to the legacy that Leopold left with his land ethic and stewardship message and his still well-read book A Sand County ALMANAC (published in 1949 a year after his death).
Leopold’s message of restoration of the land and concern for the health of wildlife echoes the mission of Pheasants Forever. Leopold was a hunter and enjoyed hunting pheasants. He was an astute observer of the natural world and worked to live a peaceful co-existence with nature while understanding the need for balance. He raised his five children to also appreciate the natural world and time spent outdoors was special to all of them. I think he would have liked our No Child Left Indoors® initiative and I know he would have approved of the Leopold Education Project and the work PF does with educators, our chapters and others to teach about the importance of habitat and restoration of land.
If you have not read A Sand County ALMANAC, I really encourage you to do so (available in paperback from Pheasants Forever). If you don’t know about the Leopold Education Project, PF’s award-winning conservation education program, and the materials we have, go to www.lep.org for more information. Leopold’s messages are even more important today and can be used in schools, book clubs, churches (great Earth Day material), community centers, PF chapter events and university classes.
Get ‘em Outdoors is written by Cheryl Riley, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Education and Outreach. Email her at CRiley@pheasantsforever.org.
PF Receives Two SportDOG Conservation Fund Grants
Friday, January 6th, 2012
SportDOG, a Pheasants Forever National Sponsor, supports conservation with its annual grants program.
SportDOG has named a pair of Pheasants Forever projects as grant recipients in its annual SportDOG Brand Conservation Fund® program.
- $5,000 conservation grant – Funds will be used toward the purchase of a no-till native grass drill for creating and enhancing wildlife habitat within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota.
- $,1000 youth grant – The Marion County (Iowa) Pheasants Forever chapter will use its grant to help fund activities that educate youth on the importance of building habitat and the importance of conservation.
SportDOG Brand created its Conservation Fund program in 2007, and introduced the annual grant program in 2008.
“It’s rewarding to see this program continue to grow,” said Lance Tracy, SportDOG Brand VP. “Each year has seen an increase in the number of applicants for these grants. We believe it’s important for us to continue giving something back to the conservation initiatives our employees and customers care about.”
Pheasants Forever chapters or members with a wildlife habitat project or program in need of support are encouraged to apply for one of four $5,000 conservation grants or one $1,000 youth grant that SportDOG will award in 2013. Applications must be submitted by October 1st, 2012. For more information about the grant application process, click here.
Field Notes are written and compiled by Anthony Hauck Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Meet My First Bird Dog!
Saturday, December 31st, 2011
The quest for "Sprig," the author's first pup, was chronicled in Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dogs" series.
The serious search for “My First Bird Dog” began at Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest* earlier this year. Initially, I’d zeroed in on an English springer spaniel, but after seeing my first-ever English cocker spaniel up close and personal at National Pheasant Fest, I knew. And just before the holiday break, I picked up “Sprig,” a lemon and white female field-bred English cocker, from Thunderstruck Gundogs in Balaton, Minnesota – my first bird dog!
*Speaking now from personal experience, Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is the must-see event for bird dog owners or soon-to-be owners. While I didn’t purchase a pup on the spot, I gained first-hand info from an exhibiting professional dog trainer and his valuable reference on a quality breeder closer to my home. This year’s show is in Kansas City on February 17, 18 & 19.
An English cocker is the perfect fit for me: A close-working dog – check; adept in the grasslands and wetlands – check; a small breed that’s sized for my small apartment – check; and good looking to boot – check. The breeder, Mark Mercie, said, in his experience, he found females a bit easier to work with, so I heeded his advice. In fact, in the six-month lead up to getting Sprig, Mercie took many questions from Kaily, my significant other, and I on an all-too-regular basis – I can’t overstate how important this was to us. We picked her up at her seven-week mark, and didn’t have to dangle a pheasant wing or practice puppy psychology as she was the only female in the litter.
As I type this, Sprig is sound asleep on my lap. An hour before, she was treating the flesh of my hands as a chew toy. These are the highs and lows of puppy ownership, but she’ll age so quick – my day is her week, seven times faster than me – that doing anything other than simply enjoying this time is silly.
The “My First Bird Dog” series will now shift gears to the training process, with sights set on the pheasant hunting opener in 2012. The thought of this teething, 6-lb. peanut ever flushing and retrieving a pheasant is a near-foreign concept right now, with dog training like a foreign language. My puppy passport has been punched – know any good translators?
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
- When everyone’s a Dog Expert
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
PF Long Life Members
Friday, December 30th, 2011
Pheasants Forever Life Members, from left, Marco, Mateo and Emilia.
Pheasants Forever Life Member John Surma from Kountze, Texas thinks very highly of Pheasants Forever’s wildlife habitat conservation mission, enough that he’s purchased PF Life Memberships for his niece and nephews. Five-year-old Mateo, and two-year-old twins, Marco and Emilia, were gifted Life Memberships, and the trio proudly wear their Rudy the Rooster (PF’s youth mascot) stocking caps. No matter where life takes these youngsters, they’ll always receive the Pheasants Forever Journal!
For more information about Pheasants Forever Life Membership – at any age – visit www.pheasantsforever.org/join.
Field Notes are written and compiled by Anthony Hauck Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
My First Bird Dog – When everyone’s a Dog Expert
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dog" series follows a pheasant hunter's journey into bird dog ownership.
This weekend is pick-up day for my first bird dog, and excitement is paired equally with a dose of “Am I ready for this?” After months of digesting all dog-related material I could get my hands on, picking the brains of dog trainers and soliciting insight from dog owners and Pheasants Forever members right here online, I announce myself as…fully unprepared for my first bird dog as I was six months ago.
That’s not quite true, but the path to a bird dog is one filled with questions – What breed? Pup or started dog? Male or female? Pick up at seven or eight weeks? Use a pheasant wing to select your pup? Pet insurance? – and consensus answers that are about as slippery as a dog on kitchen tile.
So you look for some direction, some sort of dog compass, only to find too many dog owners, every one of them with their own expert advice – your co-worker says pickup at eight weeks, your hunting buddy says the magical 49th day is the day, the breeder says he can go either way and the latest issue of Gun Dog magazine has an article about a new fad of waiting 10 to 12 weeks. It can leave a lot of head scratchers while waiting for that new, little head to scratch…
While I’ve come across few certainties in the process, I’m sure of one thing – I’m ready to learn by doing…and maybe that’s when you know you’re really, officially ready for your first bird dog.
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Iowa’s Three Rivers PF Chapter Keeps Hope Alive
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
Humorist Mark Twain once said, “the news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” Well, after a visit with the Three Rivers Pheasants Forever Chapter in far northwest Iowa’s Lyon County, news of the total demise of pheasant hunting in the Hawkeye State is equally exaggerated. Iowa pheasant hunting has taken a beating of late, and it certainly isn’t what it used to be, but you can still bag a limit in places, which several of us did last week.
Here in Minnesota (I work at PF’s national office in the Twin Cities), hunting late season in Iowa used to be as big a tradition as the Vikings losing the Super Bowl. Iowa’s pheasant season once extended well after Minnesota’s closed. Since those days, however, Iowa pheasant habitat and hunting has generally declined in most areas – like many other states.
Northwest Iowa’s Three Rivers Chapter has worked hard to preserve quality habitat and they’ve still got quality pheasant hunting because of it. Here is some of the chapter gents after a hunt last week with Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Herwig. Kneeling from left are Larry Wibben, Dustin Timmerman and Craig Van Otterloo; standing from left are Sean Grotewold, Tim Dammann and Jeff Schram.
But, let’s not dwell on the negative just now. Rather, I’d like to report the folks at the Three Rivers chapter have worked hard to improve their public lands and the birds have survived. We hit only one public site where we saw no roosters, but there were hens. We probably bagged half our 11 birds on public land and the other half at two private sites. We missed some birds and saw more roosters flushing long along with numerous hens.
Our hunting conditions were great: a few inches of snow to tamp down the grasses, but not enough to bog down your feet; temps in the 20s so both hunters and dogs could walk long and hard and remain comfortable; and the habitat was great…diverse and tall in places for the birds to hide and stay warm, while other areas were more open for easier walking. It
was also great to see beaver sign along the creeks, deer, Hun tracks, short-eared owls, bald eagles and many fur-bearer sign.
We also hunted through a unique and thriving oak and walnut planting done by agency partners with chapter help to benefit deer, turkey, waterfowl and non-game species alike. I can see why this chapter is successful. At a get-acquainted dinner the night before our hunt, 25 folks showed up to meet the PF editor. This chapter is organized and motivated. Thanks to Pheasants Forever’s Western Iowa Regional Representative, John Linquist, for arranging my visit with the Three Rivers Chapter.
Lastly, I visited an impressive and growing project taking place on either side of the northwest Iowa-South Dakota border where about 700 acres have been protected so far. The interesting thing is both states are pushing for the area, which includes a very large and ancient native American site, to be expanded and protected as either a national monument or park. Thanks to Craig Van Otterloo, chapter habitat chair and Lyon County Conservation Board director, for giving me a tour. Stay tuned to Pheasants Forever Journal next year for more details on this exciting project.
The Nomad is written by Mark Herwig, Editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal and
Quail Forever Journal. Email Mark at MHerwig@pheasantsforever.org.
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