Flooded Pheasant Farms

A friend of mine just sent me the “Elk Drawing Delayed” press release from the PGC that was referenced in another post.  About half way down the release was this little tidbit.
 
Roe said the same flooding that devastated property and adversely affected the lives of tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians also impacted Game Commission properties and resources, including two Game Farms in Lycoming County, which caused the loss of thousands of ring-necked pheasants. The agency also has cancelled the public tours of the two Lycoming County game farms – the Loyalsock and Northcentral game farms – originally scheduled for Sept. 25.

“We are beginning the assessment process, but it appears that 30,000 to 40,000 pheasants that had been raised and were ready for release for this fall’s hunting have perished or escaped,” said Bob Boyd, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management assistant director, who oversees operations of the agency’s four Game Farms. “We are doing all that we can to recapture escaped birds still in the area, but losses may total up to 40 percent of the total pheasant production planned for this year and has compelled us to re-evaluate fall pheasant stocking plans. The disruption will delay the announcement of how many pheasants will be stocked in each county. Not only were birds lost, but both farms received major damage to holding fields and buildings, which may jeopardize plans to double production levels next year.

“It is too late in the production season to raise more pheasants or to purchase pheasants from private propagators to replace these losses.”
 
While I don’t think this will have an effect on my hunting of PGC birds personally, it will have a very profound effect on the “casual” small game hunter that typically is able to add a pheasant or three to their bag during the season.
 
Keep in mind that the approximately 100,000 pheasants that the PGC has been stocking in recent years is already a 90% decrease from what they stocked in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  The reason for this decrease was purely funding (no license increase, less money for raising birds, pretty straight forward and simple) and the inefficiency of the old game farms.  The game farms were redone and supposedly were set to double pheasant production for the 2012 season (if funding were available).  According to the release, the farms were also damaged extensively, so that increase may be in jeopardy as well.
 
With hunters clearly delineating the two main reasons for quitting the sport as “lack of access” and “lack of game,” this further 40% reduction is not going to bode well.  For the casual small game hunter, it may well mean that they don’t even see a pheasant this year, let along harvest (kill, whatever) any.
While this natural disaster is unfortunate, unplanned for, and unstoppable, what I don’t understand is the statement that “It is too late in the production season to raise more pheasants or to purchase pheasants from private propagators to replace the losses.”
 
While I can agree that it is too late in the season to raise new birds, why is it too late to replace the birds from private providers?  There are numerous providers in PA and the surrounding areas, of all sizes.  The one located within 20 miles of me raises 10,000 birds per year.  One near Harrisburg in the PGC’s backyard raises over 200,000 per year.  The preserve that guide on actually buys its birds in Ohio (they want a specific strain). 
 
Are they saying that these farms, which at times really scramble to dump birds at the end of the preserve season, won’t sell them birds in order to make at least some of the losses?  I highly doubt that.
 
Are they saying that there isn’t enough time before the season gets going?  With more than a month before the opener, I highly doubt that.
 
Are they saying that there is no funding to buy birds from private providers?   While holding out the ragged hat in hand, the PGC is sitting on a surplus that would probably not be affected by more than 2% if they had to purchase 40,000 pheasants at 1.5 to 2X current wholesale, non-volume pricing.  Is it not worth that to salvage the season for a majority of small game hunters?  Or are they that unimportant to the PGC because they get to hunt small game without any “extra” revenue streams to the PGC via specialized tags (as of now, but perhaps not in the future)?
 
Or are they saying that if they buy birds from private providers at approximately 50 – 75% less than it costs them to raise them themselves, that hunters may find out and demand that they shutter the game farms (and the associated state personnel) in favor of stocking a lot more birds for the same budget dollars?
 
In any case, if the PGC knows, and they have to know, that hunters are quitting the sport chiefly due to lack of access and lack of game, that they would take this opportunity to put correct, not enhance the detriment, of the lack of game rationale.  They could even gain some PR brownie points by saying that they are going to do everything in their power by dipping into the PGC reserve in order to make sure that small game hunters (including the youths) are not adversely affected by this act of nature because they hear the hunters’ concerns about lack of game being the # 1 or # 2 reason for quitting and they are going to do something about it so that reason is removed as an excuse.
 
Will the PGC do that?
 
I highly doubt it.

That's an option.
 
Tell approximately 100,000 hunters in PA that identify themselves as pheasant hunters that they aren't important.
 
That will increase particaption and slow hunting license sales declines.

Understood.
 
That type of behavior happend when stocking went from 1,000,000 birds to 200,000 birds to 100,000 birds.

The difference is as Dardys stated and which you younger folks didn't have the opportunity to experience. With one million birds being released you didn't have to worry where or when to hunt as every suitable area got birds and there were enough birds for everyone who could shoot and could beat a little brush. It was even good ringneck hunting in the late season. Reduce that by 90% as they did and it is a whole different story. Currently either you have an in with a WCO or DWCO or see the truck go by or else hunt the gamelands.

With a 30 million budget surplus and after hiring 14 non game biologists and staff and converting gamelands for the Audubons tweety birds they could afford to make a one time purchase of ringnecks if they wanted. Instead they will continue to hold them hostage until they get the license increase they want. Losing them to the flooding sucks and is expensive but they have the money to use if they choose to.

The stocking schedule is not all that difficult to figure out.  They will mostly be the same areas, and with the number of birds stocked these days, that will be game lands, fed/co-cop lands, and maybe, maybe, some co-op farms.  If they stocked them in an area last year (or for the last five years for that matter), they will stock them there again, but with this problem, in more than likely 40% few numbers.  They will stock a day or two before the opener.  They will stock Thursday or Friday of the first week.  They will stock Thursday or Friday of the second week.  They will stock the Thursday or Friday before Christmas week.
 
There, the top secret is out.
 
Pheasant hunting in PA is now like steelhead fishing -- put and take.

On the PGC website, they post a 3 day window for in season stockings. Other than being there when the truck shows up, doesn't get much easier than that. If you live close, you can generally guess by the number of vehicles in the parking areas. If you're willing to get a little off the beaten path, you can find quite a few. Even on the beaten path, you can find some a couple days after a stocking.

Kinda torn on this one. I used to hunt pheasants as a teen on my dad's friend's farm - he was a farm cooperator and got some PGC birds. In addition, he let some of his friends stock their own. PGC quit stocking, his friends got older, and soon no more pheasants. I gave up chasing pheasants 15 years ago, until about 3 years ago, when I realized how close I was to 2 stocked GL.

I enjoy it, mostly because it's another chance to hunt with my lab (waterfowl is my top hunting priority), but when I look at it from a practical standpoint, it's about akin to the PAFBC stocking trout in every ditch and mud hole in the state. It would be a PR nightmare to stop either, but financially and from a stewardship perspective it would make much more sense to stop stocking - trout and pheasants - in EVERY area and concentrate on areas that give you the most bang for the buck, or developing suitable habitat for other game species.

Does the PGC "actually" raise any stocked birds or do they buy from private game farms and stock them ?

ORIGINAL: RSB

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

Does the PGC "actually" raise any stocked birds or do they buy from private game farms and stock them ?

They raise them at the Game Commission pheasant farms.
 
R.S. Bodenhorn

Ok. Then the PGC's insurance should pay for the lost birds then,right?

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

ORIGINAL: RSB

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

Does the PGC "actually" raise any stocked birds or do they buy from private game farms and stock them ?

They raise them at the Game Commission pheasant farms.
 
R.S. Bodenhorn

Ok. Then the PGC's insurance should pay for the lost birds then,right?

If they didn't have flood insurance, I doubt it. Many people in the areas that got flooded probably didn't and "regular" insurance won't cover floods. You need a separate policy or a rider on your current policy, if it's available. Flood insurance is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. I would imagine if the PGC carried flood insurance on that facility the premiums over the last 30 years would add up to be 10, 20 or 30 times more than the losses incurred during the recent flood.

My house was just put into a flood zone for the first time this year (having surveys done to hopefully get out of it) and after my 2 year initial premium reduction, my "flood insurance" yearly premium will be quadruple the amount of my regular homeowner's premimum. FEMA really knows how to put the screws to you...

I remember hunting Greencastle in the 70's and we would see massive numbers of birds. Alot were native, I assume. Most places I hunted in the late 60's and 70's had a lot of birds thru the central part of the state.1971 had 1.3 million ringnecks taken; 1990, 300,000. I believe the first downward sign was avian flu. Next came the fewer but wilder birds. Next was the szuan strain of ringneck. Finally it was the costs of the birds. Don't seem like sportsmen clubs raise them as in the distant past. Every little burg had a club and the PGC was happy to give the day olds to them. I have my own idea about what happened to the reduction of the clubs raising and releasing the birds but it would just continue to add to my resume of ...Goon... Thug...not one of the good guys....WF

Also keep in mind, raptors became protected in 1972. I remember It was a really big deal to see a hawk. Now hawks and owls are the top predators and the PGC has frown tired of feeding them.

ORIGINAL: tull66

Also keep in mind, raptors became protected in 1972. I remember It was a really big deal to see a hawk. Now hawks and owls are the top predators

 
 
DING DING DING!!!!!!!
 
 

I mentioned before I hunt predators, mostly at night. It can be very eye-opening to see how many owls exist in PA. If I had to take a guess how often different predators come in per number of stands I make, I would say I call an owl in 1 of 2 sets, Hawks during the day, i of 3 sets, feral cats, 1 of 3 sets, fox 1 of 20 sets, coyote, 1 of 80 sets.

Probably was a 100 or 50 year rain event. Not much can really be done on a cost effective basis. The rarity would not justify the additional expense.... Now back to the grey wolves....WF

Although there were pheasants being raised and stocked by Sportsmen and other Coops to help supplement what the Game Commission was stocking it never reached anywhere near the million bird level.
 
Here are the facts for the years between 1980 and 1991.
 
Year……Sportsmen & coops………..Spring release - breeders………Fall PGC stocking
1980………..13,172………………………….27,514………………….219,514
1981………..14,072………………………….25,015………………….251,570
1982………..21,170………………………….26,941………………….325,567
1983………..12,390………………………….32,700………………….344,113
1984…………9,648………………………….24,242………………….223,671
1985…………9,581………………………….26,981………………….248,291
1986………..12,502………………………….26,706………………….205,656
1987………..14,030………………………….26,537………………….228,413
1988…………7,788………………………….24,388………………….189,340
1989…………8,116………………………….25,530………………….204,678
1990…………8,266………………………….30,661………………….200,834
1991…………8,645………………………….23,732………………….213,538
 
Granted back in the 70’s and 80’s and even a little bit into the 90’s hunters were still harvesting a pretty good supply of native pheasants that simply aren’t out there today.
 
I see very little evidence of raptor, or for that matter any other predators, taking pheasants in the areas we have been stocking over the past fifteen years or so. Back when the birds were raised in crowded conditions and brailed we saw a lot of predation but that isn’t the case with these wilder birds being raised in natural pen settings.
 R.S. Bodenhorn