[Lynnappelman]

I ran the route for the third time today. It was nice and warm with no wind and almost no traffic or background noise. Sundays are always the best days to run the routes. Todays total----- <span style="color: #FF0000">45!!!!</span> I had birds at every stop. Even the turkeys were into it this morning. I had eight gobblers along the way. Who says pheasants and turkeys don't mix.

 

[FLDBRED]

Holy moly,that's awesome!!!Is everyone else having the same kind of results in that area?
I just got back from an area that I know has birds,but didn't hear anything!You must think you died and went to heaven! LOL

You should post the results in the General Hunting Forum!This is "GREAT" news!

 

[Lynnappelman]

You should post the results in the General Hunting Forum!This is "GREAT" news!

I reserve this news for those who are most involved in the success. There is another route that is growing faster than mine. These two routes run through the middle of the two release areas which are about five miles apart. I haven't heard from all the route runners yet. I won't have all the info till mid May.

The 2nd year is after the first release. Wild birds were released in year two and three. Last release of wild birds was 2/08

The other route so far is:.

10, 2, 15, 29

I don't have a Sunday number for this route yet. The first two years were before the release of wild birds and were hold over game farm birds. No game farm birds were released in this area after the first and only wild bird release in year three. Only release of wild birds was 2/09.

 

[FLDBRED]

Lynn,
I think those counts are as good as the historic counts for that area!When you think about the rooster to hen ratio and the winter we just had,man...is this some good news !Sleep well tonight my friend,you deserve it!

 

[Lynnappelman]

Based on our flushing data from January, this would equal 90 hens and 45 roosters in a ten mile long and one mile wide path through the WPRA. If we have a good nesting season and reasonable winter---

 

[bwire]

What a great way to spend a Sunday morning!

 

[FLDBRED]

Lynn,
Can you get hold of the old PGC spring crowing counts for that area?

 

[Lynnappelman]

I don't know if such a thing even exists. I can tell you we are not to levels of the late 60s and early seventees for this area. This area had large flocks of pheasants in the fall. I think the only thing that will limit the growth of birds here is habitat and getting landowners to let cover grow and widen hedge rows and erosion ditches. It looks like the first phase of the program is working. We needed to show that this can work. When landowners see these birds in good numbers, then we can go to them and make suggestions on how they can improve their properties to get these birds on their ground.

 

[Lynnappelman]

FLDBRED,

I did find some crowing route counts from the 60s and early 70s. They were not from this area but you can get an idea of the comparison. The average crowing routes were around 30 during that time. However, a big difference is that these routes were being run through areas open to hunting. It was believed that 75 to 80 of the roosters were being harvested. You can see that things look good but we have a ways to go.

 

[FLDBRED]

Lynn,
A few years ago while I was setting up a hunting trip to Iowa,I contacted their DNR.I got friendly with a biologist out there,it turned out he was from S.E.Pa..He told me they used to do the crowing counts and mail carrier surveys!The reason I remember it was that, he said he had never reached as high a number in Iowa as he did in Pa.!He said the Sharletsville,Pa.area was the highest he had "ever" done!
He was talking about the early 70's in Pa.!

 

[Tcaddis]

FLDBRED,

I know this will never happen, but if Blue Marsh and SGL 280 were closed to hunting and wild birds transferred to it the area those numbers might be able to be realized again. I know it's impossible to do, but something to think about. The habitat is there it just needs the birds.

 

[Lynnappelman]

Tcaddis,

Nothing is impossible. If this continues to work, the plan is to get wild pheasants wherever the habitat will support it. Game farm birds will be for areas that will not support a wild population. We never thought we'd get the PPL area closed. It was also a very popular area for game farm pheasant hunting. If we continue to see growth in the population like we expect, there will be a good precedent for the same program at Blue Marsh or any other location the habitat will support it.

 

[FLDBRED]

Tcaddis,

A few years ago a member of the PGC put together a plan to do just that!His "mistake" was also including controling birds of prey!He got beat up pretty good for that one!
I agree about the habitat there,it is one of the areas that I always thought should have held some wild birds!

 

[Lynnappelman]

The original wild pheasant plan called for three locations. Pike Run, PPL and Blue Marsh. Due to funding issues, it was reduced to Pike Run. PPL was added later as we got the funding for it. So Blue Marsh was considered in the original plan. I would expect it will be considered as a future WPRA as things progress.

 

[Tcaddis]

Wow! Good stuff. I wish you well for expanding to that area.

 

[fishdoctor]

Just curious if there is any talk about expanding the WPRA to include the ordinance area near the White Deer Golf Course? I know it is a popular area for game farm birds, but it definitely seems to have suitable habitat.

 

[Lynnappelman]

It's been discussed but nothing specific. If birds continue to spread in that direction we will need to take a closer look. The area around the prison and the game lands have good potential for wild birds. The problem with 252 is that it is both sex hunting. Any wild hens that move that way will be shot. I would prefer to make it a rooster only area first and protect any hens that move in there. We would need to change the whole WMU to rooster only. That includes areas we really aren't worried about now. Here is a case where county limits would fit better than WMUs.

 

[stormcrow]

Does anyone know what happened to the pheasants at MiddleCreek? There used to be flocks of them there when we went waterfowl hunting!

 

[stephen.biello]

Who has better times in the 40, You or the Pheasant?

 

[Lynnappelman]

What year are you asking about?