wild pheasant reintroduction into central pennsylvania crep

Wild Pheasant Reintroduction Into Central Pennsylvania CREP • Why try to reintroduce wild pheasants in

PA?

• Why in Central PA?

• Why now?

The PlanStart Date Winter 2007

• 300 pheasants trapped and released for 3 consecutive years.

• Release areas in Western Columbia, Montour and Northern Northumberland Counties.

• Release areas decided by favorable habitat • Radio tagging of birds and nesting studies• Lands closed to pheasant hunting for 6

years

Why Wild Pheasants?

Why spend thousands of dollars to bring in wild pheasants from South Dakota? Hasn’t the Game Commission been releasing pheasants for years?

Wild Pheasants Vs. Game Farm

• SD biologist Tony Leif’s hen study in SD 1994• 8 week old young pheasants produced per 100

hens• Game Farm Hens -16• Wild Hens- 169

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Game FarmWild

Why Central PA?

Montour CountyAcres in soil bank 1964= 6,819

Acres in CREP and CRP 2008= 7,609

Historical Class 1 Pheasant Range In Red

0 3 61.5 Miles-

Legend

Water

Low-density Urban

High-density Urban

Hay/Pasture

Row Crops

Conifer Forest

Mixed Forest

Deciduous Forest

Woody Wetland

Emergent Wetland

Quarries

Coal Mines

Transitional

Montour County Columbia CountyNorthumberland County

Study Area Core

Watsontown

Turbotville

Milton

Danville

Millville

The Problem

CREP Harvested Corn

Dilution Is The Solution

Wild Pheasant Releases

Over 900 wild pheasants from Montana and South Dakota have been released in the reintroduction area. The average rooster to hen ratio is about 1:5.

Results from the First Two YearsWe are using flushing surveys and spring crowing counts to monitor survival. Early results cause us to be optimistic.

Flushing Surveys2008 - 140 birds total2009 - 252 birds total

Spring Crowing Count Route Through Release Area2006 – 1 Rooster (before start of program)2007- 9 Roosters2008- 16 Roosters2009- 25 RoostersThese surveys and crowing route only measure a part of the release area.

Why Now?• CREP is a 10 or 15 year agricultural conservation program that started in 2000 providing thousands of acres of nesting cover.

• Success of this wild pheasant program can be used to renew current contracts and expand additional CREP programs.

• Many other threatened or endangered grassland wildlife benefits from this program.

•It is imperative that these CREP programs be continued or the plan will fail in the future.

What Do We Expect To Get Out Of All This?

MORE!

MORE OF THIS

AND THIS

AND THESE

AND THIS

AND THIS

Financial Contributors to the Project

• For more information visit our web site at:

• www.centralsusquehannapf.org