Years ago, what year it was I can't remember, Pennsylvania was in the top 5 states with a million pheasants harvested. Never ever again. Naturally South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and I believe California. This could have been in the heydays of the 70's early 80's I'm not sure. I do remember going outside of Allentown, a large city and got into the farm land and seeing 13 cocks and over 50 hens in one day. Hunted this area for many years until it dropped off and then you couldn't find any.
You could hunt all day and see birds and in the evening heading back to the vehicles they started to come back to roost in the alfalpha fields and you got some more action. Now you could hunt for 10 years and never see 10 hens never mind 10 cocks. They blame it on loss of habitat but this area still is farm land and has basically the same habitat. The states program is different, years ago if your land wasn't posted they would release 5-6 week old birds and by the time hunting season started they were like wild birds, long tails and no cut beaks.
Had the opportunity to hunt South Dakota in the late 80's. Had the dogs flown out with us to Sioux Falls and didn't really know where to go. In eating at a resturant in the middle of nowhere and dressed for hunting the waitress asked how the hunting was and we expained to her that we really didn't have any spots in particular. She said drive down the road and make a left and ask there. Come to find out that these farmers had 10 sections (10 square miles or 6,400 acres, small to their standards. In two days of hunting in early Nov. we had to see at least 450 birds. Unbelievable, little rockets, push them out of cover and all hell erupted. Don't remember many of the roosters crowing, had to look for color and tails. No talking just hand signals when the dogs were working which was all the time. Would love to do it again.
Like stated those of you that live in these areas of Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, I envy you, to me nothing gets my blood racing like a pheasant. I used to be like that for Woodcock also, but haven't seen them also.
