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Hunters Urged to Report Banded Pheasants in Pennsylvania
(Before It's News)
Harrisburg, PA -(AmmoLand.com)- About 5,500 ringnecks have been marked as part of Game Commission study to assess harvest rates.
Pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania kicks off Saturday with the weeklong season for junior hunters, followed by the statewide opening day for pheasants Oct. 24.
With the season nearly here, hunters are advised that some of the pheasants they find in the field might have leg bands. And by reporting those birds, hunters can provide important information as part of a study into pheasant harvest rates.
This fall, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is conducting a study to assess harvest rates of ring-necked pheasants raised on game farms, then released to provide hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania.
Game Commission wildlife biometrician Josh Johnson said about 5,500 pheasants are being banded and, over the course of the season, will be released on public lands along with more than 200,000 non-banded pheasants. Each leg band is stamped with a toll-free number hunters can call to provide the date and location of harvest.
Johnson said hunter participation is crucial to the success of the study, and he urged all hunters who bag banded pheasants to report their harvests. Further, any banded pheasants found dead from other causes, such as being hit by a vehicle, also should be reported, as this information is very important to us as well, Johnson said.
Based on their track record, Johnson said he anticipates Pennsylvania’s hunters will report their birds.
“We rely on hunters in conducting many of our studies, and we survey many of our hunters each year to learn more about how their hunting seasons went and gauge their opinions on topics, and year after year they step up,” Johnson said. “Hunting is an important part of the lives of many Pennsylvanians, and I expect the state’s pheasant hunters will show us just that through their reporting of banded birds.”
A similar study on pheasant harvest rates was conducted in the fall of 1998. That study found about 50 percent of pheasants stocked by the Game Commission were harvested. Since then, however, many changes to pheasant-stocking strategies have been implemented. These changes aim for higher harvest rates, but harvest rates have not been evaluated since the changes took place.
The Game Commission will use the results of this fall’s study, not only to determine pheasant harvest rates, but also to assess where opportunities exist to maximize the number of hunter-harvested pheasants through changes in stocking strategies.
About Pennsylvania Game Commission:
For more than 100 years, the Game Commission has managed the Commonwealth’s wildlife resources for all Pennsylvanians. With the help of more than 700 full-time employees and thousands of part-timers and volunteers, the agency provides a host of benefits to wildlife, state residents and visitors.
For more information, visit: www.pgc.state.pa.us.
Source: http://www.ammoland.com/2015/10/hunters-urged-to-report-banded-pheasants-in-pennsylvania/
