Huns in surrogator

[wildergamebirds]

  Again, I repeat, again     huh?


  And the congregations says, in unison       whut?


  Short fuse?

[Bird Brained]

Sorry Wilder, it's only Tues. and it's been a long week.

I must of read pups last response incorrectly (still am as a matter of fact). 

I read it with a little defensiveness poking out here and there like they had to defend themselves from my fun'n in the post prior where I quoted them saying a few times how huns just don't imprint like quail or chukar.

[Iowan]

One more week until scheduled release. No more lost birds after the 1st 2 days. The weather here has been ideal lately. No major storms in NW Ia. but enough rain to keep everthing green.  Humidity levels have really gone up lately, especially at night with heavy dew, so we're hoping that will help them out, along with a few mistings we have done.  Lots of insects mainly young grasshoppers abound.
The landowner has been kept some strips mowed in the grass for loafing/sunning areas as he's done for years for the resident pheasants. While NW Ia escaped the major floods they had east of us, we also had many heavy rains in late May/early June, so our wild bird hatch has been very, very poor. This time of year I usually see many broods along the gravel roads in the mornings, not this year.

[puphood1]

I have been to ND twice and leave in 4 days from now again and the hatch on wild pheasasnts is either slow or going to be down also  probably due to the cool /wet spring we have seen across the prairies.
 I have put my Huns out side a week ago in the flight pen and lost none they are starting to fly some what at 5 weeks. My notes from last year said they flew well by 7-8 weeks.
One more question how are you addressing their confinment and  weak wings if they are just let go from the surragator? As I assume they need at least a week to build up their wing streight?
Also on MT. Fish and wildlife's web site they have a good article on feeding wild pheasant populations using areas of uncut grass and legume that are watered in order to increase insect life and hence decrease chick mortality.
 Good luck........puphood1

[Iowan]

The Huns were released this week. We opened the side door, not the top. Interesting to watch them file out from a distance. They seemed to be in great health and very alert to danger. The landowner said he will not harvest any huns this fall. ( My buddy & I cannot hunt there). I do have serious doubts if this did any good for the future populations, but it was fun, we learned alot, & got to enjoy hiking through some of the very little remaining CRP left in Iowa this spring/summer. Amazing what an undisturbed chunk of grass can produce in the middle of Round-Up Ready corn & beans can produce.

FYI...I did see a brood of wild huns yesterday, 5 miles from release site. A hen with 10-12 young ones ran across the gravel road near my home... That was a better site to see than than any released birds!!!

The Iowa DNR website claims that our Huns nest early spring. I have not observed many broods, but the few I have seen were certainly not hatched in May.

Any info on this would be greatly appreciated!!  Thanks

[wildergamebirds]

  I would suspect those are second hatches.  Either after the first was old enough to go it alone, or (more likely, after first hatch failed.

[Iowan]

  I would suspect those are second hatches.  Either after the first was old enough to go it alone, or (more likely, after first hatch failed.

I agree that they must be re-nesters.  Not enough time to be raising a 2nd brood. That is a popular myth about hens raising 2 or more broods in these parts. Talked to a DNR official 2 years ago. He said that the very young birds (pheasants)  seen in fall were the results of hens re-nesting after the 1st or 2nd clutches were unsuccessful.

[puphood1]

How have your released Huns made out? Have you seen them around and if so how are their numbers?
Interestingly the birds I let go this spring one stayed single and one pair did not raise a clutch. Numerous coveies around here again this year but the size of the covies are no bigger than 8-10 and probably average at about 5-6 which I consider small. I can only blame it on the cool wet spring....puphood1

[Iowan]

Sorry, no new info on the huns. I hope to get some info from the landowner later this fall after the harvest.  I'll drive past the property some wet morning to check things out, & ask his son and grandson that will be bowhunting there starting Oct. 1.

[Iowan]

Jan. 10...the end Iowa's pheasant season. No reports of the released birds! Dec. was brutal here. Lots of snow & record low temps early in the month. Still have some hope though. The property was only hunted for deer this year, so the owners never really hiked thru their land much at all. Will ask to walk the ground later this winter/ early spring. Access is very doubtful though. They want to keep all deer info secret..ie sheds, sightings  etc.  Great property, but unfortunately deer hunting is BIG here. Rumors of a giant buck brings out all kinds of illegal activity.