news
PAMPA, Texas -- Get out your favorite shotgun, a box of number six shells and load up the retriever. Hunters in the Panhandle should see more birds afield during this year^s pheasant hunting season, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) findings.
Although Panhandle pheasant populations remain below the long-term goal established in state wildlife management strategies, biologists report a 40 percent jump from last year. TPW conducts roadside observation surveys in October and November to benchmark pheasant population dynamics. This year^s survey revealed 14 pheasants per survey route compared to 10 pheasants observed during 1998.
The 16-day pheasant hunting season runs Dec. 11-26 in the Texas Panhandle. Legal shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. The daily bag limit is three roosters per hunter (six in possession). TPW requires that one foot or all feathers remain attached to the pheasant until it reaches its final destination. All hunters must possess a Texas hunting license; there are no other special tag requirements.
Despite the increase in pheasant numbers this year, TPW biologist Mike Miller is predicting only a fair-to-good hunting season. "Pheasant numbers still remain below the long-term average in the Panhandle, but this year, hunters will work less to fill their bag limit," Miller predicts. "It was not surprising to observe the highest pheasant numbers in Deaf Smith, Hansford, and Ochiltree Counties. What was a little surprising was the increase in pheasant numbers in some very marginal pheasant country."
Randall, Bailey, Hale, Floyd, and Gray counties had the most birds seen in those counties for years, according to Miller.
Panhandle landowners and sportsman have experienced some of the best and worst pheasant hunting during the past few years. The 1997 season was one of the best, followed by one of the worst seasons on record. Miller attributes the huge swing in pheasant numbers to the availability of quality habitat, chiefly determined timely rainfall and farming practices.
Timely moisture not only provides an abundance of food -- seeds, plant shoots, and insects -- but also provides growth of grasses and weeds for nesting and rearing young, Miller noted. "Conservation Reserve Program cover, playa lake edges, field borders, and road rights-of-way provide excellent pheasant nesting areas," he said. "Hens often raise poults in areas that contain weedy field margins, edges of grain sorghum and cornfields, and the edges of playa lake basins. The farmer that provides a "checkerboard" mix of all of these components is on the right track to having pheasants."
Uploaded: 12/11/1999
Uploaded: 12/11/1999