Cape Cod pheasant hunting

[pupchow]

Pheasant hunt phasing out at Cape Cod National Seashore

The opinion as fact, theme.

 

[Dennis in MA]

In a lawsuit, the groups said the federal agency was violating its own policy that prohibited the stocking and releasing of non-native and exotic wildlife within the national park system where natural resources and wildlife can potentially be impacted.

It's not a lie. If their policy is to not introduce a non-native species, don't introduce a non-native species.

Granted, I'm not worried about RNP's competing for resources. They'll not last a single year in this area of the country. But I'm just some yokel. What do I know? They could potentially impact for sure.

But in all of this "why won't the government follow it's own rules" crap, why are we complaining when they. . . . follow their own rules?



Although I'm biased. Deer are a renewable resource. Good to spend $ on them. Turkey - same. Trout? I think. Bass? For sure! RNP's??? No. One has to wonder if they were to release buffalo in the AO to be shot same-season if we'd feel the same about them releasing pheasants. Their job is to preserve the resources. This isn't protecting resources.

 

[Mark from MA]

First off...Pheasants are native to China, they were never native to the US......they are not from South Dakota, or Kansas, or Nebraska, although they thrive there. This program has been going on since the 70's, yet now...the treehuggers decide to sue to stop it. WTF. This article is over blown and written to say that there all hunters sit there and follow trucks, and shoot the birds off the truck. While a small amount of this happens, its not the majority of hunters doing it. Most guys I know would rather the birds sit a while/day or two before they hunt them, the dog work is better and it is more sporting.

Since F&W's job just been to save resources????? Thier job is to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible in budget, and keep the resources in check with our native species so they aren't over hunted. Additional opportunited like Pheasant hunting and Trout stocking are put and take programs paid for by our licenses and fees, and excise taxes. Why anyone would want to take them away, is beyond me, and if you do, your not a hunter, or for the future of hunting.

The MA pheasant program is probably one of the best programs going in this state. My club, which is in a network of clubs in the program each pays 2400 dollars a year to feed, raise and purchase these birds. I just wrote the check this month for my club.

Many clubs also have pens and buy and raise these birds. The state buys and raises these birds as well, usually in the prison system, they take care of the birds. This is all done either with private club monies, or monies from HUNTING licenses an excise tax on sporting items. The same thing is done with trout fishing, except the state deals with all the raising, feeding and stocking. Again paid for by Sportsmen.

Some hunting and fishing here is native species where it can be supported....other opportunities are put and take because either the species cannot thrive here, or the habitat is not condusive to the species, or the habitat that once was is gone by development, or the increase in predation is now taking a huge toll The Ruffed Grouse is a perfect example of what is happening here with loss of habitat, and predation by all sorts of predators.
The ruffed grouse will be next on the list if the state isn't careful on management of this species. Pheasant hunting takes some of the pressure off of the Grouse, as if there were no pheasant hunting, most people would grouse and woodcock hunt.

The idea behind paying for a hunting license is to have lots of opportunities for all, federal lands play a partner in this by giving land to hunt. People may not like the idea of put and take pheasant hunting, but the idea of decreasing land to hunt in this state by taking away federal lands is dumb. Its playing into the Anti's hands big time, the last thing we need to have happen.

I also personally feel that RNP hunting is a very popular thing in my area, take it away and you lose hunters, revenue and new hunters. I personally teach and help run the youth pheasant program, and a lot of kids love getting their first bird, stocked or not its a fun experience.....its not just shooting the bird, its the dog work, the comraderie, learning to shoot safely......take it way and we lose a lot of youth. Guaranteed. Deer hunting is a totally different thing, and alot of them don't like it, or find it boring. We need as many different experiences as possible to keep our youth and ourselves hunting.

Put and take may not be for you...understood. But agreeing as a hunter that its OK to take it away...well, maybe your type of hunting will be the next thing taken away.

 

[whacko]

It's not a lie. If their policy is to not introduce a non-native species, don't introduce a non-native species.

Granted, I'm not worried about RNP's competing for resources. They'll not last a single year in this area of the country. But I'm just some yokel. What do I know? They could potentially impact for sure.

But in all of this "why won't the government follow it's own rules" crap, why are we complaining when they. . . . follow their own rules?



Although I'm biased. Deer are a renewable resource. Good to spend $ on them. Turkey - same. Trout? I think. Bass? For sure! RNP's??? No. One has to wonder if they were to release buffalo in the AO to be shot same-season if we'd feel the same about them releasing pheasants. Their job is to preserve the resources. This isn't protecting resources.

Trout you say? Brown trout are not native to north America they were introduced from Europe.........and they stock those everywhere. Rainbow trout are not native to new England or the east coast.......they came form the pacific originally until they got stocked pretty much everywhere. The lawsuit should be dead on arrival.

 

[whacko]

First off...Pheasants are native to China, they were never native to the US......they are not from South Dakota, or Kansas, or Nebraska, although they thrive there. This program has been going on since the 70's, yet now...the treehuggers decide to sue to stop it. WTF. This article is over blown and written to say that there all hunters sit there and follow trucks, and shoot the birds off the truck. While a small amount of this happens, its not the majority of hunters doing it. Most guys I know would rather the birds sit a while/day or two before they hunt them, the dog work is better and it is more sporting.

Since F&W's job just been to save resources????? Thier job is to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible in budget, and keep the resources in check with our native species so they aren't over hunted. Additional opportunited like Pheasant hunting and Trout stocking are put and take programs paid for by our licenses and fees, and excise taxes. Why anyone would want to take them away, is beyond me, and if you do, your not a hunter, or for the future of hunting.

The MA pheasant program is probably one of the best programs going in this state. My club, which is in a network of clubs in the program each pays 2400 dollars a year to feed, raise and purchase these birds. I just wrote the check this month for my club.

Many clubs also have pens and buy and raise these birds. The state buys and raises these birds as well, usually in the prison system, they take care of the birds. This is all done either with private club monies, or monies from HUNTING licenses an excise tax on sporting items. The same thing is done with trout fishing, except the state deals with all the raising, feeding and stocking. Again paid for by Sportsmen.

Some hunting and fishing here is native species where it can be supported....other opportunities are put and take because either the species cannot thrive here, or the habitat is not condusive to the species, or the habitat that once was is gone by development, or the increase in predation is now taking a huge toll The Ruffed Grouse is a perfect example of what is happening here with loss of habitat, and predation by all sorts of predators.
The ruffed grouse will be next on the list if the state isn't careful on management of this species. Pheasant hunting takes some of the pressure off of the Grouse, as if there were no pheasant hunting, most people would grouse and woodcock hunt.

The idea behind paying for a hunting license is to have lots of opportunities for all, federal lands play a partner in this by giving land to hunt. People may not like the idea of put and take pheasant hunting, but the idea of decreasing land to hunt in this state by taking away federal lands is dumb. Its playing into the Anti's hands big time, the last thing we need to have happen.

I also personally feel that RNP hunting is a very popular thing in my area, take it away and you lose hunters, revenue and new hunters. I personally teach and help run the youth pheasant program, and a lot of kids love getting their first bird, stocked or not its a fun experience.....its not just shooting the bird, its the dog work, the comraderie, learning to shoot safely......take it way and we lose a lot of youth. Guaranteed. Deer hunting is a totally different thing, and alot of them don't like it, or find it boring. We need as many different experiences as possible to keep our youth and ourselves hunting.

Put and take may not be for you...understood. But agreeing as a hunter that its OK to take it away...well, maybe your type of hunting will be the next thing taken away.

If mass seriously wanted to increase the ruffed grouse populations there is a way.......its called clear cutting timber! Ruffed grouse prefer early successional forests......aspen, birch and thickets that grow soon after a clear cut. Problem is in southern new England all the hippies, yuppies, and soccer moms get their panties in a bunch when they see a real timber lot after a cut........and companies that do log for timber in western mass select cut which favors old growth forest. Grouse were VERY abundant in mass in the first half of the 1900s.......when farms were abandoned and the early successional forests grew in......now its all old growth in mass and favors deer and turkey. A true management plan would have timber and public land management policies that favored both old grown and early successional forests.

 

[Dennis in MA]

First off...Pheasants are native to China, they were never native to the US......they are not from South Dakota, or Kansas, or Nebraska, although they thrive there. This program has been going on since the 70's, yet now...the treehuggers decide to sue to stop it. WTF. This article is over blown and written to say that there all hunters sit there and follow trucks, and shoot the birds off the truck. While a small amount of this happens, its not the majority of hunters doing it. Most guys I know would rather the birds sit a while/day or two before they hunt them, the dog work is better and it is more sporting.

Since F&W's job just been to save resources????? Thier job is to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible in budget, and keep the resources in check with our native species so they aren't over hunted. Additional opportunited like Pheasant hunting and Trout stocking are put and take programs paid for by our licenses and fees, and excise taxes. Why anyone would want to take them away, is beyond me, and if you do, your not a hunter, or for the future of hunting.

The MA pheasant program is probably one of the best programs going in this state. My club, which is in a network of clubs in the program each pays 2400 dollars a year to feed, raise and purchase these birds. I just wrote the check this month for my club.

Many clubs also have pens and buy and raise these birds. The state buys and raises these birds as well, usually in the prison system, they take care of the birds. This is all done either with private club monies, or monies from HUNTING licenses an excise tax on sporting items. The same thing is done with trout fishing, except the state deals with all the raising, feeding and stocking. Again paid for by Sportsmen.

Some hunting and fishing here is native species where it can be supported....other opportunities are put and take because either the species cannot thrive here, or the habitat is not condusive to the species, or the habitat that once was is gone by development, or the increase in predation is now taking a huge toll The Ruffed Grouse is a perfect example of what is happening here with loss of habitat, and predation by all sorts of predators.
The ruffed grouse will be next on the list if the state isn't careful on management of this species. Pheasant hunting takes some of the pressure off of the Grouse, as if there were no pheasant hunting, most people would grouse and woodcock hunt.

The idea behind paying for a hunting license is to have lots of opportunities for all, federal lands play a partner in this by giving land to hunt. People may not like the idea of put and take pheasant hunting, but the idea of decreasing land to hunt in this state by taking away federal lands is dumb. Its playing into the Anti's hands big time, the last thing we need to have happen.

I also personally feel that RNP hunting is a very popular thing in my area, take it away and you lose hunters, revenue and new hunters. I personally teach and help run the youth pheasant program, and a lot of kids love getting their first bird, stocked or not its a fun experience.....its not just shooting the bird, its the dog work, the comraderie, learning to shoot safely......take it way and we lose a lot of youth. Guaranteed. Deer hunting is a totally different thing, and alot of them don't like it, or find it boring. We need as many different experiences as possible to keep our youth and ourselves hunting.

Put and take may not be for you...understood. But agreeing as a hunter that its OK to take it away...well, maybe your type of hunting will be the next thing taken away.

Thanks, Mark. That is probably the most concise meaningful reason I've seen. The best I've ever gotten from other folks is, "Hey, I paid my hunting license. This is owed me." That rubs me the wrong way.

In my AO, they don't quite kick over the bushel baskets and shoot. But it's damned close. They set the birds the night before, I think. Then at sun-up everyone runs their asses off a'whumpin anna'hollerin. (OK, maybe we're sorta quiet.) It's 50 guys for 8 or 12 birds. Some guy gets lucky and hits 3. He may or may not be part of the group that places the birds the night before.

I was unaware that some clubs pony up for this. That's a great thing. Again, in my AO, you are limited to a certain # of hunters (based on the parking lot size) having an opportunity for a limited # of birds. It isn't a resource that MANY can take advantage of. That's what rubs me the wrong way.

And don't get me wrong. Wandering in the woods is a great time. And I appreciate programs that get more hunters in the woods. Thank you for the education. Yes, people DO learn things on NES. ROFL!!!

 

[whacko]

First off...Pheasants are native to China, they were never native to the US......they are not from South Dakota, or Kansas, or Nebraska, although they thrive there. This program has been going on since the 70's, yet now...the treehuggers decide to sue to stop it. WTF. This article is over blown and written to say that there all hunters sit there and follow trucks, and shoot the birds off the truck. While a small amount of this happens, its not the majority of hunters doing it. Most guys I know would rather the birds sit a while/day or two before they hunt them, the dog work is better and it is more sporting.

Since F&W's job just been to save resources????? Thier job is to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible in budget, and keep the resources in check with our native species so they aren't over hunted. Additional opportunited like Pheasant hunting and Trout stocking are put and take programs paid for by our licenses and fees, and excise taxes. Why anyone would want to take them away, is beyond me, and if you do, your not a hunter, or for the future of hunting.

The MA pheasant program is probably one of the best programs going in this state. My club, which is in a network of clubs in the program each pays 2400 dollars a year to feed, raise and purchase these birds. I just wrote the check this month for my club.

Many clubs also have pens and buy and raise these birds. The state buys and raises these birds as well, usually in the prison system, they take care of the birds. This is all done either with private club monies, or monies from HUNTING licenses an excise tax on sporting items. The same thing is done with trout fishing, except the state deals with all the raising, feeding and stocking. Again paid for by Sportsmen.

Some hunting and fishing here is native species where it can be supported....other opportunities are put and take because either the species cannot thrive here, or the habitat is not condusive to the species, or the habitat that once was is gone by development, or the increase in predation is now taking a huge toll The Ruffed Grouse is a perfect example of what is happening here with loss of habitat, and predation by all sorts of predators.
The ruffed grouse will be next on the list if the state isn't careful on management of this species. Pheasant hunting takes some of the pressure off of the Grouse, as if there were no pheasant hunting, most people would grouse and woodcock hunt.

The idea behind paying for a hunting license is to have lots of opportunities for all, federal lands play a partner in this by giving land to hunt. People may not like the idea of put and take pheasant hunting, but the idea of decreasing land to hunt in this state by taking away federal lands is dumb. Its playing into the Anti's hands big time, the last thing we need to have happen.

I also personally feel that RNP hunting is a very popular thing in my area, take it away and you lose hunters, revenue and new hunters. I personally teach and help run the youth pheasant program, and a lot of kids love getting their first bird, stocked or not its a fun experience.....its not just shooting the bird, its the dog work, the comraderie, learning to shoot safely......take it way and we lose a lot of youth. Guaranteed. Deer hunting is a totally different thing, and alot of them don't like it, or find it boring. We need as many different experiences as possible to keep our youth and ourselves hunting.

Put and take may not be for you...understood. But agreeing as a hunter that its OK to take it away...well, maybe your type of hunting will be the next thing taken away.

Pheasant put and take is also not my thing. I do.....as you put it......agree that it is a program that gets young folks and keeps some folks into hunting. That's all good and the program should be increased....not removed Imo.

While I say it's not my thing.......I'll admit that if I'm in the woods or power line close to a stocked wma hunting rabbit and squirrel...and a pheasant wanders into my AO.......I will take it......I paid for the license like everyone else.,...... But I don't specifically target pheasant.

 

[pupchow]

If mass seriously wanted to increase the ruffed grouse populations there is a way.......its called clear cutting timber! Ruffed grouse prefer early successional forests......aspen, birch and thickets that grow soon after a clear cut...

re: grouse
A few state forests in western Mass have been cut in recent years. A "buffer" of unmolested trees is maintained along roadways, to keep the citizenry from witnessing the carnage. The DCR has some of the info posted here: Forest Management Projects

 

[smokey-seven]

We hunted hard for upland birds. With good dogs and knowing how to push an area, in mid state MA, we would always put up a couple Grouse as well as a few Woodcock, along with the Pheasants.

I quit hunting the Cape in the middle 70's. Too many ticks. The ride home was spent combing them off the dog and putting them in Alcohol.
A whole hour plus on the ride to get the dogs ready for their baths. Central MA is the lowest saturation of ticks in the New England area.

 

[Mark from MA]

re: grouse
A few state forests in western Mass have been cut in recent years. A "buffer" of unmolested trees is maintained along roadways, to keep the citizenry from witnessing the carnage. The DCR has some of the info posted here: Forest Management Projects

This is true, they do it out by me in north central as well. Though I don't think grouse have a chance, predators abound in all sorts coyotes, fishers, foxes, weasels, etc....., federally protected birds of prey are everywhere and should be taken off the list there are so many.

Times are very different when grouse thrived in early part of the 1900's Trapping was normal, people killed foxes, coyotes weren't even here yet, birds of prey were scarce.

Rabbits, Grouse, and other small game thrived. My grandmother used to tell me there were pheasants around that made it thru year to year.....NFW a pheasant could live here now with all the predators around. Christ, when we stock birds the hawks are sitting in the trees waiting.

 

[Mark from MA]

Pheasant put and take is also not my thing. I do.....as you put it......agree that it is a program that gets young folks and keeps some folks into hunting. That's all good and the program should be increased....not removed Imo.

While I say it's not my thing.......I'll admit that if I'm in the woods or power line close to a stocked wma hunting rabbit and squirrel...and a pheasant wanders into my AO.......I will take it......I paid for the license like everyone else.,...... But I don't specifically target pheasant.

Honestly....pheasant put and take isn't my thing either. I love hunting with the dog, points, flushes, the comraderie with the other guys, half the time we bust balls and forget whats going on. That's the part I like about it. Shooting a pheasant...is pretty easy. Its not like its a big deal. I shoot at least 25 a year. (Not state birds obviously, the limit is 6, most are at Addieville)

I bowhunted mostly alone for 20 years, and have had enough of treestands and sitting quietly. Though I still enjoy it, and I don't want or need to kill a deer anymore like I used to. Bird hunting is totally different, and its fun. That said, this isn't South Dakota.....I wish I could afford to go there every year and not hunt put and take birds, honestly, stock birds suck to hunt. But it is what it is.....and its still a good time and a good introduction to the sport for kids.

There isn't much that's more exciting than a cackling rooster or grouse flushing out from cover....I've seen my best trained kids, crack shooters that are busting 20+ at skeet, miss multiple times on points that are sitting 5 feet in front of them under a dogs nose, when the bird flushes, they just lose their shxt. They usually turn around to me and embarrassed but smiling ear to ear. I know that's better than any video game they've ever played.

 

[45collector]

They usually turn around to me and embarrassed but smiling ear to ear. I know that's better than any video game they've ever played.

I can't wait to take my son, and daughter for that matter, bird hunting. He'll be two in September and my daughter was born Friday, so I got a while.

 

[Chris M.]

Couldnt have said it better than Mark has. ~30 years ago, I hunted the crane areas often and met a lot of just wonderful people. Ton of great memories. Thanksgiving morning at the quail area parking area was a party. One year it was just frigid cold and after the early morning hunt most folks were back in the parking area having 'a few' thanksgiving hot toddies inside and around a couple campers havin a good old time. Mrs. Little (of Anderson-Little company, or so i was told) would hunt there at times. She had a huge station wagon, two very nice setters and she was always dressed in nice, neat hunting clothes. Very nice lady.

 

[smokey-seven]

I've seen my best trained kids, crack shooters that are busting 20+ at skeet, miss multiple times on points that are sitting 5 feet in front of them under a dogs nose, when the bird flushes, they just lose their shxt.

Yea the best one is when they pull the trigger 8 times as the bird goes out of range and they finally remember to take the safety off!