2010 Pheasant Hunting Program
“Prospects for the 2010 Maine pheasant hunting season look good”, says MDIFW Wildlife Biologist, Scott Lindsay, administrator of Maine’s Pheasant Program. Maine runs a “put and take” style pheasant hunting program in two southern Maine counties, Cumberland and York. Pheasants are not native to the United States but have been successfully introduced in several states and have thrived in many environments such as Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and the Dakotas as well as others. Pheasants have not established a viable breeding population in Maine due to a combination of mortality associated with the harsh winters and a scarcity of standing grain crops for winter forage.
In a typical year Maine purchases 6-week old chicks from a commercial breeder and volunteer sportsmen’s’ clubs raise the chicks from 6-weeks to approximately 20-weeks old when they are fully grown, strong fliers in their full fall plumage. The birds are then released at both public and private properties offering good pheasant cover. The owners of these release site properties have graciously agreed to be a part of the pheasant program and permit access to hunters. The release sites usually number about two dozen, but there may be changes, annually. Stocking begins just prior to the opening of the upland bird season on or about October 1 and continues through the season until the end of December, though most of the stocking occurs in October, per hunter request.
Hunters must purchase a pheasant permit in addition to their regular hunting license and are permitted two birds a day, of either sex. The permits will cost $19 again this year but a rise in program costs and a desire to expand the program to other counties may dictate a rise in the near future. Of the $19, $17 goes to the program and $2 goes to the vendor who sells the permits. The stamps are available on-line or from the normal license vendors. With prices at local shooting preserves exceeding $30 per pheasant released (not necessarily harvested!) the pheasant permit is considered a very good value for the hunter.
Pheasants are a particularly good game bird to hunt with dogs because despite the fact that they prefer to run from predators including hunters, they will at times hold tight. When they eventually explode from heavy cover with their unique cackle and a thunderous wing beat they can startle unprepared hunters and dogs. Many a bird has escaped without a shot being fired while the hunter recovers his or her composure. They are also a good bird to start young hunters on because they will eventually hold and can be a larger and more predictable target for new shooters than the fast and erratic flying woodcock or partridge.
Last year was a particularly tough year for the program as the sportsmen clubs experienced an unusually high mortality rate of the young chicks during the raising phase, from June to October.
Weather (remember the rain last year?), disease, and predation by an extremely effective mink decimated the pen populations to the point where adult birds had to be purchased at a higher cost to provide an adequate number of birds for the number of pheasant permits purchased. For the upcoming season the State has contracted for all adult birds thus avoiding all the work of raising the birds as well as the risk of losses. What this means for hunters is that they will have reliable opportunity to kick up a bird or two this year for the same price throughout the season. With the number of permit sales last year (the funding to buy adult birds comes only from actual permit sales the preceding year) the State hopes to put almost 2200 birds in the field, about twice as many as last year. Lindsay says the hunters can help themselves by talking up the program with their friends and encouraging them to buy a permit. Participation and support from the partnering Fish & Game Clubs is vital. With expanding stamp sales the program can potentially grow larger to include additional release sites in Cumberland and York counties and even additional counties in the state, if there is sufficient support. New Hampshire has had such a program for years and through their higher stamp sales they have expanded their program to all counties in NH and they put out 13,500 birds last year. There is no reason why Maine cannot do the same…it just takes permit sales! Dog trainers are discouraged from training their dogs at the release sites after they are stocked but before the season opens to avoid scattering the birds off the sites. For additional information, see the MDIFW website at www.maine.gov/ifw.
Scott Lindsay
Regional Wildlife Biologist
MDIFW
358 Shaker Rd.
Gray, ME 04039
Phone: 207-657-2345 x 110
Email: scott.lindsay@maine.gov
Minot Farm, Highland Road, Brunswick
Note: Access via Alexander Road. Do not drive on farm field.
Whitney Tree Service, Gray
Long Hill Road.
Swett Rd., Powerline, Windham
Brickyard, Gorham
Across from Lachance Brick Company, Rt. 237.
Poleline Site, Gorham
Mosher Brook, Rt. 237.
Lowell Farm, Gorham
Crockett Road. *Note: Access property from small gravel pit on Hurricane Road
Parson Farm, Gorham
End of Brown Road.
Grondin/Parson's Property
Poleline and area beyond yellow gate at end of Brown Road of Rt. 25, Gorham.
Parson's Property, Gorham
Mill Pond Road (off Rt. 114).
Acres of Wildlife Road, Standish
Field on east side of road (off Rt. 113 at Standish/East Baldwin town line.
Meserve Farm, Dayton
Gordon Road.
Ahearn Farm, Dayton
Rt. 5, 1 mile west of intersection with Rt. 35.
Sherman Farm, Dayton/Lyman
Wadlin Road.
Longview Plain Farm, Ken Moulton Property, 1069 Longview Plains Farm Road
South side Rt. 22 in Buxton.
Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area, Scarborough
* Non-toxic shot only
Manson Libby Road. Access via Industrial Park.
Claras Farm, Brunswick
South side River Road just west of I-295.
Bragdon Pit Farms, Wells
Bills Lane (off Bragdon Road).
Blackberry Hill Area, Berwick
About .3 mile north of RR tracks.
Garrison House Field, York
York River overlook. Rt. 91.
Major McIntire Field, York
End of Major McIntire Road off Scotland Bridge Road.
Patterson Farm, Saco
Rt. 5. Across road from golf course.
Pikes Field, Cornish Intervale
Dirt Road (off Rt. 5). May drive to fields and park on edge of fields.
Mudgett Meadow, Parsonsfield
Mudgett Road. Park beside road
