Question

[jacob 28]

outside of shoots and estates can pheasants live and breed successfully in the wild in the u.k?

[proper job 1]

if you don't do any predator control the answer is no! being a ground nesting species the hens are extremely vulnerable when they are sitting, foxes, badgers, rats, stoats, weasels, polecats, cats, even grey squirels, will all take birds or eggs, and when you factor in corvids and raptors they stand no chance.

[OldTrapCollector 376]

They were introduced to this country by the Romans and survive fairly well in mixed scrub woodland and marshland, surprisingly. They do not exist naturally in the vast numbers seen on larger commercial shoots, as they are artificially supplemented by vermin and poacher control and feeding, but they will happily exist with a more natural distribution.

 

OTC

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Steady on, PJ! Bit of an extreme and absolutist view, isn't it?

 

Ok, I'm in Eire and this isn't uk. But there are plenty of completely wild pheasents around me here. I see and hear them and no bugger's putting them there or doing jack to protect them. In fact, the only rule of thumb in these parts is that ye don't shoot hens.

 

To suggest a pheasent, outside of a 'Keepered Preserve, will not survive is a bit harsh, surely? If any ground nesting bird was doomed without the care of a determined vermin trapper, how have you still got so many other native ground nesters? Waders, Larks, Pipits etc.

 

No. For my money; Ye'll obviously never see the huge numbers a Gamekeepered area can produce and sustain. But not Every perfectly wild pheasents nest will inevitably fall foul of predation. Some will survive.

[proper job 1]

point taken DS,but numbers would be few and far between, i grew up in a county where i never saw a pheasant or hare untill i left home when i was seventeen, that county was unkeepered and probally had more foxes per acre than any in england (this was before the fur boom in the 70's). so why could'nt they get a hold? i am not anti fox, not anti anything except grey squirrels and mink which just should'nt be here, but an area where the predators are managed goes a long way to helping those that need the balance tipping in their favour, such as those ground nesting birds you mentioned.