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Has anyone seen a decline in pheasant numbers in there areas this season.I am in the midlands in eire and up until last season we had very good rough shooting in and around our local club grounds but this season is a disaster,a lot of walking and no return for it,lucky if you rose 1 cock for the day.I was speaking to a local farmer last wk and he reckons that the buzzards and pine martins are to blame as there seems to be a lot of them about now and as there protected nothing can be done about them.While fishing my local lake earlier this year i seen 4 buzzards together and its in an area where there is no rabbits to be seen so they have to live on something and young pheasants would be easy picking for them.Same farmer also told me he witnessed a certain forestery firm release pine martin into a young forestry,is this legal as the amount of damage they would do to wildlife is frighting.I actually seen 1 while out with the dogs a few weeks back and it in the trees and the speed with which it was able to move would surprise you.

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If your not feeding and/or releasing any pheasants then they'll quickly get shot out or bugger off somewhere else. Does your permission have any cover crops even?? My own small club puts a lot of effort into these things and it pays off as we get birds coming in from other clubs grounds too. Some of our neighbours blame Pine Martens and whatever for not having as much birds as they want, but the same lads don't bother doing the basics to make their grounds attractive to holding them. Not saying that's the case with you but you need to have a good look what your permission offers in terms of your own expectations for it. Plus every shoot has good years and bad ones which is the natural way of things

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If your not feeding and/or releasing any pheasants then they'll quickly get shot out or bugger off somewhere else. Does your permission have any cover crops even?? My own small club puts a lot of effort into these things and it pays off as we get birds coming in from other clubs grounds too. Some of our neighbours blame Pine Martens and whatever for not having as much birds as they want, but the same lads don't bother doing the basics to make their grounds attractive to holding them. Not saying that's the case with you but you need to have a good look what your permission offers in terms of your own expectations for it. Plus every shoot has good years and bad ones which is the natural way of things

Plenty of cover crop situated in different places throughout the club grounds and birds released every year and also surrounded by 3 other clubs that also release birds.The area we are in has a lot of tillage farms in it so food source is not the problem,also feeders placed in areas all around.I understand shoots can have bad years but this year is a disaster,hens are even scarce on the ground,but the amount of buzzards and pine martins that are about not good for the pheasant population.I moved to this part of the country 25 year ago and have been shooting it since then and long before we ever started a gun club and this is the worst year ive seen.

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If your not feeding and/or releasing any pheasants then they'll quickly get shot out or bugger off somewhere else. Does your permission have any cover crops even?? My own small club puts a lot of effort into these things and it pays off as we get birds coming in from other clubs grounds too. Some of our neighbours blame Pine Martens and whatever for not having as much birds as they want, but the same lads don't bother doing the basics to make their grounds attractive to holding them. Not saying that's the case with you but you need to have a good look what your permission offers in terms of your own expectations for it. Plus every shoot has good years and bad ones which is the natural way of things

Plenty of cover crop situated in different places throughout the club grounds and birds released every year and also surrounded by 3 other clubs that also release birds.The area we are in has a lot of tillage farms in it so food source is not the problem,also feeders placed in areas all around.I understand shoots can have bad years but this year is a disaster,hens are even scarce on the ground,but the amount of buzzards and pine martins that are about not good for the pheasant population.I moved to this part of the country 25 year ago and have been shooting it since then and long before we ever started a gun club and this is the worst year ive seen.

 

Pine Martens are scarce here but I've a fair few buzzards about. In spite of that I've had good returns now for 2 years running.My area is tillage too and the farmers tell me the buzzards are knockin back the rats in the crop margins and ditches. Maybe that's why they don't appear a problem for now. I don't know, I'm only speculating like your farmer friend. I'm in the East of the country but I've heard the midlands and west are bad for mink. Are ya trapping many ATM?? Another thing I've done is to get farmers were possible to delay mowing in the hay and silage fields till the start of July at the earliest. I reckon I've saved countless broods that way. Its also important to remember that released birds don't make good breeders in general and some strains such as Blue Backs are hard to hold on ground no matter what you do.They're also very aggressive and can clear out any wild ones knockin about. I release Reeves types myself and over the years have found them the most successful on the shoot. Another factor is the nature of the tillage in your area. If its winter type barley/wheat than that won't be as attractive for birds as it means the stubble is not left for the birds to pick over the winter unlike the case with Spring crops.

Edited by killbilly
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