PA Pheasant Banding Fall 2015

Went on an enjoyable pheasant hunt on opening day in North Western PA. Three of us hunted a Gameland in Crawford County. Had great success limiting out with a good bird dog. The exciting thing was I shot a beautiful ringneck at first light that was unusual. When my dog brought it back to me it had a leg band. This year PA is participating in a pheasant study. Approximately 5000 birds were banded. Over 200,000 will be stocked without leg bands. The study will help determine hunter harvest rates. I am very fortunate to harvest a bird with a band. I promptly called the Game Commission number on the tag to report it. Several questions were asked to help retrieve data for their very important study. They need this information to improve pheasant hunting in PA and have accurate data on hunter harvests. I also learned that there are different colored bands. I am very fortunate to get this bird, especially when you think about predators and the small numbers of birds banded. I strongly encourage all hunters harvesting a banded bird to call.

Late Winter Pheasant Hunt Northwest PA Game Preserve

Decided to take my son and my nephews out for a late season pheasant hunt in northwest PA. This is a great time to find a local Pheasant preserve in your area. We found a good one in Albion PA. Most of the small game is gone on PA gamelands this time of year. With tough winters game becomes scarce. It's worth a few dollars to keep the kids interested.Research game farms and read reviews. Meet the owners and survey the land. We worked heavy cover in rough snow conditions. Birds held very tight and stuck to larger brush piles rather than open fields. Make sure you hit it hard, as birds will not move at times. Also, tracking was very effective. We found many sets of tracks leading to piles of structure. Kids had a blast and it was a great day spending time with family hunting.