Conservation Commission 195 



Pheasants 



In a great many counties pheasants are very plentiful at the 

 present time. This is particularly true in the western counties 

 of the State. Additional protection has been given to pheasants 

 in four counties until 1915, and in fourteen counties until 1916. 

 Pheasant shooting is bound to become exceedingly popular in 

 the State. They are an excellent game bird, although not lay- 

 ing for the dog ; but an intelligent bird dog soon becomes familiar 

 with their habit of running and skulking, and soon trails them, 

 so that the sportsmen enjoy pheasant shooting exceptionally well. 

 With the additional game farms provided at the last session of 

 the Legislature, pheasants will soon become very numerous; and 

 wih the increasing of the game farms which will raise pheasants 

 and liberate them in the covers of the State, the open season can 

 be gradually lengthened, allowing a larger number of birds to 

 be killed each season. 



The problem of properly distributing these birds has engaged 

 the attention of this department during the past year, and in 

 conference with Mr. Rogers, the superintendent of the farm, I 

 have become convinced that the proper procedure would be to 

 distribute the pheasants through the protective force, giving 

 each county its apportionment, and instead of shipping as we do 

 now the half-grown birds, the covey should be shipped with the 

 mother hen. If she is liberated in suitable covers, the hen will 

 stay with the young pheasant chicks until they are nearly grown. 

 In that way we would eradicate the loss of a large number of 

 pheasants. The method which we are following at the farm at 

 the present time is to release the mother hen with the brood as 

 soon as the young chick becomes used to the call of the hen, 

 feeding at certain periods and in certain places on the farm, so 

 that the hen will return with her brood to these feeding spots. 

 This makes it possible for the chicks to be caught up at the time 

 of shipment. The superintendent informs me that while this is 

 the most scientific way of raising pheasants to maturity, it en- 

 tails a great loss of pheasants by their straying away from the 

 mother hen and not returning. By shipping the hen with the 

 brood, no pheasants would be lost, and the percentage of those 

 raised to maturity would be increased. 



