# longest tail feather comp



## Vtgunner (Nov 24, 2002)

Does North Dakota have a longest rooster tail feather lottery or competition?


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

I don't believe the state has any official competition, however serveral sportsmen's clubs, bars, and sporting goods stores sometimes do....

Ryan


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## backhome (Oct 25, 2004)

How long of a tail feather will usually win this sort of contest?


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## Nate (Sep 11, 2003)

We never see any over 24", but I want to hunt later in the season this year.


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

backhome. Typically that 26-28 inch mark will win most competitions. I primarily hunt pheasants later in the season and my best has been 25.75".


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

backhome said:


> How long of a tail feather will usually win this sort of contest?


Like Live2hunt said... typically you need over 26" to place..

Anything over 24" is a super trophy, and a 27" is a freak of nature... often considered a once in a lifetime bird. There are just so many factors that make getting one that long a crapshoot. The bird is often 4-6 years old, has some form of winter protection for those years near a safe farmyard, has survived several freezing winters without getting caught in a blizzard, has survived multiple hunting situations, has outcompeted the surrounding area roosters, hasn't had it's tail compromised during that time and then is wily enough to evade all the predators besides humans.

(Btw... any pheasant rooster that is over 4 years old is a freak ... I believe the stat is something like <5 % make it that old. I went back after originally posting this and found this interesting tid bit:



> The pheasant's lifespan in the wild is relatively short. Many young hatched in the spring do not live past October. In general, males live about ten months. Females live an average of about twenty months. The maximum age in the wild is eight years. First introduced for hunting, the flashy ring-neck is one of the most widely distributed and popular game bird amongst sportsmen.
> 
> In one study in 1937, two males and six female pheasants were released on a four hundred and fifty-acre island off of the coast of Washington State. With few predators and an abundance of food resources, the population reached nearly two thousand birds within six years.


)

All in all a super trophy....


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

26, 26.5 and 27 were the top three at BCWF last year.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

To truly appreciate 27 inches... go take a tape measure and pull it out to 30 inches. walk over to a pheasant mount (if you have one) or some other type of mount, place the tape measure down and step back.



You'll see what I mean...

If all those feathers jumped up on your face you'd be damn flustered to not be in shock!

Ryan


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Ryan (aka Ben):

Couldn't agree more. I shoot my fair share of roosters every year and have so for the past 20 and my largest bird is the one on my wall with a 25.75" tail feather. That bird took 3rd place in 1994 at Army Sports Bar that year ( I got a free T-shirt).

I know a guy that claims to harvest 80-100 pheasants each year (that is always his goal) and claims he has been doing ever since 1988 and he has yet to put a bird down over 24" in tail length.

Getting a bird above and beyond 25" is a every pheasant hunters dream and it doesn't happen often. Most likely once in a lifetime.


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## Crazy Horse RVN (Aug 31, 2006)

*OK*, does this mean we're gonna have a "NODAK OUTDOORS" Pheasant tail contest on this thread?

Post a photo of your tail (Pheasant tail, gotta keep it clean) alongside a tape measure. We can work on a prize of possibly a NRA foilding knife which I will donate or any other prize someone might donate for the longest Pheasant tail. Of course it's gotta be this years kill. (I'm sure we're all honorable gents.)

If so I'll post a photo of the knife tonight or tomorrow at the latest.


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## pheasantslayer (May 13, 2004)

I won a contest with 28.5 inches. Usually the contests around here SW ND a 27 or bigger wins it.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

pheasantslayer said:


> I won a contest with 28.5 inches. Usually the contests around here SW ND a 27 or bigger wins it.


I assume you have a picture with that tail somewhere next to a tape measure? That would be the longest tail I've ever heard of....

Ryan


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## pheasantslayer (May 13, 2004)

sure let me dig out my feather and i can get back to you on that. If you have an email i can send you one too. just pm me and i can send it to you.


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## Fossilman (Mar 12, 2006)

Back home in Montana,a local bar would give ya' a free beer if you brought in a rooster feather or rattle's off a snake.....
Their wall was full of nice stuff......A few were trophies... :beer:


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

pheasantslayer said:


> sure let me dig out my feather and i can get back to you on that. If you have an email i can send you one too. just pm me and i can send it to you.


Sweet! PM will be on it's way in a bit...

Ryan


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