# Devils Lake pheasants



## Gildog (Jan 30, 2007)

Last weekend I saw three young pheasants cross the road in front of me near Woodlands Resort--anyone ever see many pheasants in this area?


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

A few. We decoyed a rooster in to the deeks in a cornfield one day. That was a suprise.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

There's a very few in the area, mostly along HW 19 and HW2 west of town. There used to be a shooting preserve on the north end of 6 Mile Bay, most locals believe these are the decendants of escapees and scratch birds...

For whatever reason, they just don't "take" around here. A couple years ago, several hundred were released near my farmstead (NE of town) in the Spring. Of that number, by deer season we were only seeing a single rooster. The coyotes ate well, though...

Every now & then we'll hear one crow while waterfowl or deer hunting around my place, but it's a rare event. Had a single wild rooster show up this Spring trying to court the hens in my training bird pens. He hung around a week or so, and when he couldn't hook up, he left and we haven't seen or heard him since.

I have a few spots where I manage with some hard hunting to get a few late season roosters every year, but it wouldn't be possible without my labs. To be dead honest, it's a lot less work with much better odds to simply get up early and drive down south of I-94 for a day hunt...

On the other hand, sharps are coming back bigtime around here, and I anticipate some good hunting within a couple miles of my farmstead come September...


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

I believe, the main reason pheasants don't take to the N.E. part of the state is because of the farming practices. Most fields get turned over 2, 3 or more times. There is just not enough food for the long winter months. Yes, it's colder up here and that plays a part, but there is plenty of cover, (sloughs) just not enough food.


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