Anyone seen any pheasant around Plainview this year?

looking pretty slim from what i have seen and heard

Ditto. It'll never be like it was in the early 90's.

Kind of thought that. Sure miss the birds

Talked with my contact in that area a couple weeks ago. He said it's going to be another tough year, but will be improved from last year. We found some birds last year, but really had to work hard for them, so to me the news is somewhat encouraging.

I've left them alone for the past 2 years and have been trying to get a few others to do the same. They won't listen and keep on hunting them. Just going to make it tougher on all of us.

That is great advice. Even though we don't harvest hen pheasants the process of chasing hard after the few remaining wild roosters frequently disrupt the hens from safe familiar roost or hiding places (playa lakes crp etc). This causes them to be flushed repeatedly exposing them to increased predators.

The aerial and ground predator are paying attention to where those hens land from afar. They can see form miles away.

If we get another El Nina (wet spring and summer) this 2014, the vegetation will turn green producing nutrition and insects. We will need every hen to be alive and healthy this spring and summer. With good nesting conditions those hens can have two hatches. The wild pheasants will bounce back but they will need two or three good damp years.

Wonder if the state will do any restocking?

I've heard mixed reviews on that. I guess they could trap wild birds elsewhere and transplant them. Now that they have some grain back in Hale County they'd probably do well.

Yep, more milo, corn and sunflowers in the southern Panhandle than I've seen in years. It won't be an instant fix but it has to help.

Most of my birds are around Ednondson. Jerry had another bumper corn crop.

Best news I have heard in a couple of years. Too much cotton being planted the last 4 years.