a few pheasant questions

We have a few hundred acres in south Texas that I've been thinking of releasing Some pheasant on. First of all is this legal? Second, can they survive Summer in south texas? There is plenty of food, several crop fields with corn/milo ect. Plenty of water, one large lake and a few smaller tanks. Plenty of cover, brushy areas, tall grass areas and a ton of drainage ditches with 5ft tall grass. If they could survive here would they reproduce? I literally know nothing about these birds so any info will help. There's already a good number of quail and even chachalacas that live here.

It's been a while but if I remember correctly the limiting factor isn't, survival in high temperatures, it's reproduction. I would bet they'll do just fine as released adults but not reproduce. I believe you need to look up the banded birds regulations about released bird shooting.

Don't know but the tpw stocked them in some south east counties like Chambers Ft. bend and some others, for many years and they had open seasons for many years. There must have been some reproduction but eventually they gave up the stocking, from what I read there was not enough reproduction to maintain a huntable population. They had what looked like plenty of food and thick nesting and hiding cover and high rainfall and water which now I can compare favorably to the Texas panhandle, Kansas, and even SD. So I don't what the problem was but they quit it anyway. They may have used some traded wild Pheasants to stock or raised birds I don't know. But the problem with raised birds is they don't have the wild instinct to avoid preadators and don't usually last long enouth to reproduce.The temps in south Tex are certainly higher than the afore mentioned areas up north so that could be the limiting factor. These stockings were done in the late sixties and seventies, but don't recall what year they quit. In years past we stocked some in central texas to try it and at that time I was able to talk to a tpw biologist and they told me why certain stockings failed and you may can do the same. If you do I for one would like to hear thier answers. They also have tons of fireants in South East Texas, and some say that is a limiting factor, but I have heard of good quail pops. in fireant country also, so don't know about the validity of that.

Chiggers.

To release game birds in Texas, you need to get a Private Bird Hunting license, post it and band the birds with your license #. This includes pheasants, chucker, quail. It isn't really expensive. Pheasants do better as releases than most other game birds. I've been told that the soil isn't acid enough for good reproduction, but I suspect it has more to do with ag practices. Too much fallow plowing in S. Texas and not enough setasides near ag crops. Farmers in S. Dakota leave a lot of unharvested grain in the field and steadies for pheasants.

Pheasants need timely spring/summer rains and undisturbed nesting cover more than grain.

Yes ringneck pheasants will reproduce in southern Texas. Rain is very important for both quail and pheasants because the new green vegetative growth is full of nutrients. And healthy green growth produces fat high protein insects. All of that helps the hens to lay a healthy bunch of eggs and hatch a bunch of healthy chicks.

And if it continues to rain in the summer (with healthy green vegetation and insects) the hen needs to stay fat to produce more eggs (100 egg follicles in hens) the hen can easily lay another clutch of eggs and have a second hatch. So timely rain is big time need for game birds in Texas. They will not drown but in a hot summer (like 2011 the chicks will die of dehydration) poor food supply because of poor insect production because of the drought.

But not with the tame fat 60 or 70 generations (of living in the pen) pen raised pheasants. You need to release the wild more alert strains of (True pheasants ringneck type) like the Afghan white- winged (also called the Bianchi pheasant) or the Manchurian ringneck. Those two strains are closer to F1 or only 20 or more years from being removed from the wild. And those two strains are naturally alert and wary of predators.

Macfarlane Pheasant Farm should have both the Manchurian Ringneck and the Afghan Whitewing pheasant.

Look at the article below:
http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/12/02/whe_legionsofspo.shtml#.Vhc8CWC7a5Y

Also Google: Bosque Del Apache Pheasants- to see wild pictures of wild Bianchi white winged pheasants that have crossed the the ringneck pheasants along the Middle Rio Grande River.

You already have a few pockets of truly wild pheasants scattered in spots in southern Texas. There are a few wild pheasant south of Bay City Texas. And also they still have a few wild pheasant in Chambers County (but no season).

They have a few wild pheasants frequently seem around the lakes near Cleburne Texas.

Heat is not the problem for Texas pheasants, it is hot in Wichita, Kansas in July, yet wild pheasants are seen all around that area and are expanding southward along the Arkansas river into Oklahoma. Timely rains and nesting cover and predator control will help the pheasants the most.

I say go for it, and keep us posted on your progress. Why should S. Dakota and Kansas have all the wild pheasant fun.

Nothing tastes worse than chigger infested pheasant... Plus they fly funny

Dont eat any.Send all of them to me for a safe Disposal...

I don't know about Pheasants, but I know with Quail, you do not need the private bird hunting license to release them. You only need it if you are going to shoot them out of season. You can release them and shoot them all you want as long as it is during season without the license (still need hunting license) I would assume the same rule applies for pheasants. Problem is, I don't think there is a season for them (pheasants) in South Texas.

This is not the case. I got a call from a game warden who told me you need a private bird hunting license for any released game birds.
This happened after a irrigation district worker reported my covey house as a trap and the game warden came by to inspect. He said they typically do not enforce the rule for people with covey houses who are doing training if they can show provenance. However, any release of game birds in an attempt to propagate or repopulate an area is a violation without a private bird license and banding. Even if you release quail to shoot during the season for hunting purposes, you must band, post and have a private bird hunting area license.
I read the regs and the game warden interpretation appeared to be correct.

It must depend on the warden.
A warden told me to release quail for dog work was acceptable to him.

Only....Do not shoot more than a limit in season, Do not shoot them out of season, and Do not charge anyone to shoot them...without a license and without banding the birds.

Didn't mean to hijack but a lot of people release birds to work dogs.

Like I said. They generally tolerate covey house birds if you can show they were purchased and not trapped. If they feel you are releasing birds that you don't use for training and don't intend to recall--if they feel you are attempting to supplement or restart a wild population, they may cite you. I think the intent is to keep diseased birds separate from wild populations.

Been doing like CC said for years without a problem on private land.