Ringnecked Pheasant in TN?

[buck1032]

A week or two ago I saw something walking across my drive way that I couldn't quite make out what it was. I could see that it was a bird of some sort, rather large but not a turkey. It was about 800 or so feet away, in the shadows so I couldn't really make it out. Today about an hour ago I was leaving and saw this in the neighbors yard three houses down. It looks like a ring neck to me. And a quick check online they are not suppose to be here. Hmmm

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ring-necked_pheasant/id

 

[URL=http://s290.photobucket.com/user/buck1032/media/TGO/Ringneckedpheasnat1.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[URL=http://s290.photobucket.com/user/buck1032/media/TGO/ringneckedpheasant2.jpg.html][/URL]

[bersaguy]

Yep, That be a Ring Neck Rooster Pheasant for sure. Grew up hunting them in Illinois. Great bird to eat for sure. I am guessing that one may have gotten out of a pen somewhere because they are not native to Tennessee.

[Lowpower]

Ring neck rooster it is and my favorite food. I hunted when I lived in South Dakota for 2 1/2 years. I'd rather eat them than the best prepared chicken in the good ole U.S.A.!

 

Lp

[10-Ring]

No doubt a pheasant, question is is it an escape?  I've seen what I believe to be pheasant hens a couple of times here in Blount County.  I even got a picture once but it's on my other computer with my skunk ape and chupacabra pictures.  I'll see if I can dig out later.

[10-Ring]

Found one of the pictures, cropped it, and enlarged.  Not too fuzzy.  Seems that the skunk ape and chupacabra pictures were lost in a hard drive crash :rofl:   Anyone have any idea what this thing is? I thinking it may be a pheasant hen?

 

Edited January 2, 2014 by 10-Ring

[ShamGlock]

I just got back from a pheasant hunting trip in South Dakota. That looks to be a hen in 10-Ring's pic, and that definitely is a rooster in the op's pic. I also have a freezer full of those birds right now, and they are delicious. If anyone has some recipes they could point me too, I would be very appreciative. I wouldn't mind some creative ways to cook these things up. 

[R_Bert]

Found one of the pictures, cropped it, and enlarged.  Not too fuzzy.  Seems that the skunk ape and chupacabra pictures were lost in a hard drive crash :rofl:   Anyone have any idea what this thing is? I thinking it may be a pheasant hen?

 

 

Grouse? Common around here.  The ringed thing in post above, well, definitely not grouse.

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ruffed+grouse+hen&id=D5C13655B315252729922409D518676948E28914&FORM=IQFRBA

[Lumber_Jack]

Found one of the pictures, cropped it, and enlarged.  Not too fuzzy.  Seems that the skunk ape and chupacabra pictures were lost in a hard drive crash :rofl:   Anyone have any idea what this thing is? I thinking it may be a pheasant hen?

 

 

Yes I agree with Bert, that appears to be a Grouse

[Peace]

hmm...  I'll have to take a look.  Shoot me your address, and I'll come inspect the bird.   :)

 

 

on the other hand, maybe a few thousand more could "escape" some cages in TN - along with some quail.  .. Wouldn't bother me a bit.

[bersaguy]

hmm...  I'll have to take a look.  Shoot me your address, and I'll come inspect the bird.   :)

 

 

on the other hand, maybe a few thousand more could "escape" some cages in TN - along with some quail.  .. Wouldn't bother me a bit.

I don't think it would make any difference if a million birds (Pheasants and Quail) were released it would just be more food for the Coyote's and Foxes. I gave up hunting Rabbits and Quail many years ago because I had some great Lemon Drop Beagles and we could hunt several different large farms and my dogs might strike once or twice all day once in a while. I can remember hunting them 40 years ago and have a limit of rabbits and birds before lunch. Until they get the Coyote population under control small game hunting is going to be tough............jmho

[R_Bert]

I don't think it would make any difference if a million birds (Pheasants and Quail) were released it would just be more food for the Coyote's and Foxes. I gave up hunting Rabbits and Quail many years ago because I had some great Lemon Drop Beagles and we could hunt several different large farms and my dogs might strike once or twice all day once in a while. I can remember hunting them 40 years ago and have a limit of rabbits and birds before lunch. Until they get the Coyote population under control small game hunting is going to be tough............jmho

 

I am pretty sure that coyote tastes like roadrunner, and those taste like chikin.  Probably go OK mixed with donkey, too.

[DaveS]

Found one of the pictures, cropped it, and enlarged.  Not too fuzzy.  Seems that the skunk ape and chupacabra pictures were lost in a hard drive crash :rofl:   Anyone have any idea what this thing is? I thinking it may be a pheasant hen?

 

 

Looks like a hen grouse to me.

 

Dave

Edited January 3, 2014 by DaveS

[Wiljo05]

If they don't "live" here in TN, can you whack it and put it in the freezer? Edited January 2, 2014 by Wiljo05

[DaveS]

If they don't "live" here in TN, can you whack it and put it in the freezer?

Yes

 

Dave

[DaveS]

At one time, they were plentiful here in Montgomery County. There was a hunting reserve here that offered Pheasant hunts. It was nothing to find released pheasants flying around on the WMA and private property surrounding the hunt reserve. As per TWRA...shoot on site!! Well...OK LOL

 

Dave

[Peace]

So.... I like small game, I have fond memories of quail and rabbit hunting in West TN growing up.  -this thread prompted me to start:

 

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/74328-anyone-up-for-coyote-hunting-in-middle-tn/

[Guest Bonedaddy]

IIRC, they tried many moons, ago to start a population in Tn, as well as, AR. Never saw one here, probably 'cause of the aforementioned fox and 'yote problem but we did see a few (very few) in AR, in the 'Zarks back in the early 80's. Only ever killed one and it was one of the tastiest birds I ever et. Baked it like a whole chicken. Nice breast meat, too Kinda pinkish white with a tall, narrow breast. Sho' do wish they were everywhere 'cause I'd love to have a freezer full of'm. The feathers are great for makin' bass, bream and crappie jigs or hangin' them rooster feathers off your cowboy hat.

[JWC]

I don't think it would make any difference if a million birds (Pheasants and Quail) were released it would just be more food for the Coyote's and Foxes. I gave up hunting Rabbits and Quail many years ago because I had some great Lemon Drop Beagles and we could hunt several different large farms and my dogs might strike once or twice all day once in a while. I can remember hunting them 40 years ago and have a limit of rabbits and birds before lunch. Until they get the Coyote population under control small game hunting is going to be tough............jmho

IDK. I've hunted the Mississippi Delta some. One trip we killed over 150 rabbits in 3 days. The biggest difference is the rabbits hold tight in the ditches and cover they have and they won't jump til the dogs are right on em and they don't like to run out into the open. They got coyotes all over the place down there and I haven't been convinced the coyote has destroyed small game hunting.

[bersaguy]

IDK. I've hunted the Mississippi Delta some. One trip we killed over 150 rabbits in 3 days. The biggest difference is the rabbits hold tight in the ditches and cover they have and they won't jump til the dogs are right on em and they don't like to run out into the open. They got coyotes all over the place down there and I haven't been convinced the coyote has destroyed small game hunting.

yep, hunted the Delta a few times back years ago and rabbits were everywhere and much larger than average cotton tails around here. Folks down there called them Swamp Rabbits and once they did jump they would out run the beagles really fast. The guy I hunted with didn't use typical Beagles. He used a larger dog called  Fox hounds which had longer legs but looks almost like a beagle. Had a great few hunts down there back in my younger days.

[Dennis1209]

I kind of think the coyotes are not the reason we don't have any quail around here and few rabbits. Left alone with no interference the eco system will balance itself out and If that were the case we wouldn't be over run around here with deer and turkey? The turkey are easy tasty prey when nesting and the pullets and young jakes, fawns, bunnies, etc. make for an easy meal. Quail normally will nest over night in the nastiest thick thorn infested thicket a coyote would have nightmares about going into.

 

I don't buy the habitat and study theories by wild life departments and universities either. There's plenty of pheasant / quail habitat around here and quail use to be here. I was always told pheasant couldn't survive / breed South of the Mason-Dixon line (more or less) was because there was something in the soil they lacked. Personally I believe there's something in the soil around here the quail don't like, like fertilizers, pesticides and weed control man-made products.

 

That's my study and it didn't cost $500,000.00 either :wave:

[RobertNashville]

I grew up hunting pheasant and rabbit in Ohio; I can still hear the sound they make when they are spooked out of the grass and take to flight.

 

Yes, pheasant is good eating...seeing that picture brought back some good memories!

[JWC]

yep, hunted the Delta a few times back years ago and rabbits were everywhere and much larger than average cotton tails around here. Folks down there called them Swamp Rabbits and once they did jump they would out run the beagles really fast. The guy I hunted with didn't use typical Beagles. He used a larger dog called Fox hounds which had longer legs but looks almost like a beagle. Had a great few hunts down there back in my younger days.

Every one in that big ol pile of rabbits was plain ol cottontails. I like to hunt them cane cutters too though. Funnest thing about the trip we killed so many was on the first day on the way back to the housethat afternoon. My buddy's cousin called his wife and told her to get everyone together. All their neighbors and family all around got stuff together and came immediately. So we had an impromptu party almost like a family reunion. I eat so much red beans and rice I thought I was gonna have to go go the hospital and have my stomach pumped. :) Edited January 3, 2014 by JWC

[Hozzie]

I grew up in northern Illinois and we had pheasants. Get to central Illinois and they are all gone. Reason as I understand it is similar to what Dennis mentioned. It has to do with a lack of a specific mineral they need to survive. Even if they are transplanted, they will die out, not from the predators per se, but from a lack of this mineral.

[DaveS]

I grew up hunting pheasant and rabbit in Ohio; I can still hear the sound they make when they are spooked out of the grass and take to flight.

 

Yes, pheasant is good eating...seeing that picture brought back some good memories!

I used to hunt them near Akron, and there isn't anything that compares to a big rooster pheasant flushing up out of a corn field during a heavy snow! It's a picture that stays with you forever. I hear from kin folk up there that they are getting hard to come by.

 

I sure miss it!

 

Dave

[Dennis1209]

I'll bet wild pheasant hunting is fun! But I wouldn't know about it.

 

My experience with canned hunts at Carlisle Lake, IL. by IDNR was more of a triathlon than hunting. Those semi-tame birds they release would not fly until you ran them 100-200 yards. I sure did get worn out :ugh:

 

With the amount of pheasants they released daily that didn't get shot, you'd think that county would be loaded with them. Nope. But for a $15.00 daily permit of one ring neck and one hen, sure was some fine eating out of the smoker.