Bounty program for pheasant nest predators considered

[Pantheraman]

"Under LB400, introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, the state Game and Parks Commission would pay a $10 bounty on each badger, coyote, opossum, raccoon, red fox and striped skunk harvested from March 1 to July 1 each year. The commission could pay a maximum of 50,000 bounties per year."

"Predator control should be used as a management tool,” Ross said. “That would help balance the number of predators to the number of prey in the habitat.”

Spike Eickholt also testified in support, saying the proposed bounty program could be part of the state’s approach to reversing the decline in pheasant numbers. He said the lack of birds makes it difficult to interest young people in hunting."

"Also testifying in opposition was Drew Larsen of Pheasants Forever. A bounty program likely would not make a significant impact on predator numbers, he said, as Nebraska already has a furbearer trapping season.

Larsen said Pheasants Forever is concerned that the proposed bounty program inadvertently would divert funding from existing habitat improvement programs that have been proven to increase pheasant populations."

Bounty program for pheasant nest predators considered

Ah yes, let's pay people bounties to kill predators to protect a bird that never had any business being here, to begin with. Seriously, am I the only one here thinking the love and care ring-necked pheasants receive is ridiculous? And not only that but also goes to ridiculous lengths? And to think, all this time and money spent on these things could've been spent on imperiled non-game species, nope, let's spend it on a non-native bird.

I don't know about you, but I could actually care less about the fate of these non-native birds.

And need I say that when you have two members of the biggest organization working to preserve pheasants saying "No, this is a bad idea." That should get people thinking?

 

[birdsandbats]

Here in Wisconsin, pheasants are considered the biggest threat to our dwindling prairie-chicken population. Despite this, the DNR has a program that gives out free pheasants to farmers to stock them.

 

[Pantheraman]

Here in Wisconsin, pheasants are considered the biggest threat to our dwindling prairie-chicken population. Despite this, the DNR has a program that gives out free pheasants to farmers to stock them.

I couldn't find the source stating that, I have however known of an instance in a wildlife refuge in Illinois where pheasants had to be reduced in number to protect prairie chickens.

 

[birdsandbats]

I couldn't find the source stating that, I have however known of an instance in a wildlife refuge in Illinois where pheasants had to be reduced in number to protect prairie chickens.

The issue is that female pheasants dump eggs into prairie-chicken nests. The eggs then hatch before the prairie-chicken eggs, and the female raises the clutch of pheasants and abandons her own eggs.

Source: http://www.prairiegrouse.org/Projects_files/WIPrairieChickens.pdf

 

[Pantheraman]

Thank you @birdsandbats

Here are screenshots from the paper itself.

 

[Jurek7]

Pay hunters to protect an exotic game bird which only purpose is hunters enjoyment? Somebody figured that the state should pay hunters for their hobby.

 

[Pantheraman]

Here's an article that talks about what happened in the Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, Illinois.

Prairie chicken project continues (look at the side with the title "Pheasants steal brooding)

So not only are states like Nebraska and South Dakota having predator bounties to protect a bird that only exists in North America for recreational hunting, but they're also protecting an animal that could become more of an invasive species. People don't consider Ring-Necked Pheasants to be an invasive species, but it's clear that's only because in most of their range they don't overlap with Prairie Chickens. And I think that's why many game agencies don't have plans for restoring them.

If the pheasant's range overlap with prairie chickens increased, then the pheasants themselves would have to be controlled to protect the prairie chickens, and of course, the pheasant is the more popular game bird and this would anger the pheasant hunting community. Something a game agency wouldn't want to do since they get most of their funding from hunters and thus their primary objective is to cater to the wants of the hunting community.