Relaeasing Cought up Cock Pheasants on a wee Shoot

countrryboy

Well-Known Member
Alright folks

It's that time off year again everyone is busy looking forward to next season already and catching laying stock, i usually get offered Cock Pheasants to release on my wee syndicate shoot from other shoots. Up till now i have thought about it but always declined them as i know some old school keepers go to great lengths to keep old cock birds away from there poults and pens at releasing time.
But i was at a shoot walk/open day with the Game conservancy a few years ago and in their studies with trackers they have found cock's to wander less than hens and generally are more terittorial, so tend to hang about more

Have many people released caught up Cock's at this time off year and wot are ur experiences with them. Are they a nightmare that will drag all ur poults awaycome the summer or do they hold fairly well but any that do wander get noticed easily whereas u don't notice the 4/5 hen's with the wandering cock.

I thinking off getting a couple off crates more for dog training throu the spring and we have shot the pheasants fairly hard this season and doesnae seem to be an awful lot left on the ground althou they generally reappear in numbers around the 2nd or 3 rd of Feb ;)

I probably should say we don't really get a lot of wild broods (unfortunately) so having excess cocks shouldn't really effect that
 
I shoot every cock bird I can at the end of the season they didn't get to the end of the season flying well at our shoot even so a few escape the rimmy to breed on weather permitting .i wouldn't bother personally .
norma
 
You've got to ask yourself why you are being offered the cock birds. Simple. Cause whoever is making the offer knows the effect they can have come next release time. Cock birds are territorial but if that territory is way off your ground he will take hens back with him. If you don't release birds take them, some might hang around. If you do release I'd leave them alone.
 
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