Neithercut Game Bird Management Plan

Stephanie Kay Mallard

Sara Trubac Ruffed Grouse

Holly Mester Wild Turkey

Chad Khodl Ring-necked Pheasant

Bio 541 Wildlife Biology and ManagementFall 2009

Dr. Thomas Gehring

Ring-necked Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

http://bna.birds.cornell.edu

Description • The ring-necked Pheasant is thought

of as one of the most popular non-migratory game birds throughout the central United States.

• Adult males range from 60-70 cm long and weight from 0.9- 3.0 kg

• Females are usually 50-60 cm long and weigh between 0.5-1.1 kg

• The adult male can be characterized by olive crown that often bordered at sides by white eyebrows and feathers on side of the head. The pheasants have a purple head with a red circle around their eyes, with a white ring around their neck.

• The adult female is mottled brown; with a chestnut wash on its neck

http://img.freebase.com

Ring-necked Pheasant

• The distribution of the pheasant is wide spread throughout a large portion of North America

• They range from southern British Columbia south to New Mexico, East to Maryland and into southern portion of Michigan.

• Nesting cover: Herbaceous ground cover, alfalfa, wheat, and dense grasslands.

• Brood-rearing cover: open vegetation, big and little bluestem, switchgrass, and indiangrass.

• Winter Cover: Dense herbaceous and woody vegetation, cattail marshes, and standing crop fields.

Distribution Habitat

http://bna.birds.cornell.edu

Ring-necked Pheasant

• Young feed off high protein insects which consist of grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and moths

• In general pheasants feed off crop fields of corn, sorghum, oats, wheat, and barley.

• They also feed off insects and other seeds and berries.

Food source

http://www.treehugger.com/sorghum-field.jpg

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu

Ring-necked Pheasant

Courtship displays take place during the spring. This is when males have and established territory.

Females form harems In wild populations of pheasants it is

not unusual to see one male mate with all members of a harem

Females construct nests from available grasses, leaves, weed stalks

• Eggs are laid from late March to early August depending on environmental factors

• Typical clutch size is between 7-15 eggs

• Incubation lasts 23-28 days • After broods are born they remain with

their mother for 70-80 days

Reproduction

http://bna.birds.cornell.eduhttp://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos )

DescriptionOne of the most recognizable waterfowl

speciesMales: Green head with a white neck ring

Yellow bill with a black tip

Gray body with a chestnut colored breast

Metallic bluish-purple inner feathers that are bordered by white feathers

Females: Dark brown head with a dark brown stripe running through the eye

Mottled orange and brown bill

Mottled brown body with a white tail

Metallic bluish-purple inner feathers that are bordered by white feathers

Males outside of breeding season: Similar to female

http://www.north-india.in/fauna/Birds/mallard.htm

Dimensions91.4 cm wingspan

45.7 to 68.6 cm in length

Up to 1.4 kg in weight

Location Breed as far north as Alaska and northern

Canada during the summer

Can be found year round throughout the continental U.S.

Winter in south U.S.

Mallard

HabitatBreeding: Wetland areas that can have

seasonal, semi-permanent, or permanent ponds, lakes and lagoons, rivers, or creeks with large amounts of floating, emergent and submerged

vegetation for the bird to feed

Migration: Dry agricultural fields, shallow marshes and oak dominated forested wetlands

MallardDiet, Reproduction and Behavior

Diet: Generalist and omnivorousBreeding season: forage in shallow wetlands, shoreline vegetation or the shallows of deeper wetlands in search of insects, which can include midge larvae, Diptera, dragonflies and caddisfly larvae, snails, freshwater shrimp,

and terrestrial earthworms

Migration and Winter: seeds from moist-soil plants, acorns, aquatic vegetation, and cereal crops, such as corn, rice, barley, and wheat

ReproductionMonogamous

Courtship begins in the fall

Females prefer males that show high courtship activity and good plumage

Pair is formed by midwinter

During migration, pair will travel to females place of origin

MallardDiet, Reproduction and Behavior Cont.

ReproductionOnce at nesting site, males will begin to search out and defend a territory

Nest sites are usually within 150 m of a water sourceFemales will make a shallow depression in the ground and cover the nest with nearby

vegetation and down from their breastAfter the nest is created, the female will lay between 8-13 eggs

The incubation period is approximately 27 to 28 daysDucklings are precocial

http://www.winterhavenfarm.us/2009_plant_list

Behavior

Go through a molting stage, which renders them temporarily flightless and usually last 2 to 3 weeks

http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

DescriptionMale turkeys (toms or gobblers):• reddish-blue neck and head

• hair-like appendage near the neck known as a beard

• pointed and bony spur on the lower back of each leg

• breast feathers that are tipped black.

Female turkeys (hens):• less multihued head, sparse

feathering• sometimes have beards

• lack spurs• light colored tipped breast

feathers

Dimensions127 to 153 cm wingspan91 to 120 cm in lengthWeigh up to 11.5 kg

BNA.com Flickr.com

Wild Turkey

Location Southern Canada all the

way south to Central Mexico

Inhabits 48 states of North America

Non-migratory

Habitat Hardwood forests with

ponderosa pine Swamps

Mesquite grasslands Dense shrubs and small trees

Scattered openings

Medium density amount of turkey in Clare, Mi

BNA.comgearthhacks.com

Wild Turkey

Diet

Adults: 10% insects and 90% plantsPoults: mostly insects

• Seeds, greens, fruits, masts and agricultural crops are the primary food groups consumed

•soft-mast producing shrubs such as wild cherry, black gum and dogwood are important foods

•Choice foods for spring, late fall and winter include chufa, corn, dogwood, beechnuts, berries, pine seed, acorns and

agricultural crops.•Choice foods for summer and early fall are bahiagrass,

blackberries, browntop millet, corn, peanuts, grain, soybeans, wheat, insects and seeds

home.howstuffworks.com

tamaraj19.blogspot.com

botit.botany.wisc.edu

Wild Turkey

•Male dominance polygyny

•Highly social and form rafters

•Sexually segregate in spring and summer•Most active in late

winter•Males attract females

with gobbling noise and strutting

Reproduction and Breeding

ACTIVITY MONTH

1.Flocks break-up

2. Gobbling begins; 1st peak

early April

3. Gobbling continues; 2nd

peak late April

4. Courtship/ mating

5. Hens nesting

6. Broods appear

7. Brood flocks form

8. Gobblers seen in small flocks

MDC.gov

Wild TurkeyBreeding Continued

Hens make nests on ground with dead leaves and vegetation

Clutch averages 11 eggsIncubation lasts between 25 and 29

days

Poults hatch in late May and early June

Poults are precocial and learn from hen

Hens and poults leave nest in about two days and in order to forage and

grow

Poults learn to fly and roost in trees by two weeks

Grow to adult size in 12-16 weeksMature in one year

pbase.com teachnet.ie

pbase.com bnl.gov

Ruffed GrouseBonasus umbellus

ruffedgrousesociety.org

animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu

ehow.com

Popular upland game species native to North America

State bird of Pennsylvania

Chionophiles: ‘Snow-loving,’ adapted for cold and snow

Adults weigh 481.94-708.73 grams (17-25 ounces)

Grey and red/brown color morphs: Grey inhabit northern areas while red/brown

inhabit southern areas

Ruffed GrouseCharacteristics

10000birds.com

wikipedia.org

Grey

Red/Brown

Ruffed GrouseCharacteristics

Male Ruffed Grouse:

Territorial; drumming

Larger

Longer tail feather of

15 cm (5-7/8 in)

Sometimes tail feather band is unbroken

Copper-colored ruff and tail feather band twice as common

in males (vs. black)

2-3 spots on rump feathers

Female Ruffed Grouse:

Nest and raise broods

Smaller

Shorter tail feather

Broken tail feather band

Black colored ruff and tail feather band more common

0-1 spots on rump feathers

*Solitary species; generally no social groupings and no pair-bonds formed among breeding individuals

traderscreek.com

Ruffed GrouseRange

• Found in 34 continental states and most Canadian provinces

-Eastern United States-Portions of Rocky Mountains in the West

• Range of tolerance extends from central Alaska to northern Georgia

• Deciduous and coniferous forests, thrive in young aspen-dominated forests

-Aspen very important for shelter and food-28% decline in aspen abundance since 1980

Uptreeid.com/history/facts.htm

allaboutbirds.org

Quaking Aspen Range

na.fs.fed.us

Ruffed Grouse Range

na.fs.fed.us

na.fs.fed.us

Ruffed GrouseDiet

• Diet varies from berries, buds, leaves, fruits, and insects, to an occasional salamander, snake, or frog

• Aspen older than 15 years of age provide year-round food: leaves, flower buds, catkins

www.dnr.state.mi.us

forest.mtu.edu

www.biology-blog.com

Ruffed GrouseLife History

• Males defend the area surrounding their drumming log; 2.43-4.05 ha (6-10 acres) – Most drumming occurs during springtime to attract

mates

• Following mating, the hen seeks out a nesting site– Hollow depressions in leaf litter; base of a tree or

tree stump, a log or brush pile may be suitable– 8-14 buff-colored eggs are laid over a span of two-

weeks– Hen spends 24-26 days incubating eggs

• Chicks weigh 14.17 grams (0.5 ounces)– Precocial– Thick brush and sapling cover necessary to protect

brood from predators– Protein

www.nbii.gov

media.wbng.com

www.fishwild.vt.edu

Ruffed GrouseLife History

• Young adults disperse at 16-18 weeks of age– Males travel 2.9-7.2 kilometers (1.8-4.5 miles)– Females travel 3 times further; 24 kilometers (15 miles)

• Spend remainder of life in selected area• 10-year cycle among northern populations

– Many proposals to explain why…– Great Lakes region cycles are likely related to invasion of Northern

Goshawk and the Great Horned Owl from Canada– Peak expected 2010-2011– Scale factor

nww.usace.army.mil/corpsoutdoors/dwa/Photogallery/images

Ruffed GrouseCurrent Status

Populations appear to be ‘stable’ in Canada and the western United States

Populations appear to be declining in the eastern United States

-The Delaware Wildlife Action Plan lists Ruffed Grouse as extirpated

-Classified as a species of greatest conservation need:

Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and

Vermont

Ruffed Grouse Hunting

Ruffed grouse hunting

Dec. 1, 2009 - Jan. 1, 2010• Grouse season is open statewide

– Limit of five per day, 10 in possession, in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula

– Limit of three per day, six in possession in southern Michigan

www.grandrapidsguideservice.com

Management Goals and ObjectivesVegetation

• Clear cut hardwoods4.05 ha (10 acres)

• Clear cut ¼ of each aspen stand

Total of 0.5 ha (1.24 acres)

• Remove autumn olive• Prescribed burn

2.0 ha (4.94 acres)

http://www.hkconserve.com/hardwoodmgmt.php

http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/conservation/burning/

Management Goals and ObjectivesVegetation

• Prepare land for planting– Disking, mowing, fertilizing

• Planting– Corn, native grasses, oats, chufa,

ruffed grouse mix, pheasant mix, turkey mix

Management Goals and Objectives

• Creating nest boxes• Managing wetlands• Stock pheasants

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=49167

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/pheasant_workshop.htm

Management Goals and Objectives

Survey and monitor Neithercut for progress:– Measuring tree height and width– Monitoring aspen regeneration– Shrub count estimates– Success of food plots– Repairing spring seeps and riparian areas as

needed– Repairing nest boxes as needed– Population estimates

Management Area

Neithercut Woodland

Timeline

Year 1• Winter 2010:

– Survey turkey body counts, observe current habitat conditions

– Create 10 mallard nest box– Monitor wetland area– Acquire harvest survey for Clare, Co. to

determine current population– Clearcut hardwoods for pheasant food plots– Begin stump removal

• Spring 2010: – Implement thinning and cutting trees for

turkey habitat– Place mallard nest boxes in wetland area– Monitor wetland area– Prepare soil and plant food plots– Evaluate current status (quality, age) of the

four aspen stands within Neithercut

• Summer 2010: – Prescribe burning for turkey areas– Monitor wetland area– Autumn olive removal

• Fall 2010: – Create food plots, in open areas, of turkey

seed mix (oats, ryegrass and vetch) (2.47 ha each)

– Monitor wetland area– Stock pheasants

*Management activities to continue as needed…

Budget

Tractor (Rental and Usage) $4,260.00

Planting (Grain and Fertilizer) $1,276.00

Removal (Clear cutting & burning) $184.00

Nest Boxes $500.00

Pheasant Addition $300.00

Total for Year 1 $6,520.00

10 Years of Management $50,000-$55,000