A bird in the bush is worth four in the hand - hand-rearing and the productivity of pheasants in the wild.

Abstract

In order to supplement autumn populations for shooting, British sportsmen rear and release large numbers of hand-reared pheasants. These are released in the summer and survivors enter the following spring's breeding population. This study compared the breeding success of hand-reared and wild hen pheasants. These results are used in a population simulation model to examine the effects of releasing hand-reared birds on the productivity of the breeding population. Thirty-four wild and 15 hand-reared hen pheasants were fitted with radiotransmitters and their breeding success recorded. There were no significant differences in clutch size, egg hatchability, rate of nest predation or chick survival groups. However, the hand-reared hens were three times as likely to be killed by foxes between April and August. As a consequence, hand-reared hens successfully raised 75% fewer chicks than wild hens.
These results were included in a simulation model to examine the effects of a) increasing the number of birds reared per unit area; b) releasing a set number of birds over a number of years; and c) increasing shooting pressure. Each of these options led to an increase in the proportion of hand-reared hens in the breeding population and a decline in its productivity. All three options reflect current trends in Britain.
Sustained large scale hand-rearing can result in an unproductive wild population which cannot provide a sustainable yield for hunting, this then increases the reliance of sportsmen on further hand-rearing to maintain their sport. Possible alternatives such as the release and shooting of cocks-only for a number of years on those areas where releasing has previously taken place to restore the number of productive wild hens are discussed.