FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA 2009 Season Summary YOUTH UPLAND HUNT AND WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT PROGRAM
FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA 2009 SEPTEMBER YOUTH UPLAND BIRD HUNT and WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT PROGRAM The 20 th annual Western Oregon Fee Pheasant Hunt program at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area from Sept 7 Oct 4 resulted in a monthly total of 1826 hunter trips to harvest 699 pheasants. A total of 887 birds were released throughout the season on a 4-day per week schedule in addition to 190 pheasants that were released for the Sept. 5 and 6 Youth Upland Hunt program. Pheasants were supplied by Mortenson s Purple Sage Game Farm in Caldwell, Idaho. The pheasants again this year were of excellent stock and demonstrated the elusive and wary tendencies of their wild kin. Marianne Brooks handled all details of administering the hunt including unloading, loading, tending, and release of pheasants, and stocking, retrieving, and recording data from hunt permits. Field conditions were excellent again this year for hunters as dry conditions prevailed for the entire season.
2009 DATE # HUNTERS REGISTERED FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA YOUTH UPLAND BIRD HUNT PROGRAM EAST COYOTE / WEST COYOTE / FISHER BUTTE UNITS SEPTEMBER 5-6, 2009 # HUNTERS PARTICIPATING # PHEASANTS HARVESTED # DOVES HARVESTED PHEAS/HUNTER AVERAGE # HUNTER HOURS 9-5 N/A* 49 30 0 0.61 AV 156 9-6 N/A* 42 40 0 0.95 AV 140 TOTAL N/A* 91 70 0 0.77 AV 296 2008 N/A* 104 89 0 0.86 AV 279 2007 N/A* 84 63 1 0.75 AV 203.5 2006 N/A* 113 77 0 0.68 AV 313 2005 N/A* 118 94 1 0.80 AV 381 2004 N/A* 98 56 0 0.57 AV 302 2003 N/A* 83 63 1 0.76 AV 225 2002 N/A* 92 63 2 0.68 AV 288 2001 N/A* 90 78 1 0.87 AV 262 2000 N/A* 89 78 1 0.88 AV 221 1999 N/A* 99 75 0 0.76 AV 254.5 1998 N/A* 110 96 0 0.87 AV 265.5 1997 119 156 80 1 0.51 AV 444.5 1996 115 152 78 0 0.51 AV 464.5 1995 96 119 87 1 0.73 AV 311 1994 124 143 82 2 0.57 AV 421.5 1993 110 127 68 2 0.54 AV - - 1992 111 130 74 0 0.57 AV - - 1991 103 118 61 5 0.55 AV - - 1990 N/A 95 94 0 0.98 AV - - Hunters register on the morning of the hunt. Advance pre-registration is not required. Youth hunt is for hunters 17 years of age or younger accompanied by a non-hunting adult.
YEAR FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT PROGRAM EAST COYOTE / WEST COYOTE / FISHER BUTTE / ROYAL-AMAZON UNITS # HUNTERS # PHEASANTS HARVESTED SEASON TOTAL HUNTER HOURS BIRDS PER HUNTER AVERAGE # PHEASANTS RELEASED % OF RELEASED PHEASANTS HARVESTED 2009 1826 699 4119.5 0.38 887 79% 2008 1919 710 4621 0.37 879 81% 2007 1945 711 4894 0.37 884 80% 2006 2021 691 4547 0.34 883 78% 2005 2789 1074 6367 0.39 1444 74% 2004 1752 737 4009 0.42 895 82% 2003 1836 788 4130 0.43 990 80% 2002 1936 844 4225 0.44 1080 78% 2001 2139 840 4743 0.39 1096 77% 2000 2050 823 4690 0.40 1118 74% 1999 1967 741 4593 0.38 1084 68% 1998 1676 696 4006 0.42 971 72% 1997 1735 808 4265 0.47 999 81% 1996 1783 726 4219 0.41 992 73% 1995 1932 770 4322.5 0.40 987 78% 1994 1996 722 4540 0.36 941 77% 1993 2002 764 4935 0.38 995 77% 1992 1812 608 4320.5 0.34 1000 61% 1991 2342 757 5875 0.32 1207 63% 1990 1570 820 4228 0.52 1110 74% * Fee Pheasant hunt dates: 1990 to 2002 = Oct 1-31 / 2003 = Sept 22 - Oct 22 / 2004 = Sept 13 - Oct 13 2005 = Sept 12 - Oct 31 / 2006 = Sept 11 - Oct 8 / 2007 = Sept 10 Oct 7 2008 = Sept 8 - Oct 5 / 2009 = Sept 7 - Oct 4
PHEASANT HUNTERS WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT 2009 DATES: SEPT 7 TO OCT 4 EAST COYOTE, WEST COYOTE, FISHER BUTTE, AND ROYAL-AMAZON UNITS REGULATIONS: $11.50 FEE PHEASANT TAG REQUIRED o EACH TAG WILL ALLOW HARVEST OF 2 ROOSTER PHEASANTS o MULTIPLE TAGS MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGHOUT THE SEASON BAG LIMIT: TWO ROOSTER PHEASANTS PER DAY UPON TAKING A PHEASANT, EACH HUNTER SHALL IMMEDIATELY RECORD SUCH TAKING ON THE TAG IN INK. o CARRY AN INK PEN IN THE FIELD. DO NOT HUNT WITHOUT AN INK PEN TO RECORD YOUR HARVEST OR YOU MAY BE CITED FOR FAILURE TO VALIDATE YOUR TAG. FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT PROGRAM 2009 RELEASE SCHEDULE AND REGULATIONS SHOOTING ENDS AT 5 PM EACH DAY FOR PHEASANTS. o MORNING SHOOTING HOURS START ACCORDING TO TIME LISTED IN GAME BIRD REGULATION BOOKLET. o HUNTING FOR WATERFOWL AND OTHER SPECIES ENDS ACCORDING TO SHOOTING HOURS TABLE IN GAME BIRD REGULATION BOOKLET. NON-TOXIC SHOT REQUIRED FOR ALL GAME BIRD HUNTING ON THE WILDLIFE AREA ALL HUNTERS ARE REQUIRED TO CHECK IN AND OUT AT WILDLIFE AREA HUNTER CHECKSTATIONS. Fern Ridge Wildlife Area 26969 Cantrell Road Eugene, OR 97402 / 541-935-2591
FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA YEAR: 2009 PHEASANT RELEASE SCHEDULE YOUTH HUNT & WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT PROGRAM PHEASANTS PHEASANTS DAILY DISTRIBUTION DATE SCHEDULED RELEASED EAST WEST FISHER TOTAL TOTAL COYOTE COYOTE BUTTE Youth Upland Hunt Weekend Sept 5 & 6 4-Sep 120 120 40 40 40 5-Sep 70 70 23 23 24 TOTAL 190 190 63 63 64 Western Oregon Fee Pheasant Hunt Sept 7 - Oct 4 ROYAL AMAZON 6-Sep 65 65 20 20 20 5 7-Sep 8-Sep 9-Sep 65 64 19 20 20 5 10-Sep 11-Sep 65 65 20 20 20 5 12-Sep 65 65 20 20 20 5 13-Sep 14-Sep 60 60 19 18 18 5 15-Sep 16-Sep 60 59 18 18 18 5 17-Sep 18-Sep 60 58 18 17 18 5 19-Sep 50 46 14 13 14 5 20-Sep 21-Sep 55 55 17 17 16 5 22-Sep 23-Sep 55 53 16 16 16 5 24-Sep 25-Sep 60 60 17 18 20 5 26-Sep 50 50 15 15 15 5 27-Sep 28-Sep 55 55 17 17 16 5 29-Sep 30-Sep 55 55 16 17 17 5 1-Oct 2-Oct 80 77 24 24 24 5 3-Oct 4-Oct TOTAL 900 887 270 270 272 75 * PHEASANTS RELEASED AFTER 5 PM ON EACH RELEASE DAY Difference between scheduled / released numbers accounts for mortalities during transport from Idaho
FERN RIDGE WILDLIFE AREA 2009 WESTERN OREGON FEE PHEASANT HUNT COMMENTS FROM HUNTER PERMITS 9-4-09: Saw no dove or quail I found empty Lead shell hulls again! Didn t see a pheasant. Dog didn t smell one 9-7-09: Too much mowing Release more birds please Thank you! 9-10-09: It looks great! Nice job!! W. Coyote: Really like what you ve done out in the canary grass, leaving/making low grass, leaving islands walking paths/edges. Oh, and the great break-up of the patch NW of the corn. It s a nice mix of cover and access to hunters. I d like to see an expansion of the patches on W. side of road S.W. corn patch and around the large oak. Never saw a bird. Game comm. Sucks.
Can t find em 9-11-09: The place looks great! 9-12-09: Great hunt Thank you for cutting those paths through the canary grass (on the north side of the grove) (east coyote) GOOD JOB! 9-18-09: Trash can needed at check station I see hunters not fill this out for hunting mid-morning usually 9-19-09: Heard shots but didn t see a bird Where are all the birds, We heard 1 shot all morning? 9-20-08: Did you plant this side? Fewest shots I ve ever heard. Not a lot of shooting anywhere Seemed very slow 9-22-09: Wasted time 9-29-09: Thanks for your hard work it s been fun! You guys do great!!! Great work done for us hunters this year. Great opportunity if not only opportunity to hunt pheasant for the average person. Thank you! My first time I will be back! How about releasing ½ as many birds everyday or 2/3 Monday and half after 12 mon Tuesday etc Saw 2 otters ---cool! Thanks for the hunt. Good work- the only way I buy a upland tag 10-1-09: Zero for the season! I need a dog! Lots of fun! Thanks! This is a great opportunity for us hunters for upland birds. Only pheasant hunting I get to do. Thanks! 10-2-09: I flushed the birds by blind #2. I dropped it stone dead with hevi-shot nitro magnum #4 s. Pheasant with wild rice & sweet potatoes coming soon! 10-3-09 You guys and girls do a great job!!! Excellent opportunity for old retired local hunters who can t go East- thank you! Poorest year ever if birds were planted they were put where people with good dogs can t find them, in the woods No birds, all hunters going in circles
W. Coyote: 2 nd weekend people shooting 3-5 min. early before legal time. 10-4-09: Thanks for a great year of hunting. Birds were great!
Map of fee hunt pheasant hunt area Fern Ridge Wildlife Area