Nesting and Brood-Rearing Cover

Without nesting and brood-rearing cover on the landscape, there are no pheasants. Period. 

Ring-necked pheasants are birds of open landscapes, where grasses and herbaceous plants are the dominant cover. Across most of the pheasant range, secure, undisturbed grassland nesting habitat is the most important limiting factor for pheasant populations. Brood-rearing is another element of the “making new pheasants” equation.

That can be a good thing, since nesting and brood-rearing cover is one element we can influence in a relatively short period of time by planting the right vegetation and managing it correctly.

Nesting and brood-rearing cover is herbaceous cover (examples: grasses, and forbs or wildflowers) providing overhead and horizontal concealment from predators, that remains free from both human-related (mowing, dog training) and weather-related (flooding) disturbances from April to mid-July.

Hen pheasants generally begin nesting by early April. The earliest nests are located in erect, residual vegetation from the prior growing season. Later, the new growth in hayfields or pastures becomes important for nesting hens and for newly hatched broods. Through mid-summer, pheasants need secure and undisturbed cover.

Hens that lose nests are persistent re-nesters, although clutch size and success rates diminish rapidly as summer advances. Nesting chores end for most hens by mid-July. In addition to pheasant nesting, grasslands also provide the insects that are important for providing the protein-rich food that young pheasants need to grow fast.

Here are the keys to creating prime places for pheasants to hatch and grow young:

Can you spot the hen pheasant?

---

Nesting Cover Needs and Opportunities

Nesting Cover Needs and Opportunities

Pheasants need a minimum of 30 to 60 acres of safe, undisturbed nesting cover. That would be about 5 to 10 percent of a 640-acre section. More is better. Of course, any nesting cover is better than none.

Consider the size and shape of nesting cover as well as the types of vegetation. Generally, larger blocks of cover are preferable to narrow strips, since large blocks are more difficult for predators to search. However, some linear habitats are very important for production and brood-rearing on a landscape level.

Nesting cover opportunities are where you find them, but there are some specific areas to concentrate on:

---

Choosing a Nesting Cover Mix

Choosing a Nesting Cover Mix

Establishing nesting cover is a compromise of factors that include site, cost and your management objectives. Since wildlife will use the cover for more than just the nesting season, think about other habitat needs — like brood-rearing and wintering.

Single Species or Mixes?

What is better: Just one grass or a mixture of grasses and/or broad-leaved plants?

Single species mixes may fit in some instances but fail for pheasants in others. A great example of this is smooth brome. Although birds may nest in brome, it often chokes out other broadleaf plants, creating an “insect desert” for freshly hatched chicks.

Fields of warm or cool-season grasses and forbs in a habitat mix will provide more cover variety that will produce more pheasants. Broods are often found at the borders of these fields, as that is where bare ground and broadleaf plants are located.

Diversify

The lesson is to diversify your plantings. Quickly achieving a solid stand of grass is not a good goal when creating nesting and brood-rearing cover. Although these heavy stands of grass may be where you find the birds during the hunting season, often the birds are not produced there.

Plantings comprised of native prairie grasses and forb mixtures provide relative ease of movement for broods. Native grass/forb stands also typically offer excellent residual vegetation for nesting the following year.

The best plantings normally contain mixes of 5 to 10 native grasses suited to the site, with a complement of 15 to 20 forbs such as milkweeds, prairie asters, bergamot, prairie clovers, prairie coneflowers and sunflowers, indigo, lupine and goldenrods.

Cool or Warm Season Grass?

Nesting cover must conceal hens from overhead, and from the side when viewed from a dozen feet away.

That requires dense, erect vegetation at least 8 to 12 inches high. Both cool and warm-season grasses can fill this requirement. Both warm and cool-season grasses can be utilized for nesting by birds. The residual cover (last year’s growth) typically provides the most likely place for a pheasant to nest.

Cool-Season Grasses. Cool-season grasses begin growth in the cool spring months, hence the name. They can provide early green-up for nesting depending on how early or late spring is. If there is adequate growth, nesting can occur. Native cool-season grasses like prairie Junegrass are always good to include in your seed mixes.

Warm-Season Grasses. Warm-season native grasses begin growth much later in the spring. They reach full maturity in late summer or early fall. Hence the warm-season name. These grasses produce high-quality cover when cool-season grasses lie dormant.

Warm-season (native) grasses such as Indiangrass, switchgrass, and big and little bluestem, reach full maturity in late summer or early fall. But last year’s warm-season grasses produce high-quality cover when cool-season grasses lie dormant. If left undisturbed, these grasses may provide good winter habitat and residual nesting cover for the following spring.

Native grasses and forbs are self-sustaining if managed properly. The growth form and root structure of these plants actually help minimize many noxious weed problems.

Controlled burning, on a 3- or 4-year rotation, is a primary management tool for warm-season grasses.

The quality of native grass and forb seeding as cover for pheasants and other upland wildlife is unmatched.

Native grasses can be planted prior to June, as late-fall dormant seedings (November) or as frost seedings in late winter (February).

Testing for Nesting

There are many good types of nesting cover. Here is a simple field exercise to test the adequacy of your nest cover:

Throw a football 20 feet away. If it disappears and there are several species of grasses and forbs in the field, you likely have adequate cover. Conduct this test in mid-April. Ensure there is no disturbance for the next 3 months.

Pheasants are grassland birds, but not all grasslands are created equal. As you conduct these football tests you will begin to notice a trend of native warm-season grasses consistently being the Super Bowl champions of structure compared to non-native species.

Disturbance is Required

Nesting cover is dynamic. It must be regularly renewed. If the cover looks great this year, chances are it won’t look that good in 2 years. Disturbance is good. Plan ahead to manage grass cover successfully. That means burning, mowing or both. It is the best thing you can do for pheasants in your area. See the Managing Nesting Cover section for details.

Dylan Jacobs

---

Planting Native Grasses and Forbs

Planting Native Grasses and Forbs

Keep these 4 basic planting rules in mind and you will have success, no matter whether you plant in spring or fall.

Fall Seedings

Fall seedings of native grass and forb mixes can be effective for establishing diverse stands of nesting cover.

You cannot seed until the soil temperature has dropped low enough so that there is no chance of germination in the fall. Soil temperatures must be below 54 degrees, and you should be reasonably certain it will stay below that temperature for the remainder of dormant seeding season.

If you are seeding forbs or native grasses using a no-till drill in the fall or spring, know that planting the seed too deep is one of the most common mistakes.

Placing the seed more than ¼ to 1/8 inch beneath the ground surface can have negative effects. This is especially important in fall, as the ground’s freezing and thawing process can work the seed deeper into the soil over the winter months.

When drilling into existing crop stubble (soybean stubble is ideal), tillage or disturbance prior to seeding is not needed. Simply drill directly into the existing crop stubble. This provides a nice firm seed bed, helping ensure that the seed doesn’t get planted too deep.

If you are no-till drilling into existing cool-season grass vegetation, the existing vegetation needs to be killed prior to seeding. For this, a 3-step process is recommended:

Spring Seedings

Spring planting can be completed any time before the first of June. Some years, seeding through the middle of June can be successful. However, depending on the summer’s heat and moisture, new seedlings may not have enough root growth to support themselves for the upcoming winter. (If in a USDA program, check seeding date deadline.)

First-year mowing can be used to help control weed pressure. This can also decrease the time for establishment. Constant monitoring will be needed if mowing is going to be used as a management option.

A common mistake is mowing too late in the growing season, creating an excessive thatch layer on top of the new seedlings. Monitoring early can help reduce this negative impact. Mowing should be done when the average vegetation height is around 12 inches. This can vary depending on the weed pressure.

Mowing short is not recommended. Raising the mower to a height of 6 to 8 inches helps reduce the amount of mowed material sitting on top of the new plants, while still providing structure.

Seeding Rates

As mentioned previously, good nesting cover cannot consist of grasses alone. Too much grass, regardless of the species, is still too much grass. The rates at which warm-season grasses, forbs and legumes are seeded varies greatly across the country and is locally dependent on factors such as soil type and precipitation. Contact your local PF Farm Bill biologist with questions.

Generally speaking, rates of 3 to 5 pounds of Pure Live Seed (PLS) per acre are appropriate for a large swath of the pheasant range. However, in certain areas, such as the western portion of the pheasant range, a higher seed rate may be necessary given the climate. Forbs and legumes are typically planted at a rate of 1 to 4 ounces per acre.

Use the following guide to determine the appropriate quantities of individual grasses in a mix. For best results, contact your county NRCS office to find the recommended seeding rates for your specific soils.

As a good rule of thumb, try to make mixes that have an approximate ratio of 50:50 grasses to forbs/legumes.

SELECTING SEED

There are a great many quality seed dealers to choose from. Consider Pheasants Forever mixes first. We offer a variety of mixes specifically designed for different situations, needs and geographies. Visit the Pheasants Forever Habitat Store here.

That being said, there are some simple guidelines to use when selecting native seed.

Determine PLS and PLS/sqft

Planting rates are usually given in pounds of Pure Live Seed (PLS) per acre. Because bulk seed can vary greatly in quality, make sure you are buying seed per pound PLS. This is the reason you do not want to go out and purchase the cheapest seed you can find. An alternative method, and a method that often helps with visualization, is to find the PLS seeds/sqft (square foot).

As an example, picture a one-square-foot area on the ground, and then picture a number of seeds within it. For most nesting mixes, a seeding rate of 20-35 PLS/sqft is recommended. This means your one-square-foot box on the ground should contain 20-35 seeds. This often helps people understand why the amount of seed they receive is smaller than they expected. While the above rates should be true for large portions of the country, checking with your local Farm Bill Biologist and or NRCS office may be necessary.

Due to the nature of most seed, and especially natives, there is a certain percentage of non-seed per bulk pound of seed … and not all seed is viable. Through testing the seed, the purity (percent) and germination (percent) are determined. These ratings should be found on the label of any seed you are planning to purchase. Pure Live Seed or PLS percent is determined by multiplying the percent purity by the percent germination.

For example: If a seed test results in a purity of 70% (.70) and a germination of 92% (.92), % PLS would be calculated like this: % Purity (.70) x % Germination (.92) = % PLS or 64.4%.

Once you know the percent pure live seed, simply multiply it by the bulk weight of your seed to determine the pounds of pure live seed you have. For instance, if your bulk switchgrass weighed 55 pounds and the PLS was 64.4% you would have 35.42 pounds of viable switchgrass seed to plant. 55 pounds x .644 = 35.42 pounds.

PLS / sqft can be determined by dividing the # of seeds per pound / 43,560 sq ft per acre. Typically, seed dealers or resource professionals will have determined this factor. The take-home here is the handy visualization method for both seed on the ground and the amount of seed purchased.

Logan Hinners

---

Managing Nesting Cover

Managing Nesting Cover

The value of grassland vegetation for supporting nesting pheasants and offering cover for other upland wildlife depends on more than just getting the native grasses and wildflowers seeded.

Proper management is necessary to rejuvenate older plantings and keep them attractive to nesting wildlife. Actively managing a third of a field annually on a rotating basis can rejuvenate seedings and provide better wildlife habitat. Several management options are available.

Controlled Burning

Controlled burning is an important tool for managing warm-season grasses and forbs, as well as tame grasses.

Unwanted woody vegetation can be eliminated by proper use of fire. Burning also releases the nutrients bound in the plant litter, and that stimulates vigorous new growth following the burn.

Burning can, however, be very dangerous if not done properly. Native prairie produces extremely hot fires that spread rapidly. Permits are required by most fire departments, and controlled burns on CRP lands require NRCS burn plans.

In short, if you have never done a burn before, get the proper training and do your first couple burns with an expert at hand!

Burn when the new growth of competitive cool-season grasses reaches 2 to 6 inches in height — normally in late March into early April. Earlier burning leads to weed growth, which is fine for wildlife but sometimes a problem for landowners.

Later burns often fail because of too much green growth.

Burning should be done every 3 to 5 years, and more frequently if tree invasion is a problem.

Timing of the burn can be critical for wildlife production, and if possible, a scheme of rotational burning is best.

We’ll say it again: If you plan to burn, get training, get help, and consult with wildlife agencies and fire departments.

Mowing

Mowing of any established cover (for haying, as well as weed and brush control) should be delayed until after the nesting season has concluded, in mid-to-late July.

Even then, broods using these areas for feeding need to be considered. If it was a late-hatch year, delay your mowing to save birds! And consider whether those birds will have places to go and cover to use after you mow. Maybe don’t mow it all.

After cover is established, haying segments of the field on a 3-year rotation will keep the vegetation rejuvenated and leave birds with habitat to use. Shredding/ mowing can leave excess thatch on the ground and limit chick movement. Shredding can be a valuable tool to decrease woody vegetation in nesting cover areas.

Leave 8 to 12 inches of cover after the last cutting, and more if possible with native grass. This is sufficient height to provide some roosting cover as well as residual cover for nesting, and to protect plant vigor.

If weed control is necessary, use spot mowing rather than blanket applications.

Disking

Disking is an underrated management technique used to create early successional habitat. Aggressively disking sodbound grasses promotes bare ground and provides opportunity for forbs like sunflowers to grow. These early successional plants and bare ground are critical to pheasant chicks.

Multiple disking passes may be needed to produce adequate bare ground.

One important note: In areas with a history of noxious weeds, disking can cause bare ground creating opportunities for those noxious weeds to emerge.

Interseeding

Interseeding legumes, or planting separate plots of cool-season and warm-season grasses, can also diversify nesting and brood-rearing cover.

---

Brood Rearing Habitat

Brood Rearing Habitat

Hatching new pheasants is important. But quality brood-rearing habitat is essential to ensure pheasant chicks are able to survive, grow and ultimately thrive. To accomplish this, brood-rearing habitat must check multiple boxes. It must:

If we adopt the perspective of a pheasant chick for a moment, we begin to see how different vegetation types can bring all these factors together.

Newly hatched chicks weigh less than an ounce, so pushing their way through dense vegetation isn’t an option. But they must also avoid spending too much time out in the open, as they would be a quick treat for predators.

Which kinds of plants won’t slow down chicks, but also hide them from threats? Bunchgrasses and broadleaves.

Bunchgrasses grow in clumps, leaving the surrounding soil bare. Broadleaves (wildflowers), which generally lose the battle for resources to sod-forming grasses, persist in the open soil allowed by bunchgrasses and form tree-like canopies above these bare spots. This structure offers both lateral concealment (grasses) and overhead concealment (forbs) from preying eyes, while also allowing for open paths on the soil surface for the tiny chicks to move freely.

Unable to regulate their own body temperature for more than ten days after hatching, chicks also rely on this variation in structure to help keep their internal temperature within a safe range. Mornings in the spring are chilly and the vegetation dewy. A chick that finds itself in sod-bound grass will likely die of hypothermia if it is unable to push itself out of the damp vegetation and dry itself off.

Luckily, life gets easier for the young birds as they grow. And they do grow quickly. To fuel this rapid growth, chicks need the quality protein only found in soft-bodied insects.

During their first several weeks of life, pheasant chicks feed almost exclusively on the larval and instar stages of many pollinator insect species. Pollinating insects (as well as many non-pollinator species) require broadleaf plants on the landscape. So, generally speaking, good pollinator habitat is good brood rearing habitat.

When planning these seedings, it is beneficial to include north of 30 forb species with just a few warm season grasses at a low rate, aiming for a ratio of 1/3 grasses to 2/3 forbs. A high number of broadleaves guarantees that there are always plants blooming throughout the growing season, as most species only flower during a specific window and for a limited time. It turns out planting milkweed benefits more than just monarch butterflies!

FINDING HELP

Various federal, state and private conservation programs may help defray some of the cost of establishing nest cover. Contact your local Pheasants Forever Farm Bill biologist to start. Other resources include the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at your local USDA Farm Service Agency office, state wildlife agency, and local Pheasants Forever chapter.

---

Flower Power All-Stars

Flower Power All-Stars

As diversity on the landscape is good for pheasants, so is diversity within nesting and brood-rearing cover itself. Forbs, more commonly known as wildflowers, are key in that respect. Prairie wildflowers feature stiff stems that stand up to wind, heavy rain and other weather extremes, while offering broad leaves under which young pheasants can hide from predators and move about while foraging for the abundant insects that such habitat produces. Come full summer, the blooms are just beautiful to look at too, while supporting pollinator life. Here are a few all-star species:

The #Farming4Habitat campaign was initiated by seven of the nation’s leading conservation organizations to highlight the robust investments that America’s landowners make in support of the conservation of our public trust fish and wildlife resources. Learn more at Farming4Habitat.org.
 

Back to Table of Contents