By Andrew McKean, Region 6 Information Officer Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Upland game birds such as pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge find agricultural land an ideal habitat that provides food, shelter, and sanctuary from predators and weather. Sage grouse also use agricultural lands to some extent, but depend more on native range and sagebrush prairie.
Most farmers and ranchers manage their land with an eye for wildlife benefits—after all, many landowners are hunters and conservationists—but sometimes economic considerations trump habitat enhancement.
Take forage production, for instance. Much of Montana’s best bird habitat is hay ground, either native grass or irrigated alfalfa. Hayfields offer dense cover for nesting, protection from predators, and insects and small seeds for food.
That is why the timing of haying activity has a big impact on bird survival, especially pheasants.
“Though it may not be possible for the farming operation, for game birds, hay cutting is best done as late as possible, at least early July” says Scott Thompson, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologist in Culbertson.
The federal Conservation Reserve Program that converted marginal cropland to soil-holding vegetation has been a boon to upland birds. Haying these lands that are a grass monoculture can rejuvenate forbs such as alfalfa and clovers that provide birds with food, nesting cover and protection from storm events.
“CRP maintenance practices in Montana allow for a July 16 haying, when some game birds are still nesting. Emergency June haying, allowed the past four years, can be especially hard on birds, though it has helped some ag operations to remain viable,” Thompson said.
Native grouse species are especially vulnerable to disruptions during their nesting period. If sharp-tailed grouse or sage grouse are displaced from their nests or their young broods are killed, they rarely re-nest.
Pheasants, which evolved in a more intensive agricultural environment in their native Asia, frequently re-nest if their initial attempt is disrupted.
Chicks from these late broods are often undeveloped by the early-fall hunting season. As a result, early in the season pheasant hunters may see young roosters that are barely plumed in the bright greens and reds of maturity. Hunters who swing on sharp-tailed grouse must also be sure they’re not shooting at an immature pheasant rooster.
Bird-friendly habitat isn’t limited to cultivated ground; livestock grazing patterns can also affect populations.
“Rest-rotation grazing benefits the health of the range and the livestock that use it, and benefits grouse and other wildlife,” Thompson said.
Farming and ranching operations can offer some of the state’s choicest pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and partridge habitat. If you are fortunate enough to hunt this prime ground, be sure to thank the landowner for providing access and for making habitat-friendly decisions.
