No Birds in North West Georgia?

[Dale Meyer]

Gerald, you surely aren't unique in Georgia with scarce game birds. Here in Pa. we once had lots of wild pheasants. Today, there are almost none reproducing in the wild. The only pheasants in many areas are those pen-raised and released by the Game Commission just before the season opens.

Among the reasons for this demise in wild birds is the outlawing of ddt in about 1972 which led to an explosion in the predator population, modern clean farming practices which elimated much of the fence-row cover, and the expansion of suburban housing developments.

In my opinion, perhaps the most devastating loss to pheasant populations here in Pa. was the result of a disease commonly called the "chicken flu". This was a virus infecting vast numbers of flocks of chickens during the mid-70's. Huge numbers of chickens were destroyed in an effort to control the spread of this disease. This disease apparently spread to wild game bird populations as well. I worked at a state mental hospital in Harrisburg where we had huge numbers of pheasants present on our property which covered near to a thousand acres of prime phesant habitat. During the winter in about 1975, we discovered literally piles of dead pheasants in every patch of cover we investigated. Wild pheasant populations dwindled and became almost non existent withiln ten years. It is possible that this disease was spread throughout the eastern wild game bird populations. I haven't noticed such a profound effect in the grouse population as among pheasants and quail. The habitat preferences are distinctly different among grouse and pheasants and quail.

Whatever the cause, noone can deny that the populations of most game bird populations in the east have plumetted. In many areas sightings of turkeys are more common that pheasants today.