In the 80's I was a Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer with the Pa. Game Commission in the Northwest District of the state (Erie County). As such, I had seasonal duties that at times required for the release of "farm" raised Ring-neck Pheasants. I'd come home from my day job and there would be anywhere from a dozen to 20 or so crates of Pheasants stacked in my driveway. I think their were 10 or 12 Pheasants in each crate with male and female birds. I'd load them in the back of the truck and grab 1 or 2 or 3 of my sons and head out to a couple of game lands and release them. This usually happened close to the opening of ring-neck season. Now having about a dozen ring-necks in a closed confined crate for any length of time, results in an aroma that is really tough to take. Reaching into the crate and carefully getting a hold of individual birds was also pretty messy. (Reason for grabbing 1, 2, or 3 sons).Oh the memories...My boys would return home really disgustingly stinky, dirty, etc. Mom wasn't proud..but I was. Go figure.
With all that said, I moved away from Northwestern Pa, resigned my commission, and transferred to North Central Pa. with my day job in early 1988. I have not seen or heard a Ring-neck Pheasant since. Until I pulled down the driveway from my aforementioned trip to Park Station. There he was...dusting himself in the gravel. My wife had never seen one, so while she was getting her eyes full, I got out and filled my camera lens with pheasant. I only took, over the next 3 hours, about 150 pictures. Gotta love digital cameras. This ring-neck has taken up residency in my front yard it seems as I awoke this morning to the, not heard recently, but very familiar sound of the Ring-neck Pheasant call. It's all good.
I so love wildlife....and the memories of days gone by.
Awesome Uncle Blair...we don't see those down here. Thanks for sharing your story and pictures..Dawn Marie
ReplyDeleteWow, very cool! I've never seen on in person either.
ReplyDeleteLoved your story :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! Looks like you have a handsome new neighbor. They really are beautiful birds. Their feathers are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI miss seeing Pheasants. Great post and photos Blair!
ReplyDeleteMy dad worked on a pheasant farm in central PA when he was a kid. Growing up, I remember having meals that featured pheasant.
What a beautiful bird, thank god Grandpa isn't alive or he would have been Easter Dinner!! Give my Aunt a kiss for me!! Vicki
ReplyDeleteSo what did Ma name this new creature in her front yard.
ReplyDeleteBill..He's a no name. Spent one night. I saw him walk across the Coop road and he hasn't been back...
ReplyDeleteThis brings back a lot of memories, Blair. When I first started with Food & Cover, we helped the Game Protector release the pheasants. (A large truck from the Huntingdon crew brought them to Fulton County and we met them, divided the birds up and released them). Things changed in time and I was assigned to drive the big truck to the farm at Montoursville and bring the birds to Bedford Co. and leave part of the load and then take the rest to Fulton Co. During the last part of my career, they realigned the areas the game farms served and I was then sent to the Nortwest Game Farm at New Bethlehem. I kept that up until I got to be foreman, but I still helped stock in some cases. At first I dreaded these trips (the truck was old and I worried about breakdowns), but I later came to enjoy them and especially liked the runs to New Bethlehem.
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