The Pheasants Forever (PF) organization was established in 1982, and today it consists of 125,000 members. Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs. Having over 600 different chapters allows this organization to reach out to the public in many different locations and backgrounds. My experiences with PF have broadened my horizons in many different ways.
Having a step-father, Jim, who is an avid outdoorsman, especially pheasant hunting, has allowed me to grow up already knowing about a lot of the issues today. One of those issues being the lack of young pheasant hunters today. A main cause of this is due to the regions where pheasants are inhabited, which is mostly in the northern states. People in the southern states don’t have nearly as much opportunity to fall in love with this sport without travelling. One positive to attracting young hunters is the annual PF Youth Day that the Wisconsin Coulee Region Chapter conducts every year. I participated in this event when I was a teenager and it opened my eyes even more to the excitement of hunting and being outdoors. We not only got to go out in the field and shoot pheasants over the dogs, but the PF members also set up a trap shooting range, dog training exhibit, and demonstrating correct bird cleaning techniques. Since then, my brothers and I have accompanied Jim and our two English Setters on several pheasant hunting trips to South Dakota. I would encourage each and every PF chapter to find time to incorporate a youth day into your schedules; it’s well worth it.
Pheasants Forever has also motivated Jim to become more involved with the outdoors. He has done a lot of research and attended many different dog training seminars which have allowed him to produce some very productive bird hunting dogs. In turn, this has gotten me more involved with hunting and helping with the dog training. Since our involvement with PF, we have replanted much of our lawn and additional acreage into native prairie, and have been enrolled in the CRP program.
This organization has done a lot to help the youth become more involved and educated, but there’s a lot more to PF. Another example is their focus on habitat maintenance and restoration. The Coulee Region Chapter has recently purchased a new seed drill to plant native grasses. This service is promoted to the public and members alike. They also focus a lot of their time in the spring to controlled burns. PF has a list of property owners who request or volunteer their land to be managed and burned. These properties on a rotation and burned every other spring. This is something that I have been very familiar with since I was a kid. Burning prairies is probably one of the things I look forward to most in the spring other than turkey hunting. Some people may think that the black ground after the fire is an ugly sight, but it’s one of the most beneficial things that can be done to native grasses. I would encourage anyone who has any questions about potential controlled burns on your property to contact your local PF chapter.
To conclude, Pheasants Forever is a organization based on education, habitat improvements, public awareness, and land management. I would encourage everyone who reads this to visit the PF website and attend an upcoming meeting or banquet. This organization has really been a big influence on myself as well as my family through the years, and I feel as though you could say the same thing if you become involved.
References:
Pheasants Forever: The Habitat Conservation Organization. Web. 12 Jan. 2011.
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