Effect of habitat and game management practices on ring-necked pheasant harvest in the Czech Republic

The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L.) is one of the most popular small game species both numerically and economically. Pheasant populations are commonly managed in the Czech Republic in order to maximize their harvest. Game managers need to be aware of the possible effects of different management tools on wild pheasant populations. We used data from 38 hunting grounds collected over an 8-year period (2004-2011) and generalized linear mixed effects models (GLMMs) to assess whether pheasant harvest was related to the habitat characteristics and game management practices (release of hand-reared individuals and predator control) in the Czech Republic. The proportion of grasslands, idle lands (spontaneously set-aside lands), and organically farmed lands (i.e., with limited use of industrially made fertilizers and pesticides) and the density of watercourses were positively related to the pheasant harvest. The proportion of forests and road density showed a negative relationship with the pheasant harvest. An important effect of year on the pheasant harvest was also found. In terms of game management practices, predator control intensity (i.e., foxes, martens, corvids) was positively related to the pheasant harvest. The release of hand-reared individuals was not included in the final GLMMs. Our study suggests that the best long-term strategy to reinforce the wild population of ring-necked pheasants would be to concentrate on habitat improvement through the implementation of set-aside management, maintaining the right percentage of shrubby and grass vegetation, to continue with targeted predator control, and to reduce the costly practice of releasing of hand-reared individuals.