Dueling with gents

Culling low cock pheasants goes against our deep-rooted fieldsports instincts but it is a necessity in many places, says Richard Negus

- Richard Negus

We held one driven day at Flea Barn in early December. Despite unfavourable weather conditions the birds flew well and a bag of 55 was enjoyed by the team of eight Guns. The second, and final, day was scheduled for 2 January — but the latest lockdown put paid to that. As a result our numbers of both cocks and hens on the 290 hectares are higher than we would have expected them to be at this point in the season.

It would be simplistic to believe that more birds on the ground going into the spring equates to a bumper bag next season. The reality is markedly different. A cock pheasant is both a potentate and a polygamist, with the most successful males commandeering a territory of anything up to a hectare. The precise size of this territory is governed by numerous factors such as geography, food availability, nesting habitat and the absence of rival males.

This hard-won area is ferociously guarded, with the cock bird boasting a harem of anything up to 13 ‘wives’, all attracted to his kingdom by its suitability for rearing young. One of the curious snippets thrown up by GWCT research shows that the most successful cocks tend to have the reddest wattles, which is good news for ruddy-faced port drinkers.

The first negative of having too many cock birds on the ground becomes obvious. If, for example, you have a shoot of 200 hectares and 400 cocks are at large, territories become hotly contested. Fighting ensues, with dominant cocks expending their time and energy in seeing off rivals rather than on their hens.