Colorado Craig
Pheasant Egg
Posts:3
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| 05 Jan 2010 08:30 PM |
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Have any of you guys ever heard of or seen a Surrogator? Here is a link http://www.wildlifemanagementtechnologies.com/
Our pheasant numbers are still trying to recover from the blizzard a few years back. It nearly wipped them all out. We had really good numbers right before that storm. I'm looking for a way to help the numbers get back to where they were. We have pleanty of habitat for them, just not many birds (right now).
Any thoughts?
These things are big $$$ |
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ChetO
Pheasant Egg
Posts:3
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| 06 Jan 2010 07:15 AM |
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I have a friend in SC that purchased on of these, he tells me that they work well. But he is using it for quail. He told me that anytime he had a problem or question the company was quick to provide an answer to his questions/problem. His only real complaint was the cost of the unit. |
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Hillbilly
Master Hunter
Posts:706
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| 06 Jan 2010 07:43 AM |
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Ilooke into them and ya the cost. Now they make a bigger one and yes it costs even more. I know a couple guides that work for lodges and they say that it really works esspecailly if there is a good predator control measure on he property. |
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| Life's Short Play Hard |
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SmokePole
Pheasant Egg
Posts:12
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| 08 Jan 2010 03:39 PM |
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I looked at the website and I couldn't believe how much they wanted for one of these things. Looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to make one of these things at just a fraction of the cost...might not be as fancy but the concepts of food, water, and warm could be replicated. I would imagine a dozen or so of these units could really boost the bird numbers on your favorite hunting acrage. |
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SmokePole
Pheasant Egg
Posts:12
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| 08 Jan 2010 03:41 PM |
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Sorry for the second post...but I was wondering how many birds you could raise in a modified camper trailer with muliple levels. Could pick up a junker camper for a couple hundred bucks that is already plummed for propane heat and water. |
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Colorado Craig
Pheasant Egg
Posts:3
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| 08 Jan 2010 10:54 PM |
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Ya I think I could make something a lot cheaper. The only thing is the heat?? I bet you could get over 1,000 depending on size of the trailer. You can get 65 in the surrogator and it's not all that big. |
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Hillbilly
Master Hunter
Posts:706
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| 09 Jan 2010 03:53 PM |
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Why not use the propane heater and thermostat out of an old trailer the rest would be easy expanded metal and ply wood. The barrels for water are cheap and a self feed that would hold enough food would be easy. I think I might draw up some plans. |
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| Life's Short Play Hard |
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SmokePole
Pheasant Egg
Posts:12
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| 11 Jan 2010 10:32 AM |
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Well Hillbilly...let me know what you come up with. |
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Colorado Craig
Pheasant Egg
Posts:3
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TCJACK
Pheasant Egg
Posts:46
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| 19 Jan 2010 02:12 PM |
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well we are all hillbillys here! why not just use an old camper? |
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Hillbilly
Master Hunter
Posts:706
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| 19 Jan 2010 05:15 PM |
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I was thinking and it would work you would have a heater and thermasate already there. |
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| Life's Short Play Hard |
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KSwildlifeGuy
Pheasant Egg
Posts:11
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| 20 Aug 2010 11:23 AM |
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In my opinion these things don't work. I manage a couple hundred acres of land and develop properties for people. I've had some landowners want to try this with limited success. They end up becoming feeding areas for the coons, coyotes, badgers, etc.
Nothing beats having good habitat. Pheasants are very resilliant birds and can bread quickly. One rooster will mate with up to 24 hens in a season so if you have the hens, good cover, food and water then you have the recipe for brood success.
Good luck! |
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Craig Burrus
Pheasant Egg
Posts:4
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| 12 Nov 2010 09:53 PM |
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The latest Pheasants Forever magazine had an article on the subject. They had nothing good to say about them as far as creating or augmenting a sustainable population. They used collared and tagged birds and found miserable survival rates. Less than one percent in some cases. Habitat, habitat, habitat. |
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