This morning at first light, as I headed out through the pasture to check one of the last expectant cows, I heard at least four different rooster pheasants crowing back and forth. I'm guessing they are in the midst of mating season and hoping to attract a pheasant hen. I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of ring-necked pheasants that populate our ranch and the neighboring properties that I manage. When we farmed in southern Iowa a couple of decades ago, we were in territory that was considered prime pheasant habitat. But we actually see and hear as many pheasants here on 100 acres as we did on 1200 acres in Iowa. One reason for that is because the consistent supply of tall forage that is available for our cattle also provides ideal habitat for the pheasant population. Years ago, when our daughters were little, they named the rooster pheasant that hung around the driveway and our yard "Filbert". Pictured above is the latest iteration of Filbert as I caught him sneaking past our living room window the other day.
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