Evaluation of the Surrogator® system to increase pheasant and quail abundance

ABSTRACT Captive‐rearing and release programs have been used to augment populations of ring‐necked pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ), northern bobwhite ( Colinus virginianus ), and other gamebirds to provide additional hunting opportunities. However, many question the efficacy of the rear‐and‐release technique to increase huntable gamebird populations. The Surrogator® (hereafter, surrogator) is a captive‐rearing system purported to establish huntable gamebird populations within a property. Little research has been conducted to inform land managers and sportsmen and sportswomen about the effectiveness of this system. We evaluated the use of the surrogator for ring‐necked pheasants and northern bobwhites from May to October 2009 and 2010 in Kiowa County, Kansas, USA. The 4‐week in‐surrogator survival rates for pheasant chicks were 85% ± 5% (SE) in 2009 ( n = 840) and 79% ± 8% in 2010 ( n = 420). The 5‐week in‐surrogator survival of bobwhite chicks was 78% ± 12% ( n = 765) in 2009 and 79% ± 3% in 2010 ( n = 783). Released pheasant chicks had an overall survival rate of 8% ± 6% ( n = 58) over 12 weeks. Eight‐week postrelease survival for bobwhites was 35% ± 5% ( n = 59). Postrelease survival of pheasants or bobwhites was not appreciably greater than conventional rear‐and‐release programs, suggesting that population establishment with surrogator birds may be difficult. Although 1,150 pheasants and 1,105 bobwhites were released, only 5.5% and 7.2% of bands were returned from harvested pheasants and bobwhites, respectively. The surrogator may not be effective for establishing or re‐establishing pheasant and bobwhite populations, but it may be an effective tool to supplement existing gamebird populations to enhance hunting opportunities. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.