Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Bob Brunisholz

It wasn't all that long ago when officials of New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) were scratching their collective noggins trying to figure out ways to keep the state's pheasant and bird stocking program afloat. It had been more than a decade since the state increased license fees. In the interim, prices of everything had skyrocketed - the cost of fuel and insurance for stocking trucks, maintenance and feed for birds at Rockport pheasant farm.

Undeniably, the division was cash strapped. To make matters even worse, there was also a "freeze" on hiring new personnel. And the freeze on new hires not only included any additions to staff, but also prevented division administrators from replacing any employees who departed for other job opportunities. In other words, if Rockport Game Farm employed, for instance, seven people who worked the pheasant pens, and two left, no one could be hired to take the place of the two who quit.

For all intents and purposes, the future of the Garden State's upland bird stocking program was looking rather glum, to say the least.

But sportsmen were quick to rally to the cause, and with rare exceptions, most sportsmen and women, primarily through the auspices of New Jersey's nearly 4,000-strong Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, supported a proposed increase in license fees, as well as upping the ante for the purchase of a pheasant/quail stamp.

The increases were a contentious issue in the state legislature for more than a year and as time dragged on, the division was forced to reduce the number of pheasant stockings (that's the number of stockings as opposed to the number of birds which, to the division's credit, never changed throughout the financial crisis), as well as "farm out" its quail-rearing program to private contractors.

Nonetheless, the long-overdue increases were finally implemented in 2000 when the traditional hunting license fee was increased from $22 to $27.50 and a pheasant/quail stamp increased from $22 to a whopping $40.

That may sound like a "bit much," but keep in mind, division officials had been under the financial gun for nearly two decades and they had to play a game that required a lot of catching up.

But did it work? Is New Jersey now back in the driver's seat concerning the pheasant/quail stocking programs? Joe Penkala, supervising biologist at Rockport Game Farm where all state ringnecks are reared, thinks so.

"We're still stocking the same wildlife management areas (WMAs) as we had in the past, and there are as many pheasants released today as there were a decade ago, perhaps more. Barring any natural disaster, the division releases a minimum of 55,000 ringnecks and approximately 11,000 quail annually. The quail, however, are now reared by private contractors, whereas the division rears all of the pheasants released on WMAs," Penkala said.

But what about today's hunting pressure? One of the gripes most commonly voiced by upland hunters concerns crowded conditions on public hunting grounds during pheasant/quail season. In that regard, Penkala offered the proverbial good news, bad news scenario.

The bad news, according to Penkala, is the number of upland hunters decreased substantially since the price of a pheasant/quail stamp jumped to $40. The good news is the number of upland hunters decreased since the price of a pheasant/quail stamp jumped to $40.

Huh? How can the bad news be the good news? Here's the way Penkala explained it.

"Obviously, the division would like to see more upland hunters afield enjoying New Jersey's bird season. In addition, the reason for the increase in the price of a pheasant/quail stamp was to put the division on a more secure financial footing, and that includes the cost of running the Rockport Game Farm. With the reduction in stamp sales, it's just about a break-even proposition," Penkala said. "But the good news is with the decrease in the number of pheasant/quail stamps comes a lot more space on public hunting grounds for avid upland gunners."

In my personal experience, as well as speaking with other upland gunners, the "best" place to hunt often equates to how close to home a particular WMA may happen to be. Nonetheless, there are some exceptional upland grounds in New Jersey's system of WMAs, and here we will start with the largest.

Stafford Forge WMA was originally 2,788 acres, all of which were purchased in 1965 through Green Acres funding and subsequently turned over to the DFW. Rest assured, division officials didn't sit around admiring the tract. Instead, through aggressive land purchases funded in part by hunting and fishing license fees, as well as through Green Acres funds, Stafford Forge grew to its present size of more than 17,000 acres, much of which is prime upland game bird country.

Stafford Forge has something for just about every outdoor endeavor, including waterfowling. But its pheasant cover is superb, composed of anything from swamplands up through and including certain areas managed almost entirely for upland game. Here you'll find land that has hedgerows, fields and plenty of cover crops. Stafford Forge even has (and I hesitate to say this because it is a bone of contention) a modest number of naturally reproducing quail.

Stafford Forge is easily accessed by taking the Tuckerton exit from the Garden State Parkway onto state Route 539. This WMA has ample parking. The WMA, like all others, receives stockings of birds prior to opening day on Saturday, Nov. 13, and thereafter is stocked approximately twice weekly - weather conditions permitting - through the first week in January.

Located in Cumberland County, the Edward G. Bevan, or Millville WMA, as it is referred to in the Wildlife Digest, has just about anything and everything an upland hunter would desire, including cover crops planted in cooperation with local farmers. The Bevan WMA is a bird hunter's delight and includes (my upland gunning cronies are going to place my name on the "most wanted" list for telling readers this) an occasional grouse in some of the more heavily wooded sections of this WMA.

In addition, Bevan is not one of the two WMAs routinely stocked with quail for hunting during the regular upland season. Only Peaslee WMA in Cumberland County and Greenwood Forest WMA in Ocean County are stocked with quail during the in-season period; but Bevan is one of the selected WMAs where division employees release quail, starting in early September, for hunters wishing to train their bird dogs. Consequently, bumping up a covey of quail is not unlikely at Bevan.

Bevan WMA is located in Monroe Township and is easily accessed from Ackley Road in Millville (county Route 718), as well as Newport/ Center Grove Road (county Route 629). This WMA receives stockings of ringnecks for the opening day of upland season and thereafter, approximately once every two or three days through the first week in January. Whether you reside in South Jersey or must make the trip from Central or North Jersey, the Edward G. Bevan WMA is well worth the trip.