When you talk about pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania these days, there’s probably a lot of younger hunters wondering what that’s all about.
I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania, and I’ll admit that seeing or finding a pheasant other than a small number of stocked birds was a difficult task. I never hunted pheasant until I moved to this area in the 70s, and I soon became a dedicated pheasant hunter.
In those days, I recall hearing the pheasant’s call and often spotting wild pheasants in various locations. I would even spot wild birds around my home in the Muncy hills on occasion.
Obviously, those days are gone, and for the most part, most of the pheasants spotted these days are the result of the aggressive stocking program by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
The ring-necked pheasant is actually an Asian native and was first introduced to North America in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where about 30 birds were released in 1881. The Pennsylvania Game Commission began stocking pheasant here in 1915.
Thanks to the Game Commission’s stocking program, we can still do some pheasant hunting these days, and we even have a special season for young hunters. The Junior Season for pheasants opens on Saturday, October 11, and runs until October 18, including Sunday, October 12.
The regular statewide season starts on Saturday, October 25, and runs through November 28, with all Sundays open to hunting during that period.
About 215,000 birds will be released by the commission, and about 16,000 will be released ahead of the Junior Season. Those releases will be weekly from late October through November, and more releases will occur in mid-December and after Christmas.
The Game Commission also provides a map showing the 220 sites where the pheasants will be released. Go to pa.gov/pgc to see the map.
These days, there are three male pheasants released for every female. Of the stocked birds being released, 8,000 will be wearing bands on their legs. The purpose of the bands is to help track harvest rates and population impact. If you take a pheasant with the leg tag, you are asked to report the kill to the Game Commission by calling the toll-free number on the band.
Of course, to hunt pheasants, you must have a regular hunting license, but you must also obtain a pheasant permit for $26.97. Senior lifetime license holders who acquired their license before May 13, 2017, are exempt. Seventeen and under are required to get a free permit.
If you plan to hunt pheasants, I highly recommend getting together with someone who owns a good pheasant-hunting dog. Sure, you might be able to pick up some birds without a dog, but you will have to work a lot harder. There’s nothing like having a dog point the bird and then moving in prepared to take that flushing shot. They generally don’t fly very far, and you may even get a second chance.
Not only are pheasants great fun to hunt, but they are a good eating bird as well, and the tail feathers come in handy for fly tying.
