Utah
The northeast is not the only place that stocks ring-necked pheasants, Utah, for example, stocks pheasant and also stocks chukar. There are also wild populations of both of these birds plus:
California quail
Gambel's quail
dusky grouse
Eurasian collared dove
gray partridge
greater sage-grouse
mourning dove
ruffed grouse
Gunnison sage grouse (only lives in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah)
sharp-tailed grouse
white-tailed ptarmigan
white-winged dove
PHEASANT STOCKING:
SFW Pheasant Program Flying High
The past several years of big investments in the raising and releasing Ring-necked Pheasants in Utah has yielded impressive results. Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife is now in its fourth year of an aggressive pheasant raising and release program in partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife – a program designed to do three specific things:
1) Bolster Utah’s pheasant hunting opportunities
2) Augment wild populations to improve natural reproduction, and
3) Increase the chance young hunters have of taking a bird
Results of the program are very promising. SFW has purchased and raised over 30,000 pheasant chicks since 2012 at a total investment of just over $300,000. The birds have been released in areas with good pheasant habitat and good access for public hunters.
“Our birds have been released in public walk-in access areas, wildlife management areas and a few waterfowl management areas in nearly all regions of the state,” according to SFW President Jon Larson. “Our members throughout the state are thrilled about the increased opportunities, especially for young hunters.”
Because of the program, many young hunters now have opportunities to see pheasants and shoot roosters in the field. SFW members are also reporting seeing hen pheasants with SFW leg bands nesting and brooding clutches of chicks. These holdover birds from previous years mean the augment to Utah’s pheasant populations is really beginning to take hold.
SFW members donate time, land and other resources to grow the chicks to maturity. Currently there 5,000 birds are scheduled to arrive to be raised by SFW members and the Utah Division of Wildlife in Sevier County.
The total number of pheasants released by SFW into Utah’s wilds over the four-year period and including what will be release in 2016 is estimated at more than 30,000 birds.
California quail
Gambel's quail
dusky grouse
Eurasian collared dove
gray partridge
greater sage-grouse
mourning dove
ruffed grouse
Gunnison sage grouse (only lives in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah)
sharp-tailed grouse
white-tailed ptarmigan
white-winged dove
PHEASANT STOCKING:
SFW Pheasant Program Flying High
The past several years of big investments in the raising and releasing Ring-necked Pheasants in Utah has yielded impressive results. Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife is now in its fourth year of an aggressive pheasant raising and release program in partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife – a program designed to do three specific things:
1) Bolster Utah’s pheasant hunting opportunities
2) Augment wild populations to improve natural reproduction, and
3) Increase the chance young hunters have of taking a bird
Results of the program are very promising. SFW has purchased and raised over 30,000 pheasant chicks since 2012 at a total investment of just over $300,000. The birds have been released in areas with good pheasant habitat and good access for public hunters.
“Our birds have been released in public walk-in access areas, wildlife management areas and a few waterfowl management areas in nearly all regions of the state,” according to SFW President Jon Larson. “Our members throughout the state are thrilled about the increased opportunities, especially for young hunters.”
Because of the program, many young hunters now have opportunities to see pheasants and shoot roosters in the field. SFW members are also reporting seeing hen pheasants with SFW leg bands nesting and brooding clutches of chicks. These holdover birds from previous years mean the augment to Utah’s pheasant populations is really beginning to take hold.
SFW members donate time, land and other resources to grow the chicks to maturity. Currently there 5,000 birds are scheduled to arrive to be raised by SFW members and the Utah Division of Wildlife in Sevier County.
The total number of pheasants released by SFW into Utah’s wilds over the four-year period and including what will be release in 2016 is estimated at more than 30,000 birds.
UTAH'S WILD PHEASANTS
SFW’s pheasant transplant project is in full swing. Friday November 2nd, and Friday November 9th, SFW, along with state wildlife officials, released over 1,200 Manchurian Ringneck Pheasants in hopes of reestablishing the populations of these birds in the wild. The first release Friday, November 2nd, consisted of 825 roosters and 200 hens in areas including Redmond WMA (wildlife management area), Annabella WMA, Pahvant WMA, Clear Lake, Bicknell Bottoms, and Topaz Slough. The second release Friday, November 9th, consisted of 250 roosters on the Pahvant WMA in the Black Rock Desert of Millard County. These birds were released as part of a Youth Only Pheasant Hunt created by SFW and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 100 youth hunters were given the opportunity to participate in this hunt. In February of 2013, 1,800 hens and 200 roosters will again be released in these two counties, as an important effort to augment wild populations and promote natural reproduction and increase huntable populations. A special thank you to SFW Richfield chapter for making this project a reality.
SFW’s pheasant transplant project is in full swing. Friday November 2nd, and Friday November 9th, SFW, along with state wildlife officials, released over 1,200 Manchurian Ringneck Pheasants in hopes of reestablishing the populations of these birds in the wild. The first release Friday, November 2nd, consisted of 825 roosters and 200 hens in areas including Redmond WMA (wildlife management area), Annabella WMA, Pahvant WMA, Clear Lake, Bicknell Bottoms, and Topaz Slough. The second release Friday, November 9th, consisted of 250 roosters on the Pahvant WMA in the Black Rock Desert of Millard County. These birds were released as part of a Youth Only Pheasant Hunt created by SFW and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 100 youth hunters were given the opportunity to participate in this hunt. In February of 2013, 1,800 hens and 200 roosters will again be released in these two counties, as an important effort to augment wild populations and promote natural reproduction and increase huntable populations. A special thank you to SFW Richfield chapter for making this project a reality.