Interest appears to be on the upswing for pheasant hunting, based on the sale pf pheasant permits.
As of Aug. 31, the PGC sold 24,862 adult pheasant permits, up from 20,806 at the same time last year. Junior pheasant permits are also up, 7,552 this year compared to 5,280 in 2019. Permit sales have resulted in more than $621,000 in revenue so far.
Bird hunters can expect nearly the same amount of stocked pheasants this year as in 2019, although there will be a few small changes this season.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to release 218,270 pheasants for the 2020-2021 hunting season, slightly more than the 217,920 estimated release for last year. This year’s allocation consists of 159,710 males and 58,560 females. More than 15,500 birds will be released for the junior hunt, almost 180,000 for preseason and in-season stockings and more than 23,000 will be allotted for the late season.
However, the timing of the releases will be altered this season. According to Ian Gregg, chief of the PGC’s Wildlife Operations Division, slightly fewer birds will be stocked during preseason releases and those numbers will be shifted to in-season stockings. The reason for the move, Gregg said, is previous banding studies have shown that harvest rates are a bit higher for birds stocked in-season.
Minor changes will also occur in the sex ratios of the birds released due to the entire state being open to either-sex hunting. Last year, Wildlife Management Units 4E and 5A were open to cocks-only, but those units were shifted to either-sex. As a result, the allocation will remain the same for those areas but the sex ratio will be about 75% males and 25% females, which is the statewide average, according to Gregg.
The exception to the change is the Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, which will be open for hunting for males only. The agency currently manages two WPRAs – Central Susquehanna and Franklin. Pheasant hunting is prohibiting in each, with the exception of a youth hunt held in the Central Susquehanna WPRA.
As far as stocking locations, Gregg said a handful have been added or removed but approximately 95% of the release sites are the same as last year.
While the COVID-19 situation forced the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to make changes to its trout stocking program, Gregg doesn’t foresee any issue with the release of pheasants.
“Various safety precautions are being taken both on the game farms and by stocking crews due to COVID and we have contingency plans in place in case there would be any major outbreaks among staff involved in propagation and stocking,” he said. “But there were no negative effects of COVID on game farm production and at this point we do not expect any impacts on stocking.
“Hunters should follow public health guidelines and use common sense in the field but we hope they will continue to take advantage of the recreational opportunities provided by our pheasant program.”
The season for eligible junior hunters is Oct. 10-17, followed by the statewide season opening on Oct. 24.
2020 pheasant allocations by region:
- Northwest – 43,030
- Southwest – 46,540
- Northcentral – 24,850
- Southcentral – 33,260
- Northeast – 33,920
- Southeast – 37,670
