Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing to release up to 50,000 farm-raised ring-necked pheasants per year for youth hunting opportunities — an increase of as many as 40,000 birds annually over the current program — even as the agency's own draft environmental assessment acknowledges that most of the pen-raised birds die quickly after release. The proposal goes before the Fish and Wildlife Commission next month.
The program is designed to give young hunters a chance to pursue pheasants in areas where wild populations are thin or nonexistent. Critics of pen-pheasant programs argue the birds, raised in controlled conditions, lack the survival instincts to evade predators and struggle to forage effectively in the wild. The draft assessment's candor about mortality rates is notable, essentially confirming what critics have long argued while the agency presses for expansion.
For Helena-area hunters and families who have participated in youth pheasant events, the proposal represents a significant scaling-up of a program that has been controversial among wildlife purists but popular with parents looking for accessible introductory hunting experiences. FWP has not specified which regions of Montana would receive the additional birds, though pheasant range in Montana is largely concentrated in the eastern plains. The Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting where the proposal will be considered has not yet been publicly scheduled on the Helena calendar, but residents can submit public comment through FWP's standard process.