GAME COMMISSION ANNOUNCES FALL PHEASANT STOCKING PLANS
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has slated 100,170 ring-necked pheasants for release on public lands throughout the Commonwealth for the upcoming small game hunting seasons, including 17,980 birds for the youth only season (Oct. 11-18).
Based on agencys budget cuts first implemented in the 2004-05 fiscal year and carried forward since, we reduced our pheasant propagation program by 50 percent, said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. Reducing the pheasant propagation program has saved the agency more than one million dollars. Without a hunting license fee increase, we expect to continue producing at the 100,000-bird level.
Despite the overall reductions, this year our game farm staff had an excellent production season. They have worked hard with limited resources to achieve the goal to have 100,000-birds available for stocking this fall.
The region staff will begin the stocking season Oct. 9, when the agency will release 15,090 birds (8,640 males and 6,450 females) for the youth pheasant hunt scheduled for Oct 11-18. A listing of stocking locations for the youth hunt can be found on pages 26-28 of the 2008-08 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, which is provided to each license buyer. Another 1,890 pheasants have been allocated for those clubs sponsoring mentored pheasant hunts for youth on Oct. 11.
For more information, please visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency website:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=11&Q=175115
