A native of eastern Asia. The Ringnecked pheasant was first introduced in Utah in the late 1800’s. Since then, its distribution has been increased by transplanting, release of game-farm birds, and natural dispersion.
The ring-neck is highly dependent on habitats in and around croplands and agricultural landscapes. Significant changes in farming practices within the last half of the twentieth century have had detri-mental effects on pheasant populations.
The pheasant is still one of the most sought after upland game birds in Utah. In an effort to rekindle memories of past pheasant hunts, the DWR, will release over 13,000 pheasants on 57 public hunting areas during Utah’s pheasant hunt. The general season pheasant hunt kicks off next Saturday, November 7th and runs through November 22nd across most of the state. On state and federal lands, the hunt runs throuh Dec. 6th.
To find areas where the birds will be released and how to get to those areas, go to the dwr’s website at wildlife.utah.gov.
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