No one has hunted wild ring-necked pheasants in Pennsylvania for decades. but some youngsters will get that chance this fall.
Photo from Pixabay
It’s going to be more than a hunt, it’s going to be a celebration.
At least, that’s the plan anyway.
This fall, 48 youth hunters will get the chance to pursue wild pheasants on a handful of locations within what’s known as Pennsylvania’s Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area. It’s one of the places in the state where wild pheasants have been reintroduced over the last eight years or so.
It’s also the one where – by far — birds are doing the best.
Pennsylvania Game Commission staffers, members of Pheasants Forever and others met recently to plan out the hunt. And indeed, some preliminary decisions were made, said Tom Keller, coordinator of the wild pheasant recovery project for the commission.
How it will work
He said permits to hunt will be awarded to 48 youngsters.
Six or eight of those will be given to the private landowners who have allowed habitat work to be done over time to support wild birds.
“We need to be sure those folks are taken care of and have an interest in continuing through the years,” Keller said.
Pheasants Forever chapters will get a few permits, too, as a reward for their support of the pheasant recovery program, he added.
The remainder of the permits, Keller said, will be awarded via lottery, likely much as the commission awards slots in goose blinds. There will be no cost for youth to apply.
The hunting
The hunt will likely be held on two Saturdays, Nov. 4 and 11. Twenty-four kids will get to hunt on one day, 24 the other.
Hunters will be paired up – two to a team – with one adult mentor or guide.
“It would be a morning hunt, starting around 8 or 9 and going until noon,” Keller said.
Each hunt will start with a briefing, focusing on safety and more. Pheasants Forever, other wildlife and sportsmen’s groups and the commission will likely have information booths there, Keller added.
Each hunt will end with a celebratory luncheon, drawings and prizes. All of that will take place at Montour Preserve near Danville.
“We want to make it a big celebration,” Keller said.
Details on how to apply for the hunt are expected soon.
