State releases pheasants for hunting season

ALBANY — Approximately 30,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting for the upcoming fall pheasant hunting season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced Sept. 23. The pheasant hunting season begins on Oct. 1 in northern and eastern portions of New York, Oct. 18 in central and western portions, and Nov. 1 on Long Island.

In Orange County, pheasants will be released at the following sites:

New Windsor — Stewart State Forest

Tuxedo — Sterling Forest State Park. Must obtain hunting permit from Sterling Forest Park Office.

"The Day-old Pheasant Chick Program provides additional opportunities for pheasant hunters," said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. "Pheasant hunting opportunities have also been augmented by private landowners who have opened their land to public hunting. DEC is grateful for their help in providing a high-quality hunting experience for New York's sportsmen and sportswomen."

Since 2007, DEC has offered a special youth-only season to provide junior hunters (12-15 years old) the opportunity to hunt pheasants the weekend prior to the regular pheasant hunting season. In western New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is Oct. 11-12. In northern and eastern New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is Sept. 27-28, and on Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties) it is Oct. 25-26.

Pheasants will be released on a number of selected release sites across the state to provide ample hunting opportunities for junior hunters. All release sites for pheasants provided by state-funded programs are open to public hunting. Pheasants will be released on state-owned lands prior to and during the fall hunting season, and thanks to a partnership with New York City Department of Environmental Protection, at a number of sites on New York City Watershed lands. A list of statewide pheasant release sites and sites receiving birds for the youth-only pheasant hunt weekends can be found on DEC's website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9349.html.

The program was developed in the early 1900s to provide day-old pheasant chicks to cooperating 4-H groups and sportsmen and sportswomen. The chicks are distributed to program participants in May and June, and cooperators incur all costs associated with rearing the birds, including feed, water, utilities and facility construction. The birds are raised to adulthood and released on lands open to public hunting before the season opens.

This year, about 40,000 pheasant chicks were distributed statewide as part of this program.