FWP releasing birds again this fall
HELENA – Pheasant season opens on Saturday, Oct. 11, and FWP is busy with a second round of pheasant releases at several sites across the state.
This fall, Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks will release nearly 18,000 birds on wildlife management areas, fishing access sites and some school trust lands around the state. FWP released birds at several sites prior to the youth pheasant and waterfowl weekend. This week, FWP will release almost 2,000 pheasants at sites across the state.
This is the fourth year of the annual pheasant release program. In 2022, the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the release of up to 50,000 pheasants annually on FWP WMAs through 2026. In 2021, the Legislature authorized spending up to $1 million each year for the program.
The purpose of the pheasant release program is to give new hunters an opportunity to experience hunting success, encouraging their future participation in conservation around the state. In Montana, like other states, fish and wildlife conservation is funded primarily through license dollars. Hunting and fishing are an active way to support wildlife management, habitat protection and conservation efforts.
To see a map of the release sites, go to fwp.mt.gov/hunt/roosters-for-recruitment. For more information on hunting pheasants and other upland game birds, go to fwp.mt.gov/hunt/regulations/upland-game-bird. To read the upland game bird forecast, click here. As hunters head into the field, they should keep bear safety in mind and remember the potential for fire danger.
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