New to pheasant hunting

[Dbax129]

I have a few customers that have pheasants on their property, I got some good pictures of a male the other day.  Problems are: 1. I dont have a reg book for them yet.  2.  My customers live in areas that are deemed "no shooting zones" by the county (any land less than 5 acres in kitsap county).  So is there a way to harvest pheasants without a gun?   And can i get that big juicy male now? He is always calling, making that crazy noise. not sure what you call it. 
Thanks for your help!

[Old Dog]

The pheasant are breeding now, so the season is closed.     You can hunt them with archery tackle in season, but that is very difficult.

[Dbax129]

Ok. Any idea when the regs come out for birds? I assume that pheasant falls under upland birds?  I'm eagerly anticipating the big game regs being in paper end of this month, I don't know anything about the bird regs.  Thanks for the help! I guess that's reason # 3 I need a bow!

[Old Dog]

Pheasant season is traditionally the third weekend in Oct. for the east side.  I don't hunt this side, but if memory serves me correctly it is a couple of weeks sooner.  A small game license is required. 

There should be a summary of small game seasons in the big game pamphlet.  That should be out by mid May.

[Dip-Zag]

Go to the wdfw website, regs posted there. It's a fall hunt. You can use flu flu arrows.

[Dbax129]

Thanks for all the help guys!

[bear hunter]

Thanks for all the help guys!

You would have to get a westside pheasant liceace. It costs about 100.00 with all the fee's.

[Stilly bay]

WDFW will be the first to tell you that they do not manage pheasants on the west side because "they cannot survive or reproduce here" (BS) so according to WDFW; any pheasant found outside of a release site, outside of pheasant season would be considered what?  an invasive species - which they are-? fluke of nature? a lost pet? fair game?

 Eurasion collard doves, starlings, and English house sparrows are not native to Western Wa and not considered migratory birds or song birds and we are allowed to kill them all year long because they are considered invasive species... how much different is a pheasant from China? besides the fact that we manage them (poorly) on the East side where they CAN reproduce and survive.

it might be way more trouble than its worth, but there might be a loop hole to be found here and there might be a slim chance you could legally kill a pheasant after pheasant season closes in Western Wa. but thats a lot of trouble to go through for a some poor pheasant thats managed to survive pheasant season and find a mate despite the fact WDFW says they can't.

[Dbax129]

Very interesting. I see them all the time here in Kitsap county. Saw one on outskirts of Bremerton last week, heard 2 or 3 calling on earlands point yesterday, and I see them near my house in suquamish. Just north of poulsbo. I also see them when hiking just over the hood canal bridge from time to time, Jefferson county near port Ludlow.  I would have never guessed that they can't survive here.

[Bullkllr]

  I would have never guessed that they can't survive here.

The only ones saying that they can't survive in Western WA is the WDFW and that opinion is complete BS. It's just easier for them to say that;  then they don't need to "manage" wild ringnecks on the westside (like they do such an awesome job on the Eastside) as Stilly suggested.

There have been wild/reproducing populations (not huge/widespread mind you) for my whole life, and I'm sure much longer. It could be that they are actually still around only because the WDFW has left them out of their management plans.

I do think you would have to limit hunting for them to open seasons, though!
 English sparrows, starlings, rock doves and Eurasian collared doves are the only species LISTED (in regs) as invasive and have no limit/no closed season. They are the only birds this applies to. Even crows/magpies have a season. All others are either gamebirds and have a season, or they are completely protected. Pheasants are gamebirds, and can only be hunted during seasons, unless on a licensed preserve for pen-raised birds.

[bobcat]

Pretty much the only wild pheasants in western Washington are on private land, and mostly in developed areas where hunting is not even an option.

So it makes sense for the WDFW to ignore those birds and only acknowledge the tame birds that they release at the release sites.

[Bmcox86]

I see hold overs near the Stillwater site all the time now. If the habitat was managed properly I think we'd see a lot more on this side

[Stilly bay]

  I would have never guessed that they can't survive here.

The only ones saying that they can't survive in Western WA is the WDFW and that opinion is complete BS. It's just easier for them to say that;  then they don't need to "manage" wild ringnecks on the westside (like they do such an awesome job on the Eastside) as Stilly suggested.

There have been wild/reproducing populations (not huge/widespread mind you) for my whole life, and I'm sure much longer. It could be that they are actually still around only because the WDFW has left them out of their management plans.

I do think you would have to limit hunting for them to open seasons, though!
 English sparrows, starlings, rock doves and Eurasian collared doves are the only species LISTED (in regs) as invasive and have no limit/no closed season. They are the only birds this applies to. Even crows/magpies have a season. All others are either gamebirds and have a season, or they are completely protected. Pheasants are gamebirds, and can only be hunted during seasons, unless on a licensed preserve for pen-raised birds.

FWIW I agree with all of the above.

but as far as legality is concerned who is to say that pheasant you heard cackling down the road isn't an escapee from a game farm? what if it wandered onto your property would it be legal to shoot it? would it be any different than shooting a farm chicken that found your place and decided to stick around?

WDFW doesn't manage them, they don't reproduce, what are they? would this be an issue if the bird we were talking about were chukar -which REALLY have no chance of surviving on the west side.

all in all WDFW believes every pheasant it lets go will die before it gets the chance to reproduce (even though many do)  so technically any bird you see or hear this time of year doesn't exist or at best can't possibly be a product of WDFW's pheasant farm and pheasant release site program, So its not a WDFW issue if you kill one...Right?

[Dbax129]

Hmmm... All very interesting. Thanks for your help folks. I did look at the big game regs and have nor found any info on pheasants under the small game section.  Nor anything about allowed hunting methods for them. I guess I will go grab the upland bird regs if I want to learn about it more. I don't think I'll try hunting them out of season under pretense of calling them something they mightor might not be. I'm a little new to hunting to he taking on grey areas.

[JLS]

besides the fact that we manage them (poorly) on the East side where they CAN reproduce and survive.

So, maybe I'm missing something here, but given the fact that there is a whole lot of private ground in eastern WA how is WDFW supposed to:

Make farmers keep more edge habitat
Make ranchers stop grazing riparian areas as heavily
Make CRP enrollees seed different plant types

[wildweeds]

Fact 1 is that wild ringnecks did used to inhabit western washington,the release program is a poor effort to rebuild something that once was,it went from a potential hope for rebuild to a pacify the hunters with a 6 week season.

Fact 2 I HAVE SEEN pheasant hens and their young in western washington,near a release site behind a chainlink fence that is devoid of four legged predators.

[300rum]

The good 'ol days of Pheasant hunting is long, long gone in this state.  Better to just go out of state for a week. 

[wildweeds]

As to the eastside and management.Fact 3 the WDFW does not manage any species that is non native,in upland gamebirds that includes chukars,huns,valley and bobwhite quail.

[300rum]

You mean Elk and Wolves too, right?   

As to the eastside and management.Fact 3 the WDFW does not manage any species that is non native,in upland gamebirds that includes chukars,huns,valley and bobwhite quail.

[Curly]

Turkeys are non-native too; do they not manage them? 

[wildweeds]

I was informed by the director about 5 years ago in an email exchange that the state spends no money on upland gamebird management for the introduced species i have listed in the previous post.

[bear hunter]

Hmmm... All very interesting. Thanks for your help folks. I did look at the big game regs and have nor found any info on pheasants under the small game section.  Nor anything about allowed hunting methods for them. I guess I will go grab the upland bird regs if I want to learn about it more. I don't think I'll try hunting them out of season under pretense of calling them something they mightor might not be. I'm a little new to hunting to he taking on grey areas.

It is under MIGRATORY WATERFOWL & UPLAND GAME REGULATIONS and you can call 425-775-1311 and they will know the right answer

[Bullkllr]

  I would have never guessed that they can't survive here.

The only ones saying that they can't survive in Western WA is the WDFW and that opinion is complete BS. It's just easier for them to say that;  then they don't need to "manage" wild ringnecks on the westside (like they do such an awesome job on the Eastside) as Stilly suggested.

There have been wild/reproducing populations (not huge/widespread mind you) for my whole life, and I'm sure much longer. It could be that they are actually still around only because the WDFW has left them out of their management plans.

I do think you would have to limit hunting for them to open seasons, though!
 English sparrows, starlings, rock doves and Eurasian collared doves are the only species LISTED (in regs) as invasive and have no limit/no closed season. They are the only birds this applies to. Even crows/magpies have a season. All others are either gamebirds and have a season, or they are completely protected. Pheasants are gamebirds, and can only be hunted during seasons, unless on a licensed preserve for pen-raised birds.

FWIW I agree with all of the above.

but as far as legality is concerned who is to say that pheasant you heard cackling down the road isn't an escapee from a game farm? what if it wandered onto your property would it be legal to shoot it? would it be any different than shooting a farm chicken that found your place and decided to stick around?

WDFW doesn't manage them, they don't reproduce, what are they? would this be an issue if the bird we were talking about were chukar -which REALLY have no chance of surviving on the west side.

all in all WDFW believes every pheasant it lets go will die before it gets the chance to reproduce (even though many do)  so technically any bird you see or hear this time of year doesn't exist or at best can't possibly be a product of WDFW's pheasant farm and pheasant release site program, So its not a WDFW issue if you kill one...Right?

What you're saying may make rational sense in some situations for sure. But from a legal standpoint I think it's pretty cut-and-dried. Once that pheasant wanders off the licensed game preserve it is under state management. And it would be legal to hunt only if in season:
Sept. 22 & 23 (youth onlyb)
Sept. 24-28 (hunters 65 years or older only)
8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 29-Nov. 30
except Saturday, Sunday, and holidays only in the Dungeness Recreation Area starting Oct. 6
8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 1-15
ONLY at Skookumchuck, Fort Lewis, Kosmos, Scatter Creek, Belfair, Whidbey Island (except Bayview), & Lincoln Creek release sites
Any area open for hunting is open for pheasant during the season. I wouldn't recommend hunting near Mt. Adams, for example, but you could if you wanted. Most of the regs are designed with the release sites in mind, obviously. Pheasants that wander off the release sites are fair game, at least during the seasons.
It was not that long ago that we used to take limits of birds from the Puyallup Valley, and there was no release site in the vicinity. Still could if the area was open for hunting.

Pretty much the only wild pheasants in western Washington are on private land, and mostly in developed areas where hunting is not even an option.

So it makes sense for the WDFW to ignore those birds and only acknowledge the tame birds that they release at the release sites.

Sad, but true.

[bobcat]

I've killed several roosters in my backyard, during the season of course. I'm only about 1/4 mile from the Scatter Creek release site. It's been a few years now since I've killed any, because since the license went up in price I haven't bought it.

I really should buy it though, so I could let my Brittany get a little bird hunting in, since I can't afford to go to eastern Washington like I used to do very weekend.

[AspenBud]

If memory serves the first areas to ever have pheasant introduced in this country were the Willamette Valley and the area around Longview. Not South or North Dakota, not Iowa, not anywhere but west of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest. The habitat isn't ideal, but they can survive here.

That said, I'd rather see more effort put into increasing grouse numbers.

[TVHunts]

I grew up in Mountlake Terrace 1/2 mile from I-5.  In the early 70's we had a decent amount of ring necks around the house.  Many of them fell to the trusty old wrist rocket back in the day along with quail.  I would argue that they have and can survive here in WW myself.  They certainly weren't release birds back then.  I'm sure the statute of limitations must be over on this horrific offense of mine!

[floatinghat]

Took my lab Belle for her morning walk and saw a hen followed by a roster cross the road and walk through a field.  I've seen rosters in this area before, but not in any numbers.  My take is most of these birds are pretty crafty and only have to watch out for cats, eagles, and some coyotes (fattened on kitty cats).  What I don't see is chicks, I think the vermin get them if the weather doesn't.  Whether these are escaped pets, released for training dogs.  I would leave them be.  When I see or hear them it gets my blood going and I get excited to hunt.