Eastside Pheasant

[John B]

Went out to my favorite quail spot today and they were gone. Flushed too many to count just last weekend 

On the plus side, flushed up this rooster. I think he's from the release site, I was a mile away from it and he was missing all but one of his tail feathers

[carpsniperg2]

Sweet! We got a few the other day. First pheasant I have shot in a long while and boy were they tasty.

Those birds will move around. I have killed some several miles from the release sights around here.

[wildweeds]

All the release area birds I ever shot over there sported a metal band on the leg.

[carpsniperg2]

The birds they release here don't even have band on them anymore. They use to band them when I was a kid but not anymore. The last banded ones I saw several years ago was coyote ridge? I think is what the band said.

[Emptyhanded]

Coyote ridge sounds right... I've got a string of those blue bands around here somewhere. It's been a solid 9-10 years since I've shot a pheasant with the band.


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[wildweeds]

Gotta love how the state doesn't even follow their OWN rules.Try going dog training and shooting pen raised birds that don't have a band and the paperwork........and running into a warden.The birds I shot over there were acrossed the snake river from a release area,that's a good piece of water to fly over!

[AspenBud]

None of the birds I shot on my local release site this year had bands.

[Blackjaw]

I think another way they mark the released birds is to clip one toe (but I may be thinking of a different State).

[C-Money]

I thought they stopped releasing birds. Any let go in the Moses lake area?

[T-Bone]

I thought they stopped releasing birds. Any let go in the Moses lake area?

A number of Release Sites around Moses Lake (see WDFW website); however a now mute point, as the last release for the year was Thanksgiving.

[John B]

Hmmm seems like there's no way to be 100% certain if the bird was wild or released. I'll just assume he was wild, and my dog was able to get right up on him in an open field because he's holding tighter in the cold weather, and not because he's pen raised. Yup, I like that. I shot my first wild pheasant ever this year on yakama rez, wasn't able to recover him though  Shot him in some really thick cover  over an irrigation ditch

[GoBeavs85]

Aren't the nostrils very enlarged on released birds due to the blinders they put on them to prevent fighting in the cages? That's what a preserve guy told me once.

Funny story. For the first three years of pheasant hunting all I ever shot was released pheasant and a few wild quail. Last year hunting w my dad on public land, miles from the nearest preserve, or release sight, I shot a rooster! My first wild rooster!! Nope...Dakota retrieved it to hand and there was a band.

finding wild roosters this year so all's well that ends well.

[TVHunts]

Aren't the nostrils very enlarged on released birds due to the blinders they put on them to prevent fighting in the cages? That's what a preserve guy told me once.

Funny story. For the first three years of pheasant hunting all I ever shot was released pheasant and a few wild quail. Last year hunting w my dad on public land, miles from the nearest preserve, or release sight, I shot a rooster! My first wild rooster!! Nope...Dakota retrieved it to hand and there was a band.

finding wild roosters this year so all's well that ends well.

The enlarged nostril hole from the eye shield pin is how you can tell these days if it is a penner. Wild birds are about 1/4 the size. 

 None the less he put a smile on your face and that's what counts.  Don't tell your dog though!