Pheasant Release Program

[Slamadoo]

I was under the impression that the pheasant release program got cut by the legislature.

However, I see in the new regs that the youth pheasant hunt in Western WA is still a thing. Is this a sick joke and there will be  youth season with no releases or did they retain the pheasant release program?

Please advise. The youth hunt has been great for my kids and their friends, but i don't want to take the kids and dog for nothing.

[EnglishSetter]

I was under the impression that the pheasant release program got cut by the legislature.

However, I see in the new regs that the youth pheasant hunt in Western WA is still a thing. Is this a sick joke and there will be  youth season with no releases or did they retain the pheasant release program?

Please advise. The youth hunt has been great for my kids and their friends, but i don't want to take the kids and dog for nothing.

Discussion here:

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=291361.0

TMK it's safe this year, but perhaps not next.

[McCRIZZLEY]

I had the same questions and the same understanding. Came here to ask this and figured I'd bump this thread instead.

Hoping someone with more definitive information can chime in before I start penciling all my hunting weekend plans into the calendar.

[skidynastar33]

Can someone confirm they are still releasing this year?
Is it still weekends and Wednesday?

[CP]

They are selling licenses, and the price is way up.

 

[EnglishSetter]

Can someone confirm they are still releasing this year?
Is it still weekends and Wednesday?

There were birds at Kosmos opening day.  Rare I didn’t get birds and the consensus was less birds and more hunters.   That fit my experience.

[WSU]

Can someone confirm they are still releasing this year?
Is it still weekends and Wednesday?

There were birds at Kosmos opening day.  Rare I didn’t get birds and the consensus was less birds and more hunters.   That fit my experience.

This is what I and others have experienced in Thurston County.  More hunters and less birds.

[metlhead]

Must be some birds. I can hear shooting each weekend morning from 0801 til bouts 0820

[Bookworm007]

I went out to shillapoo for the opening weekend and hunted both days and did not even see a bird. I heard a few shots but there were fewer birds and fewer hunters. I'm hoping this weekend goes better 🤞

[Torrent50]

Definitely seem to be fewer birds this year.  Strangely, I haven't seen a hen yet.  All roosters so far. 

Also, I was happy to see a game warden out on my first day out.  Checked my license, birds, shells, and gun. 

[hookr88]

According to the Ebey Island manager, the State reduced the budget by 30%. Instead of 4 releases/ week it is now 3. Bird  release count went from 45 down to 30. I must have miss understood though. I thought that was per release but based on what I’m seeing it seems like it’s per week.
The quality of the birds this year is atrocious. I’ve had to throw 2 away. One had no skin or feathers on its back and the other had bright lime green breast meat.

[Threewolves]

According to the Ebey Island manager, the State reduced the budget by 30%. Instead of 4 releases/ week it is now 3. Bird  release count went from 45 down to 30. I must have miss understood though. I thought that was per release but based on what I’m seeing it seems like it’s per week.
The quality of the birds this year is atrocious. I’ve had to throw 2 away. One had no skin or feathers on its back and the other had bright lime green breast meat.

.

Even with the reductions their should be plenty of birds. I say this because JBLM is not releasing birds because of the democratic shut down. JBLM usually releases on three sites, so if they are not releasing (since 01 October) those birds have got to go some place I am pretty sure they are not saving them up. 

[McCRIZZLEY]

I bumped into a few volunteers for the Whatcom sites, and they also mentioned releasing less birds this year. I believe it was a supply issue, not a budget issue.

[Cast2Way]

The Western WA program is on its deathbed. The Bob Okie rearing facility has groundwater issues and Centralia city has demanded it be closed. The 2025 season definitely had fewer birds released it was pretty pathetic compared to past years.

Today I spoke to WDFW at Sportsman show. Fall 2026 will be even less if at all. Then it is likely gonzo. I was told Pheasant are not native so not a priority. Same for Chukar and Huns. 

I asked if ALL Pheasants were gone, would WDFW care? The answer was a very direct “NO”!! I mentioned how popular the program was on west side and how WDFW’s own reports show how harvest on EAST side was 10X what is now, something like 300,000 roosters a year. All I got was a shrug…

Folks, the problem we have is WDFW DOES NOT CARE AND UNTIL THAT CHANGES, WE UPLAND HUNTERS ARE SCREWED IN THE LONG RUN.

[Cast2Way]

This shutdown also affects all the enhancement on the EAST side sites as well - even though that is total BS releasing dumb adult birds and hoping for carry over. Idiots!!

I tried to discuss about releasing 10-12 week old birds in late spring or summer which will cost way less and have better chance of adapting —- but again current WDFW DOES NOT CARE ABOUT PHEASANT or Chukar or Huns for that matter.

I wish I had asked if he eats Beef or Chicken - those are not native to North America either but the USA sure as hell raises an ass load of them. I have lost what little respect I had for WDFW.