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.