<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0RAEwc_0w8G00Yw00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0RAEwc_0w8G00Yw00" width="600" height="459" ></figure>It’s always a treat to stumble across a Ring-necked Pheasant in the wild. The males are striking, with blue and green hues swirling amongst the dots and streaks that bespeckle their bodies. They are notable for their bright red heads and their namesake white neck rings. While pheasants have become ingrained in American domestic history, they are not native to the U.S.Pheasants, which are native to Asia, were first successfully introduced to the U.S. in that late 1800s. They thrived here, and their population soared to about five million birds in the late 1930s. However, agricultural changes and urban development weakened the pheasant population following WWII, and it has declined ever since.The good news is, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has been monitoring and addressing the population decline for decades. Although pheasants are sparsely widespread across the state, there are areas with strong populations: Williams, Fulton and Defiance counties in the northwest corner of Ohio, as well as a central corridor section that extends from Marion County to Ross County.Here in Ottawa County, pheasants are occasionally spotted, but it is unknown if they are domestic or wild.“There are possibly still wild birds left in Ottawa County,” said Joseph Lautenbach, an ODNR wildlife biologist who works in the research and monitoring office. “In places in the state where we have wild pheasants, they are doing well.”A key component of pheasant population protection is grassland management. Much of this work is done through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which is implemented through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of Ohio. According to the ODNR, the purpose of CREP is “to create permanent vegetative cover adjacent to rivers and streams within the Lake Erie and Scioto River Watersheds to increase wildlife populations as well as sustain suspended solids levels.”CREP is a federally funded program that encourages agricultural landowners to voluntarily cease farming and ranching operations on the land and instead utilize it to establish grasses and trees to control soil erosion, improve water quality, and create wildlife habitat. In return for voluntary participation in the program, the Farm Service Agency provides landowners with rental payments and cost-share assistance.In some counties where pheasants are thriving, the population is strong enough to permit hunting of wild pheasants. In several other areas across the state, the ODNR has found a way to maintain the state’s pheasant hunting tradition: releasing pen-raised pheasants onto public hunting areas throughout Ohio. Among the 36 areas earmarked for pheasant release are Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area along the south shore of Sandusky Bay, Resthaven Wildlife Area in Castalia and Ringneck Ridge Wildlife Area in Gibsonburg.“We are releasing pheasants in areas where there are not existing populations,” Lautenbach said.The ODNR Division of Wildlife will release male pheasants for the following dates:<ul><li>Saturday, Oct. 19 (first youth weekend)</li><li>Saturday, Oct. 26 (second youth weekend)</li><li>Friday, Nov. 1 (opening day)</li><li>Saturday, Nov. 9</li><li>Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day)</li></ul>Hunting at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area requires a controlled access permit on all Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15; the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; and Thanksgiving Day. A special hunting permit is required for Ringneck Ridge. More information on Ringneck Ridge can be found at www.lovemyparks.com.Ohio’s Ring-necked Pheasant hunting season runs from Friday, Nov. 1 through Sunday, Jan. 12. An Ohio hunting license is required, and no female pheasants may be harvested.Information on pheasant releases, current hunting regulations and maps of public hunting areas can be found at www.wildohio.gov.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

ODNR to release pheasants in anticipation of hunting season

It’s always a treat to stumble across a Ring-necked Pheasant in the wild. The males are striking, with blue and green hues swirling amongst the dots and streaks that bespeckle their bodies. They are notable for their bright red heads and their namesake white neck rings. While pheasants have become ingrained in American domestic history, they are not native to the U.S.