Utah Wildlife News Release
Still plenty of time to hunt pheasants
Plenty of days are still available to hunt pheasants in Utah. And thousands of birds are still being released.
Utah’s pheasant hunt runs until Dec. 2 on both public and private land. To ensure plenty of birds are available to hunt, hundreds of pheasants will be released on Thursdays or Fridays, just in time for hunters heading out for the weekend.
The one exception is the week of Thanksgiving. That week, birds will be released early in the week so plenty of pheasants will be available to pursue over the Thanksgiving holiday.
You can see where the birds will be released, and how to get to those areas, at https://bit.ly/2PQTcDJ.
Releasing birds
Jason Robinson, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, said releasing thousands of birds should keep hunting good right up to the end of the hunt. “If you haven’t made it out yet,” he said, “plan on getting out before the season ends. Plenty of pheasants will be available.”
Also, if you or your child haven’t signed up for Utah’s Upland Game Slam, consider signing up. Bagging a limit of pheasants will complete the “Long Tail Limit” slam. You can learn more about the slam at www.wildlife.utah.gov/uplandslam.
This year, the slam is easier than ever to join: you can sign up completely online.
Birds released at 61 sites
DWR biologists and conservation officers, and members of sportsmen’s organizations, will release the birds at 61 sites. All of the sites are open to public hunters. The 61 sites include a new site near Heber City and six new sites near Utah Lake.
On at least 17 of the areas—10 waterfowl management areas and sites at the Utah Lake Wetland Preserve—you must use nontoxic shot (for example, steel shot) when hunting. Lead shot may not be used.
If you hunt any of the areas where pheasants are released, Robinson encourages you to wear plenty of hunter orange. “Wearing hunter orange is extremely important,” he said. “You want to make sure other hunters can see you.”
By the time the season ends on Dec. 2, more than 10,000 rooster pheasants, bought by the DWR and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife, will have been released in Utah.
More information
If you have questions about hunting pheasants in Utah, visit the DWR’s pheasant hunting web page at https://bit.ly/2enS2zM. You can also call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
Information is also available in the 2018 – 2019 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.