Pheasant Types and Biological Facts

The term pheasant usually applies to large, colorful long-tailed members of the family Phasianidae. There are approximately 49 species and even more subspecies of pheasant. Pheasants originated in Asia and inhabit a wide variety of terrain from snowy mountains to steamy jungles. In North America they have been widely introduced to many areas for sport hunting. All but one species of pheasant are still found in Asia. Pheasants are similar in physiology to the chicken with stout bills. Most Pheasants have long, strong legs with four-toed clawed feet. The legs and bill are adapted to scratching in the ground for food. When a pheasant senses danger it prefers to use it's legs to run from the danger. Pheasants are able to fly swiftly, but cannot sustain flight for very long. Male Pheasants often have spurs which are used in battles for dominance. Most Pheasants are large birds with very long, pointed tails. Wings are short, rounded and curved. Males are generally larger than females and are usually more colorful.

Pheasant Hunting Techniques & Tips

When Pheasant hunting in states the pheasant harvest is limited to cocks only. However, many liscnesed game farms across the nation allow mixed pair harvest of pheasants. If you are looking for a place to hunt pheasants be sure to check out our hunting preserves location page.

In addition to the 1000's of private hunting clubs across North America almost every state offers Public hunting areas as well. These puplic hunting areas often provide very good hunting late in the season after cold weather has concentrated the birds in heavy cover.

A wide variety of techniques can be used when hunting pheasants. This is probably one of the reason pheasant hunting appeals to so many people. A lone hunter can usually hunt field edges, fencerows and small weed patches. Many enjoy the solitude and easy pace of this type of hunting. Larger blocks of cover such as standing cornfields, cattail marshes, shelterbelts and large waterways may be difficult for one hunter to cover. Several hunters working together not only find more birds, but sharing the outdoor experience with good friends can be a very important part of the hunt. Larger hunting parties have found that they can bag more birds if they post "blockers" at the far end of the field, particularly if the birds seem prone to running or flushing wild. For many hunters, it just isn't a pheasant hunt unless you have a good bird dog along. A well-trained dog is a tremendous help in locating and retrieving crafty ring-necks. Selecting a good bird dog is again a matter of personal preference. English setters, Brittany spaniels, German shorthair/wirehair pointers and Labrador retrievers seem to be some of the most popular breeds among pheasant hunters. To learn more about huning dogs please visit our hunting dogs section

According to a DNR wildlife research biologist, pheasants follow a schedule as routine as your daily commute to and from work. Understanding the pheasant's daily movements can increase your odds of flushing a rooster.

"Pheasants start their day before sunrise at roost sites, usually in areas of short- to medium-height grass or weeds, where they spend the night." That's the word from Dick Kimmel, research biologist at the DNR Farmland Wildlife Research and Populations Station at Madelia. Kimmel says that at first light, pheasants head for roadsides or similar areas where they can find gravel or grit.

Pheasants usually begin feeding around 8 a.m. When shooting hours begin an hour later, the birds are still feeding, often in grain fields while cautiously making their way toward safe cover. "Look for the edges of picked cornfields," says Kimmel, who regularly hunts southwestern Minnesota with his English setter, Banjo.

By mid-morning, pheasants have left the fields for the densest, thickest cover they can find, such as a standing corn, federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields, brush patches, wetlands, or native grasses. Kimmel says the birds will "hunker down here for the day until late afternoon."
It's next to impossible for small hunting groups of two to three hunters to work large fields of standing corn. Pheasants often run to avoid predators, a response that frustrates dogs and hunters working corn, soybean, and alfalfa fields. Groups of two or three hunters usually have better success working grass fields, field edges, or fencerows. Other likely spots during midday are ditch banks and deep into marshes. Remember: The nastier the weather, the deeper into cover the pheasant will go.

But eventually, pheasants have to eat again. During the late afternoon, the birds move from their loafing spots back to the feeding areas. As in the morning, birds now are easier to spot from a distance and are more accessible to hunters. "That's why the first and last shooting hours are consistently the best times to hunt pheasants," Kimmel adds.

Once the bird has been bagged, it is essential to take good care of the meat, particularly if the weather is warm. Perhaps the best way is to dress and cool the meat immediately after the hunt. Almost any recipe calling for chicken will also work on pheasants.

Pheasant Facts

Pheasant facts from Ultimatepheasanthunting.com.
• Roosters will range in weight from 3.5 to 4 lbs (1.6 to 1.8 kg)
• Hens will range in weight from 2 to 2.5 lbs (.9 to 1.1 kg)
• The insulating effect of habitat moderates windchills, thus providing a warmer and less energy-demanding microclimate for pheasants (and other wildlife)
• Birds, like dogs and cows, do not sweat to air-condition their body, they must pant (rapid inhaling and exhaling) to remove excess body heat
• Through most of the growing season, pheasants can survive on the moisture they consume in insects and the morning dew on vegetation
• Male pheasants are called 'Roosters' or 'Cocks' and females are called 'Hens'
• A typical rooster accumulates a harem of three to seven hens
• After hatching, pheasant chicks immediately begin growing flight feathers, and are capable of short flights at 2 weeks
• Pheasants do not migrate, they stay relatively local all year long
• On flat ground, a ringneck pheasant can run at speeds of 8-10mph
• Pheasants can fly up to 48mph
• During egg laying, the hen seeks out calcium and protein. Her diet will contain 10 times more calcium than the rooster's diet
• The average length of a hen is about 20" (50.8 cm) where the average length of a rooster is approximately 36" (91.4 cm)
• Pheasants main predators include: Fox, Raccoon and Skunk (as chicks) and Man, Fox, Hawks and Owls
• Pheasants, a native to China, were brought across the Pacific in 1881 by Judge Owen Nickerson Denny in an inital batch of 30 (with 26 surviving the journey)
• Pheasants eat berries, seeds, young shoots and insects and prefer open country with brushy cover
• Through most of the growing season, pheasants can survive on the moisture they consume in insects and the morning dew on vegetation
• During the summer, insects comprise considerably more of the chick's diet and weed seeds more of the adult's diet
• Hens will make from one to four attempts at nesting during the spring nesting season
• Pheasants are in the Phasianidae family and are cousins of Quail and Partridge
• The spring ratio of hens to roosters is usually about 3:1
• 30% annual survival rate and only 2-3% of population lives to age 3, whether they're hunted or not
• Pheasants, a native to China, were brought across the Pacific in 1881 by Judge Owen Nickerson Denny in an inital batch of 30 (with 26 surviving the journey)