4-H Pheasant Project

Published: 2019
By Adriane Good

Eight 4-H members and three Cloverbuds took part in a brand new project offered in Pondera County: raising and releasing ring-necked pheasants. Members bought 400 newly-hatched pheasant chicks from a local pheasant farm and raised them for release as part of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program. In recent years, upland game bird populations have struggled due to habitat decline and harsh winters. With this in mind, and some help from Montana FWP, the group picked three locations with prime pheasant habitat to be a new home for their birds. Throughout the winter, the group prepared to care for birds with a few project meetings where they learned about the life of a pheasant in the wild and their habitat requirements. In June, the members picked up chicks straight from the incubator and brought them home. The youth spent the next 11-12 weeks caring for their birds. They fed, watered, and kept their chicks warm. They built pens and outfitted the birds with peepers to reduce pecking. Unfortunately, the 4-H members gained first-hand knowledge of predation when a weasel got into a pen and killed over 100 birds in one night. That didn’t stop the kids from trying and they carried on with the remaining pheasants. At the end of August, the members gathered up the grown chicks and brought them to release sites. A total of 168 birds were released into the wild. This project was a broad learning opportunity for 4-H members. They learned the importance of conservation and that without appropriate habitat and food, their beloved birds wouldn’t survive in the wild. It is also hoped that the pheasants these 4-H members released will boost wild populations of ring-necked pheasants in Pondera County.