The NY Dec Announces Release Of Pheasants for the 2011 Hunting Season

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that approximately 30,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting for the upcoming Fall pheasant hunting season. The pheasant hunting season begins on October 1 in northern and eastern portions of New York, October 15 in central and western portions of New York, and November 1 on Long Island.

For the fifth consecutive year, junior hunters (12-15 years old) have the opportunity to hunt pheasants the weekend prior to the opening of regular pheasant hunting season. In northern and eastern New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is September 24-25. In western New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is October 8-9. Pheasants will be released on a number of select sites across the state to provide ample youth hunting opportunities (see table below). All current pheasant hunting rules and regulations remain in effect during the youth hunt.

In addition to the upstate youth hunts, DEC is working to establish a youth pheasant hunt on Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties) this Fall. Legislation authorizing a youth hunt on Long Island was signed by Governor Cuomo in August, and DEC initiated a regulatory proposal that, if adopted, would have the youth hunt held on the last full weekend in October (October 29-30, 2011). Pheasants would be released prior to that weekend at the sites listed below. To review the proposal and submit comments visit the "Proposed Regulations" page on the DEC website. The public comment period on this proposal is open and comments will be accepted through October 3, 2011. See: http://www.dec.ny.go...egulations.html .

The pheasants will be released on state-owned wildlife management areas and cooperative hunting areas prior to and during the Fall hunting season. All release sites for pheasants raised via state-funded programs are open to public hunting. A list of statewide adult pheasant release sites and sites receiving birds for the youth pheasant hunt weekends can be found on DEC's website: http://www.dec.ny.go...tdoor/9349.html .

The Day-old Pheasant Chick Program provides additional opportunities for pheasant hunters. This program was developed in the early 1900s to provide day-old pheasant chicks to cooperating 4-H groups and sportsmen and sportswomen. The chicks are distributed to program participants in May and June, and cooperators incur all costs associated with rearing the birds, including feed, water, utilities and facility construction. The birds are raised to adulthood and released on lands open to public hunting before the season opens. This year, nearly 46,000 pheasant chicks were distributed statewide as part of this program. Anyone interested in raising and releasing pheasants to expand next year's hunting opportunities should contact DEC's Reynolds Game Farm at (607) 273-2768.

Boundaries for pheasant hunting zones conform to Wildlife Management Units used for management of other wildlife. Wildlife Management Unit boundary descriptions can be found on the DEC website. In addition to knowing these unit boundary descriptions, hunters should review the 2011-2012 New York Hunting & Trapping guide for complete regulations and other important information before going afield. Hunters who plan to use private lands should ask permission from the landowner prior to accessing those lands.

Youth Pheasant Hunt Sites 2011:

County - Town - Youth Hunt Site - Special Rules & Notes

Albany - Berne - Partridge Run WMA - See maps at all informational kiosks

Albany - Knox - Margaret Burke WMA - West side of County Route 254

Allegany - Birdsall - Keaney Swamp Wildlife Management Area -

Allegany - New Hudson - Hanging Bog WMA along New Hudson Rd. -

Broome - Triangle - Whitney Point Multiple Use Area -

Cattaraugus - Conewango, Randolph - Conewango Swamp Wildlife Management Area - between Rte. 241 and Conewango Creek -

Cattaraugus - Farmersville - Harwood Lake Multiple Use Area -

Cattaraugus - Red House - Allegany State Park, Wolf Run Rd. & Upper Bay State Rd. - Free permit necessary from Administration Building

Cattaraugus - South Valley - Allegheny Reservoir Wildlife Management Area - Vicinity of Bone Run off Onoville Rd.

Cayuga / Tompkins - Ledyard, Genoa, Lansing - Cayuga Tompkins Co-op Hunting Area -

Chautauqua - Sherman - Alder Bottom Wildlife Management Area - off Idora Rd. and Rte 76. -

Chenango - Smithville - Long Pond State Forest -

Clinton - Chazy - Lake Alice Wildlife Management Area -

Delaware - Colchester - Bear Spring Mtn. WMA - Trout Brook Rd.

Dutchess - Milan - Lafayetteville Multiple Use Area -

Dutchess - Red Hook - Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area -

Erie - Collins - Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area - South of Vail and Unger Rd. and Button Rd. -

Essex - Westport - Near the junction of Lake Shore Rd & Clark Rd on state land -

Genesee - Darien - Darien Lake State Park -

Genesee / Niagara - Alabama, Royalton - Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area -

Jefferson - Brownville - Perch River Wildlife Management Area -

Livingston - Livonia - Hemlock-Canadice State Forest - North end of Hemlock Lake

Monroe - Greece - Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area -

Niagara - Lewiston - Joseph Davis State Park - Special permit required for hunting pheasants on Oct. 8-9; Contact J. Davis State Park, 716-754-7766

Niagara - Wilson - Wilson-Tuscarora State Park - Special permit required for hunting pheasants on Oct. 8-9; Contact Wils.-Tusc. State Park, 716-751-6361

Oneida - Whitestown - Oriskany Flats Wildlife Management Area -

Onondaga - Lysander - Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area -

Ontario / Yates - Naples, Italy - High Tor Wildlife Management Area -

Orange - New Windsor - Stewart State Forest -

Oswego - Richland - Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area -

Oswego - West Monroe - Three-Mile Bay Wildlife Management Area -

Putnam - Patterson - Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area -

Putnam - Patterson - Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area - Access off Cornwall Hill Rd., park in designated areas only (6 car capacity)

Rensselaer - Nassau - North and south of Jefferson Hill Rd. at the intersection with Middle Rd. - Must ask permission by calling 518-766-4346 after 5 PM

Saratoga - Greenfield - Daketown State Forest -

St. Lawrence - Canton - Upper & Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area -

Steuben - Tuscarora - Nichols Farm on Thompson Road -

Suffolk** - Brookhaven - Rocky Point State Natural Resources Management Area - A daily permit must be obtained from the Ridge Hunter Check Station.

Suffolk** - Brookhaven - Eastport State Lands - A daily permit must be obtained from the Ridge Hunter Check Station.

Suffolk** - Riverhead / Brookhaven - Otis Pike Preserve - A daily permit must be obtained from the Ridge Hunter Check Station.

Tioga - Richford - Michigan Hill State Forest -

Washington - Greenwich - Carter's Pond Wildlife Management Area -

Washington - Jackson - Eldridge Swamp State Forest -

Wayne - Savannah - N. Montezuma Wildlife Management Area along Savannah-Spring Lake Rd. -

Wayne - Wolcott/Huron - Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Area -

Wyoming - Middlebury - Carlton Hill Multiple Use Area & Sulphur Springs FWMA Co-op. - Five miles north of Warsaw

**TENTATIVE. There is a regulatory proposal to establish a youth pheasant hunt on Long Island that is currently open for public comment. Comments on the proposal will be accepted through Oct. 3, 2011. If the proposal is adopted, birds would be released at the sites listed above for Oct. 29-30, 2011.

Additional information provided on the DEC website includes: