Fish and Wildlife Commission supports expansion of pheasant program

“Shooting fish in a barrel doesn’t create anglers,” Szollosi said.

He spoke Wednesday during a meeting of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Szollosi and other opponents of the Roosters for Recruitment program suggested the program money could be better spent improving upland habitat for wild pheasants and securing public access.

Their time at the podium followed a long stint there by Quentin Kujala, chief of conservation policy for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He asked the commission to approve expanding the Roosters for Recruitment program from its state lands base by adding federal lands and private lands with willing landowners.

Last month, Sara Meloy, FWP’s education bureau chief, explained the rationale for adding federal and private lands.

“Not all state lands are suitable for pheasant hunting because of lack of habitat, small parcel size or distance from population centers, among other factors,” Meloy said. “Most suitable state land release sites are already being used by the program.”    

Ultimately, after a host of questions about funding and program efficiencies, the seven-member commission voted unanimously to expand the potential release sites for Roosters for Recruitment and to authorize the expansion through 2029.

The commission is appointed by the governor from FWP administrative regions. It sets fish and wildlife regulations, authorizes property acquisitions, and approves certain rules and activities of the department as provided by statute.

No one denies that penitentiary-nurtured, pen-raised pheasants become easy targets when released in the wild. Easy targets for hunters, coyotes, foxes, hawks, owls and more.

That vulnerability is embraced by the state’s Roosters for Recruitment program. The reasoning: A young hunter who notches fledgling success on a pheasant hunt might join the brotherhood or sisterhood of hunting and help maintain a tradition and heritage important to many Montanans and add voices to advocacy for access to public lands.

As proposed, FWP would undertake yearly pheasant releases of up to 50,000 birds on suitable state, federal and private lands. Kujala said Wednesday that the state currently has about 23,000 pheasants available for release.

According to FWP, “Pen-raised pheasants would be released annually September through November to provide additional opportunity for hunters, especially youth hunters.”

FWP added, “Some releases would be scheduled to occur a few days before the youth pheasant season opener to maximize opportunity for youth hunters, and some releases will occur later in the months of October and November to increase hunting opportunities for hunters of all ages.” 

Kujala said about a dozen incarcerated people at Montana State Prison are involved in the pheasant-rearing operation, which helped fill a training gap when the prison lost a dairy contract.

He readily acknowledged the program hasn’t been perfect.

“I think we can only say we missed the mark [during] the first year of raising birds and releasing those pen-raised birds,” Kujala said. “Many of them were missing tail feathers.”

The Roosters for Recruitment program followed an appropriation during the 2021 legislative session, and the first birds were released in 2022. State lands were identified then as release sites.

Opponents of the pen-raised pheasant releases have included The Montana Sportsmen Alliance, which observed in an op-ed that the program “was asking license buyers and taxpayers to waste money feeding coyotes.”

The Big Sky Upland Bird Association noted, “Pen-raised birds lack wild instincts, fail to use natural cover, gather on roads and perish to predators or starvation within days of release.”

Some observers believe alternatives to the Roosters for Recruitment program could yield more bang for the buck.

Ben Deeble, president of the Big Sky Upland Bird Association, is one.

“We think it would be a far better investment to improve habitat for wild birds,” he said last month. “Montana is already a destination for bird hunters from all over the country to hunt wild birds.”

Hunter VanDonsel, the Montana/Wyoming state coordinator for Pheasants Forever, shared similar thoughts last month.

“We’d prefer to see funds allocated for habitat and public access,” he said.

VanDonsel addressed commission members Wednesday.

“Pheasants Forever respectfully urges the commission to reconsider the proposed motion and stop releasing birds on state, federal and private lands after fall of 2026 due to the substantial program cost and lack of measurable return on investment for hunter recruitment,” he said. “Our view remains that habitat improvement, expanded public access and education programming are the more effective long-term investments for upland hunting.”

Deeble also raised concerns that flight pens used at the Montana State Prison for pheasants nearing release are exposed to other birds and potential avian diseases that could be spread in the wild.

Meloy has said Montana Correctional Enterprises operates under a biosecurity plan approved by the Department of Livestock to minimize risk of disease transmission. 

"In addition, MCE works with state and local veterinarians under the National Poultry Improvement Plan, which requires routine testing for common poultry diseases and certifies flocks as disease-free," she said.

Meanwhile, pheasants remain a coveted quarry for upland bird hunters. The birds provoke an adrenaline surge when they flush, boast bewitching plumage, challenge hunting dogs and are known to be excellent table fare.