By Kaylee Johnson
Albany Dairy Queen
On opening day of pheasant season, you will see many individuals and their bird dogs out hunting in Green County. But how much do you know about the pheasants you're hunting? In this article, I will tell you about the history of the pheasant and will describe some of its characteristics that you can share with your hunting partners.
The common pheasant is one of the world's most hunted birds; it has been introduced for that purpose to many regions, and is also common on game farms where it is commercially bred. This elegant bird was introduced as a game bird to Wisconsin as early as the late 1800s and there are approximately 49 known species living today.
The history of the pheasant in North America begins in 1881 when Judge Owen Nickerson Denny shipped 30 Chinese Ringneck pheasants from China to his home in Oregon. When this shipment arrived, Judge Denny found that 26 out of the 30 pheasants had survived the journey. Eleven years later, Oregon opened a 75-day season and hunters bagged more than 50,000 pheasants. After this successful hunt, pheasants were released in 40 of the 50 states.
Pheasants are a very well-known game bird in Wisconsin. Some of the characteristics they possess are long, strong legs; long, pointed tails; and wings that are short, rounded and curved. The male pheasants are generally larger than the females and are usually more colorful. These diverse birds inhabit a wide variety of terrain from snowy mountains to steamy jungles, but prefer undisturbed grasslands. Although pheasants cannot sustain flight for a very long time, they can reach a flight speed of 38-48 miles per hour. But, they would rather use their legs to run from predators such as men, foxes, hawks and owls.
Pheasant hunting has been a Wisconsin tradition for many years. Hunting pheasants in Wisconsin requires a small game license and a pheasant stamp. The pheasant stamp was created in 1991 to provide funds for pheasant restoration and management after a huge decline in the pheasant population in the 1940s. Today, thousands of acres of nesting and winter habitats are preserved and restored due to the funds provided by the pheasant stamp. This year's pheasant hunting season runs from Oct. 16 to Dec. 31.
I hope you learned something new from my article; I know I definitely learned a lot when researching this topic. If anyone wants to learn more about Pheasants go to MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. in Janesville. It is the biggest pheasant farm in America and it's definitely an interesting place to see. So, have a fun and safe hunt; but most of all enjoy the scenic country side of Green County.
Albany Dairy Queen
On opening day of pheasant season, you will see many individuals and their bird dogs out hunting in Green County. But how much do you know about the pheasants you're hunting? In this article, I will tell you about the history of the pheasant and will describe some of its characteristics that you can share with your hunting partners.
The common pheasant is one of the world's most hunted birds; it has been introduced for that purpose to many regions, and is also common on game farms where it is commercially bred. This elegant bird was introduced as a game bird to Wisconsin as early as the late 1800s and there are approximately 49 known species living today.
The history of the pheasant in North America begins in 1881 when Judge Owen Nickerson Denny shipped 30 Chinese Ringneck pheasants from China to his home in Oregon. When this shipment arrived, Judge Denny found that 26 out of the 30 pheasants had survived the journey. Eleven years later, Oregon opened a 75-day season and hunters bagged more than 50,000 pheasants. After this successful hunt, pheasants were released in 40 of the 50 states.
Pheasants are a very well-known game bird in Wisconsin. Some of the characteristics they possess are long, strong legs; long, pointed tails; and wings that are short, rounded and curved. The male pheasants are generally larger than the females and are usually more colorful. These diverse birds inhabit a wide variety of terrain from snowy mountains to steamy jungles, but prefer undisturbed grasslands. Although pheasants cannot sustain flight for a very long time, they can reach a flight speed of 38-48 miles per hour. But, they would rather use their legs to run from predators such as men, foxes, hawks and owls.
Pheasant hunting has been a Wisconsin tradition for many years. Hunting pheasants in Wisconsin requires a small game license and a pheasant stamp. The pheasant stamp was created in 1991 to provide funds for pheasant restoration and management after a huge decline in the pheasant population in the 1940s. Today, thousands of acres of nesting and winter habitats are preserved and restored due to the funds provided by the pheasant stamp. This year's pheasant hunting season runs from Oct. 16 to Dec. 31.
I hope you learned something new from my article; I know I definitely learned a lot when researching this topic. If anyone wants to learn more about Pheasants go to MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. in Janesville. It is the biggest pheasant farm in America and it's definitely an interesting place to see. So, have a fun and safe hunt; but most of all enjoy the scenic country side of Green County.
