The Peru Gazette

Applications are now available for DEC’s cooperative Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program. The program provides pheasant hunting opportunities through a partnership among DEC, hunters, 4-H youth, and interested landowners. The program is funded through the State Conservation Fund from license fees paid by hunters, trappers, and anglers. In 2019, DEC distributed more than 31,500 day-old pheasant chicks to qualified applicants!

Day-old chicks are available at no cost to participants who can provide a brooding facility, a covered outdoor rearing pen, and an adequate release site. Applicants must provide daily care to the rapidly growing chicks, monitor the birds’ health, and ensure they have adequate feed and water. The pheasants may be released beginning when they are eight weeks old and must be released no later than Dec. 1.

All release sites must be approved in advance by DEC and must be open for public pheasant hunting opportunities. Approved applicants will receive the day-old chicks in April, May, or June.

Individuals interested in these programs should contact their nearest DEC regional office for applications and additional information. A “Pheasant Rearing Guide” and applications are  available on the DEC website. Applications must be filed with a DEC regional wildlife manager by March 25, 2020.