Pheasants Gone Wild! Thousands Released For 2025 Montana Hunters

The start of Montana's pheasant hunting season is now less than two months away and even sooner for the youth bird hunting weekend.

A program that was started a few years ago has been met with tremendous approval. And not just for adult hunters, but for youth who get a two-day jump on the season.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks tells us that they will release nearly 18,000 pheasants this fall as its Roosters for Recruitment Program continues for the fourth year. The pheasants will be released on wildlife management areas, fishing access sites, and some school trust lands around the state.

In 2022, the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the release of up to 50,000 pheasants annually on state lands through 2026. In 2021, the Montana State Legislature authorized spending up to $1 million each year for the program.

The program’s purpose is to provide additional opportunities for a successful harvest to youth and other new hunters, which encourages future hunting and participation in conservation. In Montana, like other states, fish and wildlife conservation is funded primarily through license sales. Hunting and fishing are active ways to support wildlife management, habitat protection, and conservation efforts. This Montana program is part of the nationwide effort to recruit, retain, and reactivate hunters by implementing programs that offer increased opportunity and participation.

TIPS FROM PROS

Blue Collar Bird Dogs of Great Falls tells us pheasants are crafty birds. They have a keen sense of hearing and can hold still, sneak out of gun range, double back, fly away or sneak past you if they hear you. So quiet is needed at all times when in the field.
Knowing pheasant daily habits also helps ensure a successful hunt.

The daily routine of pheasants is to walk or fly out of their roosting cover just after sunrise. They may pick up some gravel on their way to their feeding site – usually a crop field. They like to feed in ditches too. So check the ditches not just mid-field.

The afternoon is spent resting under cover, then late in the day when most hunters are relaxing around a fire pit, they emerge again for a meal before roosting for the night. Take your time and don’t leave the hunt too early.

Montana's young hunters will have a special treat the weekend of the youth waterfowl and pheasant special seasons, September 27-28, with the general season running October 11, 2025 - January 1, 2026. A map of pheasant release sites is available on Montana FWP's "Roosters For Recruitment" web page. Be sure to check back for any updates.