2003 Pheasant Workshop - Identification of Key Management Strategies for Washington State: Meeting Summary and Management Recommendations

In Washington, there has been a wide variation in pheasant harvest and hunter participation over the past 50 years. Harvest was at its highest during the mid 1960s with another peak in the late 1970s, when over 500,000 pheasants were harvested statewide. Since that time, pheasant harvest has been declining steadily. By using harvest as an index to population status, it is apparent that pheasant populations in Washington currently are much lower than they were in the 1960s and 1970s (Figure 1). In addition, surveys (crowing count and brood index) conducted between 1984 and 1998 indicate a decrease in pheasant numbers in eastern Washington during that time (Rice, 2003).

The cause or causes of the decline in pheasant populations in Washington is not known definitively, however, it is likely that several factors are working together to influence the result. Pheasant research in many parts of the United States indicates that loss of habitat is the primary reason pheasant populations decline. Of particular importance are breeding habitat (including nesting and brood rearing habitat), wintering habitat, and habitat that provides escape cover.

This workshop was developed to collect information that would help identify at least five key pheasant management strategies that would give the greatest chance of successfully increasing naturally occurring pheasant populations in Washington. Experts in the field of pheasant management were brought in to discuss management strategies in areas where pheasant populations historically have been high and to discuss research findings and management programs that may help address population declines in Washington. Approximately 75 people attended the meeting, including both general public and state agency personnel.