Introduction
Over the past two decades Eastern Washington has been experiencing a decline in pheasant harvest. Habitat loss has been identified as the leading factor for the decline. To address the loss of habitat WDFW initiated an aggressive habitat enhancement program. To fund this program the Legislature in 1997 created the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Fund.
The Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Fund is a dedicated funding source. The fund is used solely for pheasant habitat enhancement on public and private lands and for the purchase of rooster pheasants that are released on lands accessible to the public.
Habitat protection and enhancement continues to be WDFW’s primary tool to maintain pheasant populations and hunting opportunity.
Required Licenses and Bag Limits:
To hunt pheasants in Eastern Washington a small game license is required. The small game license is $40.50, it is $22.00 if purchased with any big game license. Youths under 16 years old can purchase the small game license for $18.50, or $8.80 with a big game license.
Each year thousands of pheasants are released on lands accessible to the public. The Eastern Washington release sites are shown on the maps in this pamphlet. Rooster pheasants are released to supplement harvest.
Birds are released for youth and general season openers. We do not provide other release dates because we want to minimize crowding at the release sites and promote hunter ethics.
To protect other wildlife species including waterfowl and raptors, non-toxic shot is required for all upland bird, dove and band-tailed pigeon hunting on all pheasant release sites statewide.