Pheasants Offer Unique Hunting Opportunity In Southern Maine

The calendar has turned to October, and hunting season has kicked into full gear. Maine’s hunters now have a plethora of hunting options to choose from, with seasons for turkey, waterfowl, ruffed grouse, woodcock, gray squirrel, snowshoe hare, and the archery season on deer now open. All of the above listed species can be hunted statewide (though there are different seasons for the three waterfowl zones). However, in southern Maine there is a unique hunting opportunity for the state: ring-necked pheasants.

With the assistance of dedicated Fish and Game clubs, MDIFW annually releases pheasants into York and Cumberland counties to provide hunting opportunities. This year, we will release 2300 pheasants, divided among 20 sites. The season runs from October 1-December 31, and has a two birds/day limit. The stocking program is funded by the sale of pheasant permits (which are required to hunt pheasants in York and Cumberland counties), which cost $19.

Two of the release sites are on MDIFW Wildlife Management Areas: Scarborough Marsh WMA and Kennebunk Plains WMA. Along with the WMAs, the pheasants are also released on private property where the landowners graciously allow access for stocking and hunting. Without the assistance of these landowners and the Fish and Game clubs that work closely with them, the pheasant hunting program would not exist. So, a big thank you goes out to all our landowners, and the clubs including Windham/Gorham Rod and Gun Club, Kezar Falls Rod and Gun Club, South Berwick Rod and Gun Club, York Fish and Game Club, and the Falmouth Fish and Game Club.

For more information on the pheasant hunting program, including maps of release sites, refer to: https://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting-trapping/pheasant-hunting.html.

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