ABC News
Time flies and sadly so will more than 10,000 pen-reared pheasants that will be released on public hunting grounds throughout Utah during hunting season which begins this weekend.
Horrifically, the state’s Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), which made the announcement, and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, bought the pheasants from two private bird growers to supplement the number of ring-necked birds, including wild pheasants, that hunters will sadly kill this year.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Calling it what “might be the perfect season to hunt pheasants in Utah,” the department also shared the news that this season, the pheasant hunt on both private and public land will run for 30 days. In the past, the hunt on private land lasted 14 days.
The longer season on private lands will not have a negative effect on the state’s pheasant population because, according to Jason Robinson, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, “plenty of roosters make it through the hunting season so enough roosters are available to breed all of the hens the following spring.”
“If you hunt after the opening weekend,” Robinson said, “you should still have a great experience and find plenty of birds.” Really?
Pheasants will be released before each weekend of the hunt. The one exception is the week of Thanksgiving. That week, birds will be released early in the week to ensure that plenty of pheasants will be available to hunt over the Thanksgiving holiday. This is the sad reality of Pheasant hunting.
It gets worse!
Reminding people to wear plenty of hunter orange for their safety, Robinson continued to share advice on how to make the most of the massacre, such as giving each other space and keeping dogs who are along for the hunt under control.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
“Please remember,” concluded Robinson, “that everyone is there to have a good time.” NOT everyone obviously!
This outrageous news follows on the heels of last weekend’s start of pheasant hunting season in Iowa where Donald Trump Jr. joined Rep. Steve King at his annual pheasant hunt.
