It would be cool for TWRA to stock pheasant and eventually allow a season

We tried it many years ago and found it would not work. The pheasants that were released lived to some degree (except for the ones killed by predators that like pen-reared birds), but there was negligible to no reproduction. It appears it has to do with their eggs in our environment.

We don't have the money/personnel for a stock and shoot pheasant program.

Is it too warm here?

Ruger... actually I did run down and catch one by hand once.. LOL!! It obviously had been pen raised and when I "rushed" it, it simply squatted down and seemed to appear as "I'm about to die so lets get it over with".I can see why pen raised birds don't last in the wild.



OK,I'm not trying to get this thread "locked" so don't take my statement/question is an arguement.

When I was younger we raised quail and would release them to feed naturally during the day and they would recall back to the "Johnny pen" at night. I'm not sure if pheasents would do this but,some quail went awol and I would hunt them down, shoot them and we ate them. Would these birds not fall into the livestock catagory if someone was selling the meat or eggs for profit?

We are actually considering getting quail and pheasents to raise for our own consumption and to sell the excess on our farm.

My "arguement" for the case would be that chickens aren't considered game but, instead are livestock. They can and have gone "wild" (we used to hunt them on abandoned farms for landowners in Hawkins county) and believe me they were as wild as the grouse we were hunting. So, if I "free range" pheasents or quail for the purpose of sale and some escape I can't reclaim my losses by shooting those birds? Again.. I'm not trying to argue and you all have forgotten more of the laws than I will ever know.