More than 11,000 pheasants are to be released in Utah at 56 different sites this hunting season. The season for Utah began on November 1 and just before each weekend there will be a new release. The exception of this will be the Thanksgiving weekend, where birds will be released earlier in the week so there will be a significant number of birds ready for the special weekend.

The birds were bought by the Division of Wildlife Resources and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. They were placed within the state’s day-old chick program and raised by volunteers, DWR biologists and members of the Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.

The birds will only be released in places with good habitat and excellent access for hunters. These will include wildlife management areas, waterfowl management areas and Walk-In Access areas.

In some of the release areas, hunters are being instructed to only use nontoxic shot (i.e. steel shot). 13 out of the 14 areas in question are waterfowl management areas and one is a Utah Wetland Preserve.

The general hunting season in Utah runs from November 1 to November 16.  On state and federal land, the hunting season started on November 1 and ends December 7. However, because the pheasants will be released throughout the season, if you can’t make the opening weekend, you won’t miss out.

It is expected that this hunting season will be very popular and hunt officials are asking those thinking of participating to be courteous and respectful to others. Being polite to other hunters should not ruin your experiences of the hunt – in fact it could improve it.

Officials also remind hunters to be safe and wear plenty of hunter orange while keeping your hunting dog under control. They also state that if you want to hunt on private land to remember to get written permission from the landowner before you start hunting on the land.

Are you going hunting in Utah? What are your hunting safety tips?