Pheasant hunters in Missouri will now have the chance to hunt their favourite sport throughout the state, the Missouri Department of Conservation has announced. The department has recently stated it will expand legal pheasant hunting statewide from November 1st.

In previous years, hunting has been limited to north of I-70, all of St. Charles County and a section of the Southeastern corner of the state.

Despite the new hunting areas, Tom Strothers of the Missouri Department of Conservation has stated that the small population of birds in Mid-Missouri might not offer hunters the best experiences. In his statement, he suggested that hunters might best spend their hunting time north of I-70 where the populations of the bird are larger.

“In mid-Missouri there are typically few pheasants that live in the wild in the central part of Missouri so that is why in years past the season didn’t include central Missouri because we didn’t have any pheasants in the area,” Strothers was quoted as saying.

The decision to expand the hunting area was not simple. Strothers highlighted that the decision making process touched upon many different considerations. These included: what is best for the species, biological data, size of populations, how many birds, deer or turkey they have in a certain area.

The Missouri pheasant hunting season will still run from November 1 to January 15. Yet this is a unique opportunity for mid-Missouri pheasant hunters to hunt closer to home. Pheasants are a real popular bird to hunt, about the same size as a chicken a little bit smaller than a quail or a dove,” said Strothers.

Before the regular season begins on November 1, the Department offers youth hunters an opportunity to hunt and gain experience. The last weekend in October, 24-25th, is designated for youth hunters only.

Despite the expansion of the hunting area, female pheasants are still illegal to harvest.

What are your plans for hunting this season? Are you excited?