Hunters are advised that some of the pheasants stocked for the 2025-26 season will be banded. By reporting those banded birds, hunters can provide important information as part of a Game Commission study to assess harvest rates for pheasants that are raised on the agency’s game farms, then released to provide hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania.
Hunters are encouraged to report banded pheasants they harvest to the toll-free number stamped on the band. They'll be asked to provide their CID number and the leg band number as well as the date and location of harvest.
A similar study in 2015 found that approximately 50% of stocked pheasants were harvested. Since then, the Game Commission has implemented many changes to pheasant stocking schedules and strategies with the goals of expanding opportunity and increasing harvest rates. The new study will provide data to evaluate the effects of these changes and assess where additional opportunities might exist to maximize the number of hunter-harvested pheasants through future adjustments in stocking strategies.
