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OUTDOORS: Hunt pheasants on Oct. 24 and get in better shape
by David Thompson
For outdoor exercise this fall and winter, hunt pheasants and other upland game birds once pheasant season opens statewide Oct. 24.
Pheasant season follows the opening of ruffed grouse and woodcock seasons on Oct. 17. It is possible, if you hunt the appropriate game bird habitat, that you could flush all three species of game birds on the same hunt. That's because grouse and woodcock sometimes live at the edge of woods bordered by pheasant fields.
It is the pheasant, however, that recently has been stocked mainly on state game lands owned and managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. These lands are open to all hunters having a general hunting license. (To hunt pheasants, you'll also need a pheasant permit that costs $26.97. Junior hunters and mentored hunters under age 17 must obtain a free pheasant hunting permit.)
The free pheasant permit for youths who qualify is a good deal. With the free permit, junior hunters and all mentored hunters were eligible to participate in the Junior Pheasant Hunt held Oct. 10-18. Now, they also can participate in the upcoming regular pheasant season that continues through Dec. 24. A second season opens Dec. 26 and stays open through Feb. 28.
The game commission is stocking 214,019 pheasants for the 2026-27 hunting season. Roosters and hens will be released on 207 properties in 62 counties.
Once pheasant season is underway, in-season stockings occur on a regular basis at state game lands. You can find out where, when, and how many pheasants will be stocked in-season by logging onto the commission's website. A hunter typically hunts on the game lands located close to home. Pheasants are stocked at fields with weeds, brush and shrubs. Some fields have planted corn or other grains.
Pheasants are the only game birds that are stocked. Ruffed grouse and woodcock are all native, or wild, birds. Consider yourself fortunate to find them at the wooded edges of pleasant fields. (Bobwhite quail hunting also is open, but there are few, if any, wild quail in our region of Pennsylvania. I have not flushed a wild quail in decades.)
A hunter who consistently hunts pheasants, grouse or woodcock will walk miles, trying to flush these game birds. The more you walk, the more miles you will cover to strengthen your legs and cardiovascular system. By hunting regularly for the next three months, you also might lose unwanted weight.
The typical pheasant hunter carries a shotgun and not much more. You can tote a plastic bottle of water and a snack in your hunting vest's game pouch. Such items weigh little. You will be glad of that after hunting through brush and high weeds for several hours.
Be aware that to hunt American woodcock, you must buy a migratory game bird license for $3.97 as well as a general hunting license. Woodcock will be seen occasionally at local state game lands where pheasants were stocked. Mature woodcock that nested in Pennsylvania this year, as well as young woodcock raised here during spring, summer and autumn, occasionally will be flushed by pheasant hunters.
Additional woodcock that nested farther north in Pennsylvania or in other northern states will pass through our region as they migrate south to winter there. These migrants usually show up in late October through mid-November or later. Woodcock may be hunted through Dec. 8. The daily bag limit is three woodcock.
A few years ago, while hunting pheasant, I heard an unseen hunter shoot close by. A few minutes later, he approached me and said he'd just harvested a woodcock. He had seen no pheasants. He was surprised and pleased to bag one woodcock at the end of his hunt that morning.
When pheasant season starts Oct. 24, hunters will be off to the races, so to speak. Most of them will hunt where pheasants have been released at state game lands. They will arrive early on opening day and hunt as soon as it becomes legal to shoot, half an hour before sunrise. As required by hunting regulations for safety, each hunter will wear a fluorescent orange hat and a coat or vest of the same blaze-orange color. That bright clothing helps hunters see each other so that they can move away from each other in the field.
Through courtesy and cooperation, hunters can avoid each other while searching for game. Sometimes a pheasant that flushes will fly toward another hunter who is close by. It is important never to shoot toward another hunter.
Because pheasants often flush unexpectedly, a hunter keeps constantly alert not just for pheasants but for other hunters who also appear unexpectedly in places with high brush. On opening day and on days when in-season stockings are conducted, and numerous hunters are afield, hunters voluntarily separate from each other, and that results in safer hunting.
If you shoot a shotgun well and flush pheasants, you are permitted to harvest two pheasants daily. Roosters and hens may be taken. They taste the same and are good to eat. Don't waste a single bite, as every forkful of pheasant meat is expensive.
Lucky you if you have an experienced bird dog that would rather hunt game than do anything else. This dog will earn its keep by locating hard-to-find pheasants in fields full of heavy cover. The dog's breed does not matter. What matters is that the dog has a good nose and likes to hunt.
A dog wearing a fluorescent orange collar or vest makes the dog easier for you and other hunters to see. You can carry an extra water bottle and a small plastic bowl for the dog who will become thirsty.
When shooting, try to remember to lead the flying target by aiming in front of it before pressing the trigger, but don't blame me if you miss a pheasant. All hunters occasionally miss, and some hunters miss frequently.