The Springer Wildlife Management Area permit pheasant hunting season is over, but the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is still stocking birds all over Goshen County and there is still plenty of time for a fun and successful hunt.
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GOSHEN COUNTY – The Springer Wildlife Management Area permit pheasant hunting season is over, but the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is still stocking birds all over Goshen County and there is still plenty of time for a fun and successful hunt.
Game and Fish biologist Martin Hicks, who helps decide where to release the 17,790 pheasants the department plans to release this year, said Goshen County has some of the best cover for pheasants in the region – and that will lead to quite a few pheasants being released in local hunting grounds.
“We all sit down and figure out where we can release birds based on the number of birds that were produced this year,” he said. “There are only certain places that have adequate cover. That’s the biggest issue right now – a lack of good quality cover to release pheasants.”
There is still an opportunity to hunt at Springer, which is widely seen as one of the best pheasant hunting locations in the country. The season doesn’t end there until Nov. 16, which is when the department will stop stocking birds there.
Elsewhere in the county, like the Table Mountain Wildlife Management Area and a number of various walk-in areas, the season will last until Dec. 31. Hicks said the primary concern when deciding to release pheasants is that there will be sufficient habitat for the birds.
“It’s a lot of cover and location,” he said. “We try to pick the very best ones, like the ones that are under agreement with us, the ones in our Access Yes program. Based on that, we determine how many birds we’re going to release at each walk-in area.”
The department will be stocking until the end of the season, so there’s a chance that hunters will see the WYGFD truck at work releasing birds. Hicks said hunters should give the truck and department personnel space to do their job.
“Be courteous,” he said. “If the truck is out there releasing, please give them space to allow them to release the birds. Don’t be greedy and push your ethics.
“The cover out there is marginal and we’re doing the best with what we have.”
Pheasant hunting in Wyoming requires that hunters obtain a game bird stamp, which range from $9 for a day stamp to $16 for an annual stamp. There are also daily and annual permits available for non-residents. Licenses can be purchased online or in-store at several locations in the county. Complete hunting regulations, as well as area maps and special guidelines, are available at wgfd.wyo.gov.
