Pheasant season set to open statewide

Pheasant season is set to open this weekend and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is providing several pheasant hunting opportunities at northern California ‘Type A’ wildlife areas for 2014.

The general pheasant season opens Saturday November 8 and extends through December 21, 2014. A ‘Type A’ Wildlife Area requires a ‘Type A’ one-day, two-day or season permit/pass. A valid CDFW hunting license is required.

The general limits are 2 males per day for first two days of the season and 3 males per day after the first two days of the season.

The 2014 hunting season includes several wildlife areas open for hunters. ‘Type A’ wildlife areas near the Central Coast are in the San Joaquin Valley and are the Los Banos Wildlife Area, Mendota Wildlife Area, North Grasslands Wildlife Area, Volta Wildlife Area and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. They’ll be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays only during the pheasant season. Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge will be open for pheasant hunting on the first Monday of the pheasant season November 10.

‘Type A’ wildlife areas in the Sacramento Valley include Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area’s Little Dry Creek and Howard Slough Units and Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. They’ll be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, and only the first Monday November 10 of the pheasant season. Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, and only the second Monday November 17 of the pheasant season.

While the Llano Seco Unit of the Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area is closed for waterfowl hunting as a result of the drought, it will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during the general pheasant season. Permits for entry will be issued at the check station through the morning lottery which begins at 4 a.m., with the draw occurring at 4:30 a.m. Entry is also available through first-come, first-serve lists at the check station.

The Wister Unit of Imperial Wildlife Area in Imperial County and San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County will be closed to pheasant hunting this year.

‘Type C’ wildlife areas will remain open as normal.

In 2010, CDFW reduced the number of days that certain wildlife areas will be open for pheasant hunting due to a decline the number of hunters targeting pheasant and the cost to operate check stations during the first week of the season. This reduction remains in effect.

In response to the continued decline, CDFW is entering the second year of working with Pheasants Forever and the United States Geological Survey to implement pheasant population assessments and identify factors limiting their populations to develop potential management actions.