Michigan DNR Releases Pheasants for Hunters Across 13 Areas

If you've ever wanted to feel like a majestic hunter striding through a field in blaze orange, now's your moment. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is once again playing matchmaker between hunters and pheasants — by releasing actual birds into the wild across southern Michigan. According to a DNR newsletter, rooster pheasants are being released at 13 state game and wildlife areas from now through November 14 — and again from December 1-31 — to coincide with pheasant hunting season.

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Release Locations: 13 Game Areas in Southern Michigan

Expect increased bird traffic at hotspots like Cass City, Cornish, Crane Pond, Crow Island, Dansville, Erie, Lapeer, Leidy Lake, Townline 16, Pointe Mouillee, Stanton, and St. Johns Marsh. Rose Lake in Clinton and Shiawassee counties, however, is on a brief "feathered furlough."

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The Rules (Because There Are Always Rules)

Only roosters can be harvested (hens, if you're reading this, you're safe). The daily limit is two, the possession limit is four, and you'll need the $25 pheasant license if you're hunting on public lands in the Lower Peninsula. Don't forget that blaze orange vest either.

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Adam Bump, the DNR's upland game bird specialist, says it's a "great opportunity to connect or reconnect with upland bird hunting in Michigan." Translation: grab your gear (and a license), a thermos, and maybe a friend with a bird dog and hit the field in search of Michigan's newly restocked pheasants.