WyG&F Bird Farm Program Supervisor talks pheasants 

The Sheridan Bird Farm began pheasant stocking at the end of October in preparation for the Nov. 1 season opener. 

Game and Fish reports that more than 15,000 pheasants were raised at the bird farm this year and regular stocking will take place at multiple release sites throughout the season in Sheridan, Johnson, Bighorn and Fremont counties. 

During an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Wyoming Game and Fish Bird Farm Program Supervisor Darrell Meineke spoke on the required paperwork a pheasant hunter should have in the field. Hunters should always carry proof of hunter education if they were born after Jan. 1, 1966. But to hunt pheasant it requires a special stamp as well. 

D. Meineke 

Game and Fish asks pheasant hunters to also consult the 2023 Upland Game Bird Regulations for details.  The stamp can be purchased online or at any Game and Fish regional office or license selling agent.

Meineke oversees both of the Wyoming Game and Fish Bird Farms. He’s been raising pheasants for the Cowboy State since 1996. The ring-necked pheasant (the common pheasant) is not native to the United States, but according to Meineke, the bird thrived in the U.S. when it was introduced in the 1880s.  

In the 1930s, Wyoming undertook a pheasant introduction program after hunters requested the bird be brought into the state for sport and harvest. Back then, the Sheridan area had enough wheat and other agricultural fields to support large flocks of the animal. 

Fields were eventually replaced by developments and the habitat of the pheasant declined. This prompted Game and Fish to begin their breeding and care program to stock public and private (but hunter accessible) lands.  

D. Meineke 

Due to the hard work and dedication of Meineke and his team, the program is a continuing success, stocking pheasants for today’s and tomorrow’s generation of sportsmen and women. 

D. Meineke 

To learn more about the Sheridan Bird Farm and the Wyoming Game and Fish Pheasant Management Program, click here.