Habitat & Conservation,Hunting & Heritage,Pheasant Hunting Forecast  |  09/21/2017

Wyoming Pheasant Hunting Forecast 2017


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A cool and wet late summer means Southeast Wyoming, and the Big Horn basin, should have roosters to hunt this fall.

By Tom Carpenter

“For the most part, southeastern Wyoming had a typical summer,” reports Martin Hicks, Wildlife Biologist with Wyoming Game and Fish. “There was average spring precipitation with a couple of unfortunate hail events.  Early August was cooler with an increase in rain activity, which should help the cool season grasses going into the fall.”
 
“Wyoming doesn’t perform summer pheasant survey counts,” says Hicks. “Based on spring crow counts and the average summer temps and precipitation, it is anticipated that wild bird production will be more or less normal in areas with higher densities of pheasants, such as Goshen County.” 

Platte and Laramie Counties are also decent pheasant destinations in southeastern Wyoming.

In northern Wyoming, Bighorn, Sheridan, Johnson, Hot Springs and Washakie Counties hold birds in agricultural areas.

Here's a map of Wyoming’s pheasant range, courtesy of Wyoming Game and Fish:


“A hunter's best guide to access is to log onto the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Website, go to Access Yes and look at the Walk-In Areas in southeastern Wyoming (Platte, Goshen, Laramie counties) and the Bighorn Basin, that are open to pheasant hunting.
 

Wyoming Hunting Notes

*“Approximately 30,000 farm-raised pheasants are released annually throughout lands enrolled in the Department's Access Yes Program and several Wildlife Management Areas in southeast Wyoming and the Bighorn Basin,” says Hicks. See above for tips on finding these spots.

*“Pen-raised birds will be released in in numerous Walk-In Areas throughout Goshen, Platte and Laramie counties, as well as the Springer, Ocean Lake, Sand Mesa, Yellowtail and Table Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Areas and State Park and Bureau of Rec lands around Glendo,” Hicks adds. 
 

Links

Wyoming Access Yes

Wyoming Walk-In Hunting
 

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Tom Carpenter is Digital Content Manager for Pheasants Forever.