The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to release around 8,400 ring-necked pheasants this week, giving hunters additional opportunities before the season closes Feb. 28.

The late-winter stocking marks the second consecutive year the commission has provided a supplemental release in the final weeks of pheasant season. The birds, which are mostly hens, will be released Wednesday, Feb. 11, and Thursday, Feb. 12, though weather or logistical issues could alter the schedule.

These pheasants originated as a contingency plan designed to protect against potential disease outbreaks.

Wildlife Operations Division Chief Ian Gregg said the Game Commission arranged for a supplier to raise extra birds as an “insurance policy” in case disease affected the supplier’s primary flocks.

“With flocks presently healthy, it’s not feasible to hold onto these ‘backup’ birds, which will be released to provide late-winter hunting opportunities,” Gregg said in a news release.

The 8,400 birds represent a fraction of the more than 225,000 pheasants the commission released for the 2025-26 license year during regular stocking efforts between October and January.

Gregg acknowledged that hunters may need to travel farther to find birds but said the targeted approach maintains efficiency and focuses on areas with suitable mid-winter habitat and access conditions.

The releases will span all six of the Game Commission’s regions, with locations ranging from State Game Lands 95 in Butler County to SGL 280/Blue Marsh in Berks County. Other locations include various state game lands, state parks, national forest areas, and lakes across the state.

Find the full list of locations expected to receive birds in the February stocking on the Game Commission’s website at pa.gov.

The newly released pheasants will not carry leg bands. The commission continues to encourage hunters to report any banded pheasants they harvest this season for an ongoing harvest rate study. More than 2,600 banded birds have been reported so far this hunting season.

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