WATERLOO, N.Y. — Ever consider raising and releasing pheasant chicks as your part to help the environment? If the answer is yes, then join us for a free workshop to explain how you can get free day old pheasant chicks to raise and release into the wild. This workshop will take place on Tuesday, March 5th from 6 to 7 PM at the Seneca County Cornell Cooperative Extension office, 308 Main Street Shop Centre in Waterloo, NY. Registration is required and requested by Monday, March 4th. . To register, please call the office at (315) 539-9251, email Patti at pap11@cornell.edu or register online at: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/pheasants2019_245. The Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program began in the early 1900s and was officially established in 1919, making 2019 the program’s 100th anniversary.
4-H Pheasant Rearing Workshop
Date: Tuesday, March 5th, 2019
Time: 6 PM – 7 PM
Location: Seneca County Cornell Cooperative Extension office,
308 Main Street Shop Centre, Waterloo, NY 13165
Registration is required. Call 315-539-9251, email pap11@cornell.edu or register online at: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/pheasants2019_245.
Pheasant hunting has a long tradition as one the most popular small game hunting activities in New York State, but wild populations of this introduced species have reached all-time lows. Without propagation and release programs, pheasant hunting opportunities would not exist in New York. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has a long history of propagating pheasants to help meet the demand for pheasant hunting opportunities. Seneca County Cornell Cooperative Extension (SCCCE) is offering you an opportunity to get involved in this worthwhile project.
The Cooperative Day-old Pheasant Chick Program (DOCP) is one of the DEC’s programs that help make more game available for hunting and bird watching in the area. The DEC’s Bureau of Wildlife owns and operates the Richard E. Reynolds Game Farm located near Ithaca, the state’s only pheasant production facility. Approximately 40,000 day-old chicks are hatched and distributed to cooperators. Each cooperator receives a specified number of free day-old chicks to raise and release. All birds must be released on lands open for public hunting. Program participants include 4-H youth, sportsmen clubs, landowners, farmers, schools, NYS Department of Corrections, and other individuals. For the past 10 years Seneca County has been one of the top three counties with the number of birds raised and released.
Come to this workshop and learn from staff from the Richard E. Reynolds Game Farm as they explain how the program works and give tips and ideas on successfully raising the day old chicks. The staff will also answer questions and give insights on what is required to make this program work for you.
Rearing pheasants is enjoyable and challenging and also a good teaching tool for youth. Releasing the pheasants offers fall hunting opportunities and pheasants are an enjoyable addition to a property. The cooperator program provides a means for youth and adults to learn about the husbandry and natural history of pheasants, with an incentive to expand areas open for public hunting and to improve habitat for grassland wildlife species.
If you wish to order your day old chicks, you can do so by calling our office at (315) 539-9251, emailing Patti at pap11@cornell.edu or visiting us at 308 Main Street Shop Centre, Waterloo, NY to sign up to participate with a minimum of 50 chicks by Friday, March 22, 2019. You will be notified when the chicks arrive, usually at the end of May or first week in June. Ordering can be done the night of the workshop for those attending.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Seneca County
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