I happen to be a wild bird fanatic so the stocked bird option doesn't mean much to me. But for who are less narrow-minded than me, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game maintains an aggressive and quite popular stocking program on nine selected wildlife management areas. The Market Lake, Mud Lake, Cartier, Sterling, Fort Boise, C.J. Strike, Payette River (Birding Island segment only), Montour and Niagara WMAs receive bi-weekly plantings throughout the season. Hunters must purchase an upland bird license plus a $21.50 WMA permit. The permit is required for hunters aged 17 and older. Permits are valid for six pheasants, and multiple permits may be purchased. As you might expect the release sites get a fair share of pressure and those birds that escape the initial onslaught tend to scatter and/or hide in the toughest cover. Success then goes to the hunters willing to go the extra mile, so to speak, and more often than not, the winning combination includes a good dog or two.

Idaho's season varies according to hunt zone: Zone 1 (Panhandle) runs from the first week in October to Dec. 31, with a limit of three cocks daily, six in possession; Zone 2 (Southeast) runs from mid-October to Nov. 30, with a limit of three cocks daily, six in possession, except for stocked WMAs where the daily limit is two cocks daily, six in possession; and the season in Zone 3 (Southwest) runs from mid-October to Dec. 31, three cocks daily, six in possession, except for stocked WMAs where the daily limit is two cocks, six in possession. Always check the regulations to be sure.

A non-resident upland bird license costs $73.50.

WYOMING
"Wyoming is just not a pheasant state. Marginal at best, we don't encourage hunters to drive a long way to hunt pheasants here," said Jeff Obrecht, a Wyoming Game & Fish Department information officer. "Goshen County, around Torrington, is No. 1, while Sheridan in the north central would rank No. 2. Decent spring moisture should equate to reasonable nesting and brood rearing success, but it is just too early to tell. On the one hand we have had good moisture, but it has been on the cool side. It only takes one bad weather event at the wrong time to wipe out a bunch of pluses."

It comes as no surprise that Obrecht would point to Sheridan and Goshen counties as, traditionally the pair account for fully 70 percent of the state's annual kill. Other areas that hold promise are the walk-in areas on the Greybull, Big Horn and Powder rivers, but how much depends largely on what happens once the hatch came off.

Many other river valleys hold decent numbers of birds but access can be downright impossible. I have a friend who ranches near Thermopolis. His river bottom and that of his neighbors supports a huntable population, but even he can't gain permission to hunt longtails. "Hunt all the deer you want but leave the chickens be," his neighbors say. That, by the way, is a familiar refrain. We know of several ranchers who have no problem letting us hunt, just not pheasants.

A Wyoming non-resident annual upland game bird license costs $61; daily, $16; youth annual, $40. Seasons, daily bag and possession limits vary widely according to hunt zones; check the current regulations closely. Pheasant season runs November and December.