Pheasant Hunting Program

Fall 2024

2024 Release Sites

Pheasant in a field

Thanks to the continued support of pheasant hunters from Maine and elsewhere, MDIFW, in cooperation with members of several dedicated Fish and Game Clubs, will stock about 2,000 pheasants at roughly 20 sites in York and Cumberland Counties. This program would not exist without the many generous landowners that agree to provide release sites and share their property with pheasant hunters every fall. We do lose sites as land is sold or developed, but outreach to new landowners sometimes leads to new release sites.

Pheasant Hunting in Maine

The 2024 pheasant hunting season runs from September 28 – December 31. There is a daily bag limit of 2 birds, either sex. A hunting license and pheasant hunting permit is required.

Purchase a permit online

Two new release sites are expected in Hollis and details will be posted soon. Biologists and volunteers from regional fish and game clubs worked hard to meet with all cooperating landowners who open their land to pheasant hunting and secure permissions for the 2024 season. These landowners are gracious to welcome hunters and they play a pivotal role in the success of the continued success of the pheasant program.

To help continue the Maine pheasant hunt, always do your part to be a safe, responsible hunter and respect these generous private landowners. Remember, hunters must be at least 100 yards from a house to discharge their firearm and must do so in consideration of what is downrange of where they shoot. These sites are large enough so that this should not be a problem. Always bring your shells home with you, leaving spent shells is littering and must stop. If landowners choose to no longer participate in the pheasant program, there will be no place to release birds. It is very difficult to secure permission for new sites. Always be a good, responsible, safe, and respectful hunter.

Pheasant Stocking in Maine

Pheasants are not native to the United States but have been successfully introduced in several states and have thrived in many environments such as Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and the Dakotas as well as others. This bird was first stocked in Maine by MDIFW in 1930. Pheasants have not established a breeding population in Maine due to several limiting factors, most notably, predation, occasional harsh winters, and a scarcity of standing grain crops for winter forage. It is likely that some stocked birds overwinter at several sites and reproduction in the wild has occasionally been documented.

Pheasants are a particularly good game bird to hunt with dogs because despite the fact they prefer to run from predators including hunters, they will at times hold tight. When they eventually explode from heavy cover with their unique cackle and a thunderous wing beat they can startle unprepared hunters and dogs. Many a bird has escaped without a shot being fired while the hunter recovers his or her composure. They are also a good bird to start young hunters on because they will eventually hold and can be a larger and more predictable target for new shooters than the fast and erratic flying woodcock or partridge.

Permit requirements: Hunters must purchase a pheasant permit in addition to their regular hunting license and are permitted two birds a day, of either sex. The permits will cost $19 again this year but a rise in program costs and a desire to improve hunt quality through additional stocking may dictate a rise in the near future. The permit is available online on the MDIFW website or from license agents such as town offices. With prices at local shooting preserves exceeding $30 per pheasant released (not necessarily harvested!) the pheasant permit is considered a very good value for the hunter. The pheasant program is funded through proceeds from the sale of the pheasant stamp. Hunters can help promote the pheasant hunting in Maine by talking about the program with their friends and encouraging them to buy a permit. Participation and support from the partnering Fish & Game Clubs has been vital since the program's inception. Special thanks to members of Windham/Gorham Rod and Gun Club, Kezar Falls Rod and Gun Club, South Berwick Rod and Gun Club, York Fish and Game Club and Falmouth Fish and Game Club.

2024 Stocking Dates

This year, three stocking events will take place on or about the following days; Thursday, September 26, Sunday, October 6, and a third stocking on October 13.

Landowner permission has been provided to pheasant hunters by those who own these properties. Most sites will receive about 30 birds at each stocking. Those sites in the Berwicks and Wells will be stocked throughout the season by members of South Berwick Rod and Gun Club. Look for the yellow "pheasant release site" signs to identify the site and as part of our efforts to show respect for the landowners, observe the green "no vehicles beyond this point" signs.

Dog trainers are discouraged from training their dogs at the release sites after they are stocked to avoid scattering the birds off the sites.

Have a good, safe season and thanks for your continued support of this program. For more information, contact:

Scott Lindsay and Josh Matijas
Wildlife Biologists
MDIFW
358 Shaker Rd.
Gray, ME 04039

Email: scott.lindsay@maine.gov

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2024 Release Sites

The following sites are stocked from Cabela's in Scarborough. ETA 9:00 a.m.

Baldwin:

  • Airport Field, East Baldwin.
  • Pigeon Brook Road, Baldwin. Field is accessed by gated gravel road off the east end of Pigeon Brook Road. Leaves Route 113 across from Limington Lumber Mill.

Buxton:

  • Longview Plain Farm, Emery Property, 1069 Long Plains Farm Road. South side Route 22 in Buxton.

Cornish:

  • Pikes Field, Cornish Intervale . Dirt Road (off Route 5). May drive to fields and park on edge of fields.

Dayton:

Gorham:

  • Brickyard, Gorham. Across from Shaw Brothers asphalt plant, Route 237.
  • Mosher Corner, South of Rt. 25 at junction with Rt. 237 -
  • Rust Farm, Gorham. Dow Road. 4/10 mile west of Route 25.
  • Brown Rd - Park at gate along powerline on Brown Rd., off Rt. 25. This site was added this year, but was stocked with pheasants years ago.

Hollis:

Kennebunk:

Lyman:

  • Elwell Farm, Hill Road, 1.4 miles north of Route 111, Lyman.

Scarborough:

  • Gervais Farm/Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area, Scarborough. Manson Libby Road. Access via Industrial Park (Non-toxic shot only.) Please stay out of signed/flagged area due to recent habitat management work. Young trees were recently planted and are susceptible to damage.
  • Beech Ridge Pit – Park at gate to Grondin pit on south side of Beech Ridge Rd.

Standish:

  • Sebago Lake Land Reserve, Portland Water District, Standish. Rt. 35. East side of Sebago Lake. Per request from landowner, please fill out permit in Kiosk in parking area and leave on dashboard. -NEW 2021
  • Grondin/Phinney site – Park at gate on pit access road across from former Outpost Grill on Rt. 113.

Wells:

Kennebunk Water District – Access lot at 2190 Main St. (Rt. 109)   

The following sites are stocked from MTA Maintenance Garage – York ETA 8:00 a.m.

York:

Berwick:

If you have suggestions for potential future sites, please email scott.lindsay@maine.gov

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