Wisconsin DNR Plans 13% Reduction in Pheasant Stocking
As Wisconsin's pheasant hunting season begins, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is stocking 13% fewer birds due to budget constraints and rising costs. This means 65,000 farm-raised pheasants will be released on 82 state properties across 32 counties,…
Green Bay Appleton, WI, October 16, 2026 —
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reducing the number of farm-raised pheasants it plans to release as the state’s hunting season begins. The agency will stock 65,000 birds on 82 state properties across 32 counties, 13% fewer than the 75,000 released last year.
The DNR’s stated reasons for the reduction are budget constraints and rising costs. The figures mark a decrease of 10,000 birds from last year’s total. The department’s stocking plan covers properties in more than 30 counties, though the information provided does not identify the individual sites or counties.
The change concerns the number of birds released by the state, not a reported change to season dates or hunting rules. The available information does not specify when the season began, how the birds are distributed among the 82 properties, or whether the reduction is expected to affect any particular location. It also does not provide a dollar amount for the budget constraints or rising costs cited.
The DNR’s plan therefore provides a statewide total and the overall scope of the releases, while leaving details about site-by-site allocations and the financial pressures behind the change unspecified. The department’s release total is down from last year, as the pheasant season gets underway.
Story summarized from the original created by Danielle Kaeding on www.wpr.org, see more information here.
