Last year’s count include nearly 1,300 more. Here’s how the budget is determined. The net revenue collected from pheasant hunters in the previous year determines the annual budget. So in 2007 the Pheasant Program was decrease by approximately $8,000 in the net revenue collected from pheasant hunters in 2006. Pile on the usual cost of doing business—fuel and grain costs—plus the increase in the actual pheasant and you can see how SD, ND, IL, KS among others look like paradise to CT’s hell. But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. Despite the reduction in the number of pheasants stocked, the ratio of pheasants stocked per hunter has actually increased and has been increasing over past years. And so says the DEP:

“…the prospects for pheasant hunting are as good as they have been in several years.”

The DEP has also dropped the permit-required condition to hunt on certain public lands. Obtaining the permit has not difficult but it was annoying. You had to go to certain vendors which provided the permit for specific locations. It was just a matter of fill out a form but it was not one-stop shopping. If wanted to hunt different areas you had to visit different vendors, plus you could only obtain the permit 3 days in advance; another minor prerequisite to hunt in the Nutmeg State. The DEP thought that that the permits would limit the amount of hunting pressure in areas. And it did. It also seems—after looking at the drop in 2006 hunter revenues—many CT hunters traded in their shotguns for compound bows. So, the DEP, in an effort to increase hunting opportunities have remove daily permit restrictions on five areas. You will no longer be required to have a permit for:

• Babcock Pond WMA in Colchester
• Bear Hill WMA in Bozrah
• Goshen WMA in Goshen
• Higganum Meadows WMA in Haddam
• Nathan Hale State Forest in Coventry

Oddly this change is not reflected in the 2007 Field Guide. Previous permit vendors have been notified and signs on the areas have been re-posted with "state-land hunting permitted" posters. The stocking of birds ends on Thanksgiving so if you are a local get out in the field. If you’re out-of-state be thankful we have the Midwest for pheasant hunting opportunities. Oh and if you are wonder how Coop and I made out, our game bag was light today. But there are a few more days left in the season.