URGENT: COMMENTS DUE IN 4 DAYS
NYS DEC’s public comment window on its 10-year pheasant stocking plan closes THIS SATURDAY, JULY 25 — and once it closes, this plan moves forward as written unless enough people speak up right now.
Ring-necked pheasants are native to Asia. DEC’s own data show overwinter survival for stocked birds is often under 10% — meaning the vast majority of the birds this program breeds will starve, freeze, get hit by cars, or be picked off by predators within weeks of release, after being raised entirely in captivity with no ability to survive on their own. DEC calls this “harvest opportunity.” It’s predictable, manufactured suffering, dressed up in management language — and DEC wants your input on record before Saturday closes the door.
The draft plan (2026–2035) proposes to make this worse — right when it should be winding down:
More stocking sites — expanding releases within 50 miles of major population centers and into new areas, meaning more birds bred and dumped into landscapes DEC itself says can’t support them.
Expanded Sponsored Hunt Program — actively recruiting youth, veterans, and newcomers into pheasant hunting to prop up a declining pastime, using live animals as the “hook.”
DEC’s own numbers show wildlife watchers already outnumber all NY hunters roughly 10 to 1 — yet this plan pours another decade of staff, land, and budget into growing a bird-breeding operation for a shrinking hunting demographic. A program built on this much documented suffering, for this narrow a user base, shouldn’t be expanding into 2035 — it should be phasing out, with those resources redirected to native grassland habitat restoration and non-lethal wildlife-viewing infrastructure that serves the much larger population of New Yorkers who already value wildlife without needing to kill it.
THE CLOCK IS RUNNING. Once July 25 passes, this comment period is gone — there’s no second chance to weigh in before DEC finalizes the plan.
Submit a comment TODAY telling DEC to scale back — not scale up — its pheasant program. Oppose increased stocking sites and the Sponsored Hunt Program expansion, and ask DEC to commit to phasing out captive-rearing altogether. Be specific, be respectful, and speak up now for the birds who don’t get a say.
Don’t wait until Friday night. Comment now — before the window closes for good. 