Pheasant Management
Ring-necked pheasant range in Missouri lies north of the Missouri River and includes most of the two northern tiers of counties bordering Iowa. The capacity for pheasants to reach and/or maintain huntable populations depends upon the quality and quantity of the habitat. Pheasant do best where agricultural practices include grain crops, hay, and grassland in a diversified pattern. The keys to suitable pheasant habitat are undisturbed nesting cover from May through July, well-distributed protective cover in winter, and an ample food source near both of the above cover types. All three of these life requirements should be present within 100 acres or less, the average home range of a pheasant.
