E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area Hosts Exciting Pheasant Hunt for Oregon’s Youth
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hosted the 72nd annual E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area Youth Pheasant Hunt on Sept. 23 and 24.
The weekend saw an impressive turnout, with 75 youth hunters on Saturday harvesting 97 pheasants and 80 youth hunters on Sunday harvesting 117 pheasants. The action-packed mornings began at 5:30 a.m. as dedicated volunteers and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff distributed over 400 rooster pheasants across the wildlife area.
During the weekend, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also debuted a new partnership with Hunters of Color to provide a family hunt for new hunters. This hunt, held on both Saturday and Sunday, attracted 10 participants, all of whom had the opportunity to harvest a pheasant successfully.
To enhance the experience, a group of volunteer bird-dog handlers was on hand, assisting youth or groups without their own dogs. Following a fulfilling morning of hunting, participants were welcomed back to the E.E. Wilson office for a complimentary lunch featuring pizza and hotdogs.
During this time, additional pheasants were released for the afternoon hunt and volunteers were available to guide youth participants in cleaning the birds they harvested.
Notably, the event also featured a Hunter Education Certification class hosted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, where 33 new youth hunters received their hunter's safety cards, enabling them to immediately partake in the pheasant hunt.
The successful event was made possible through the support of the Oregon NWTF State Chapter, Oregon Hunter’s Association - Mid-Willamette Valley Chapter, North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Hunters of Color and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.