Yet, nearly 150,000 sportsmen hunt pheasants each year, and thousands more support rearing and stocking of pheasants by the agency. We need to know how this resource is being used and whether we can improve the program's efficiency. A 1995 Pennsylvania State University study of hunters revealed only 39 percent of respondents were satisfied with the pheasant stocking program. Slightly more than 60 percent indicated a need to be increase pheasant stocking expenditures. Wildlife propagation, which has included quail, turkey and duck rearing, has been an important part of the Game Commission's management approach for decades.
Pheasant farms are the last bastion of that legacy.
Whatever direction the agency takes will affect the lives of 38 full-time and 35 seasonal employees, not to mention the economies of four communities, and thousands of hunters. The decision to be made is complicated and far-reaching. But it must be made. To ignore it would be irresponsible. The Game Commission on Sunday, Sept. 20, will offer tours of its four game farms in an effort to enhance public understanding of their operations.