Wild pheasant populations are subject to extreme fluctuation due primarily to the fluctuating availability of suitable cover and the fluctuating severity of winter weather. North Dakota's first pheasant hunting season was in 1931. The ringneck is by far one of the easiest of game birds to hybridize, with most all other species of pheasants as well as domestic poultry. There are numerous case, too many to mention, where the hybridization of this species has successfully occurred. Although I feel as though this diminishes the purity of the blood lines, and do not recommend cross breeding to anyone.
Pheasants are seasonal breeders.
The roosters begin strutting and breeding displays when the days become longer, usually toward the end of March. Roosters will also fight one another to establish dominance, so it is a good idea to have no more than one rooster per eight hens, with ten hens per rooster optimum. Hens will begin laying eggs about the middle of April and continue into June. A single hen should provide about 15 fertile eggs if eggs are collected daily and the hens are not allowed to begin incubation of a nest. If the hen is not allowed to sit a clutch of eggs, she will continue to lay throughout the entire season, and will require substantial feeding and care to maintain her health.