All those ringneck pheasants folks have been seeing around Ennis lately are no accident. They are part of a stocking program called “Roosters For Recruitment” started in 2022 by FWP and the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. The pheasant release program allows inmates to harvest, incubate and hatch pheasant eggs, then care for the birds from hatchling to adulthood. The collaboration between FWP and the state prison has been running for four years and provides inmates with valuable life skills. The program is funded by your hunting license fees as stated in the Pittman/Robertson Act. About 18,000 birds were released across Montana in 2025, including a few hundred at our Valley Garden FAS. My “inside sources” have told me that some birds were also released at Ennis Campground FAS…shhhhh!
Watch video here: Inmate raised pheasants released for Montana hunting season
Map below shows pheasant release sites…anywhere from 300 to 1500 birds per site (est.).
You can learn more about the program and watch video here: