History of Ringneck Pheasants

As the bird flew through the air, I stared in awe.   What a beautiful sight.   Its colors were extremely bright and it was so graceful.   This majestic bird was a ringneck pheasant and instantly I was hooked.   My dog bounced after the bird but, I was unable to shoot.   I just stood there watching him fly.   And this began my passions for the ringneck pheasant and all things to do with this wonderful bird.  
The Chinese Ringneck Pheasant was not native the North America.   It originated in China and surrounding Asian countries.   In the 1800’s they were brought over with the hopes they would naturally populate the country through natural mating.   What was not understood was that the conditions were not favorable for them to survive.   It was too wet for their eggs to hatch and there were predators that they were not accustom to like coyotes.   And thus, the first attempts failed.
Over many years of failure and experimentation the ringneck pheasant was adapted to the climate of North America.   Their eggs were hatch away from their nest to ensure that they were successful in reproduction.   Even today the state of Washington has a program to hatch and release pheasants.   Yet in some state like South Dakota they prosper and millions exist and flourish.   They have even adapted to having another bird hatch their eggs.   The prairie chicken is at risk of extinction because; the pheasant   eat their eggs and replace them with their own.   This is just one of the adaptations the pheasant has gone through.
The love and passion of bird hunter has brought these birds to North America.   But, one has to ask if it was responsible doing so.   There are many pros and cons to this issue and many will take more time to realize the effects they have on the ecology.   I have a passion for these birds and I raise and hunt them.   Am I part of the problem or part of the solution?   Only time will tell if it is a good or bad thing bringing them to North America.   And in the meantime, I will enjoy...