I'm writing this letter to express my concerns about the declining pheasant hunting opportunities available in the heart of Central Washington.  As you are aware, a percentage of our small game license fees is dedicated towards Eastern Washington pheasant hunting opportunities, especially in the wake of recognized habitat loss which has led to lower populations of wild pheasant in Grant, Douglas and Chelan Counties (among other places).

 I am puzzled as to why pheasants are not planted the night before the general pheasant opener in Region 2.  With the general deer and duck openers taking place the week before, conflicts among user groups should not be an issue.  Likewise, the frustrating lack of birds in our Wildlife Areas for the opener makes for a depressing outing for what has to be a declining amount of hunters venturing afield for this event.

 To make matters worse, the area around Winchester Lake, which does have thick habitat and partnerships with a private owner whose Pheasant Forever Property is party of a Hunt By Written Partnership - is no longer stocked with pheasant at all.  This is a shame, since there is far better survival opportunities in the thick cover here than there is in places like the Swakane and Colockum Wildlife Areas.  I understand Duck/Pheasant Hunter conflicts were the impetus for this decision, but restricting the hours of pheasant hunting around Winchester Lake (say..from 8 AM to 4 PM) would be a win-win situation for both user groups and is in line with what other hunting areas have done in our State.

I hope that you will consider changes to the Pheasant Release Program in Region Two that would better benefit the sportsmen and women who recreate in Central Washington.

Thanks for your time,

 John Kruse