Wild pheasant populations have plummeted in New York (as they have in much of the East) over the last few decades, leading the state Department of Environmental Conservation to stock thousands of pen-raised birds each year.⁠ ⁠ These pen-raised pheasants are not meant to bolster wild bird numbers but simply to give bird hunters in New York an opportunity to chase roosters on public lands. But now some state legislators are aiming to end that stocking program under the argument that raising birds and then releasing them for hunters to shoot is “state-sponsored cruelty,” as a recent article in the New York Times details.⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in profile for the full story 🔗⁠ ⁠ #hunting #huntingseason #pheasant #pheasanthunting #uplandhunting #uplandbirds #uplandbird #outdoors #wildlife #outdoorlife⁠ 📷: USFWS⁠ Story by: alexrobinson_mn