Survival and Reproduction of Wild and Pen-Reared Ring-Necked Pheasant Hens

Pen-reared ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) hens are commonly released by private managers to augment wild pheasant populations in South Dakota. To evaluate this practice, I radiomarked wild (n = 44) and pen-reared (n = 159) ring-necked pheasant hens to monitor their survival and reproduction in 2 study areas in eastern South Dakota, 1990-92. Survival of pen-reared hens (7.8 ± 2.4% SE) was lower (P < 0.001) than that of wild hens (54.6 ± 6.6%) during the 181-day reproductive period because of higher (P < 0.001) predation (90.3 ± 2.9% and 45.4 ± 6.6%, respectively). Fewer (P < 0.001) pen-reared hens (21%) initiated nest incubation than did wild pheasants (68%)