The Pleasant Pheasant

Linda Burton posting from Pierre, South Dakota – “It’s not even native to South Dakota,” Jason said. “It was brought here by the Chinese many years ago.” Jason was giving me some South Dakota facts; he’s lived in a number of capital cities besides Pierre, but he loves his South Dakota home; his knowledge of the state is encyclopedic. We’re talking about the ring-necked pheasant now, the South Dakota state bird. And the fact that pheasant hunting is a main tourism draw, bringing thousands of people and millions of dollars to the state every year. This year’s hunting season begins October 20; hotels are already booking up. But about those Chinese; back in the 1800’s as they migrated into the Pacific Northwest, they brought their birds with them; I can imagine the baskets of pheasant tucked among their memories of home. In 1908 a group of farmers purchased a pair of birds from an Oregon farm and released them into a field near Redfield, South Dakota. Those pheasant thrived in the lush prairie lands, that’s how it began. » read more