WhenToBird

Phasianus colchicus · Phasianidae

When Do Ring-necked Pheasants Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult male Ring-necked Pheasant
Photo: John Krampl, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ring-necked Pheasants arrive in Wisconsin in late September, peak in early June (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: early June. First arrivals late September; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 2.5% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.6% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.3% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.1% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.9% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.9% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 26314 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Wisconsin that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pierce CountyBest early June · 200 checklists that week, 7,076 in all29%
  2. St. Croix CountyBest early June · 367 checklists that week, 12,346 in all24%
  3. Polk CountyBest the second week of June · 577 checklists that week, 18,155 in all24%
  4. Dunn CountyBest the second week of June · 219 checklists that week, 8,247 in all21%
  5. Barron CountyBest the second week of June · 243 checklists that week, 6,745 in all19%
  6. Kenosha CountyBest mid November · 141 checklists that week, 11,654 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hoffman Hills Recreation AreaDunn County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 615 in all74%
  2. Pheasant Branch Conservancy Natural Resource Area (south)Dane County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 433 in all70%
  3. Pheasant Branch Conservancy Natural Resource AreaDane County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 949 in all59%
  4. Goose LakeColumbia County, best the second week of May · 67 checklists that week, 3,060 in all46%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Ring-necked Pheasant is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 5.5% of 27016 checklists6 am: 2.7% of 83973 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 160717 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 160531 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 136968 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.0%0.7%0.8%0.7%
February0.8%0.8%0.8%0.9%
March1.1%1.2%1.5%1.6%
April2.1%2.4%2.3%2.1%
May2.1%1.9%1.9%2.2%
June2.9%2.8%1.9%1.7%
July1.1%0.8%0.7%0.5%
August0.5%0.4%0.4%0.3%
September0.3%0.4%0.5%0.7%
October0.8%1.0%1.2%1.2%
November1.4%1.2%1.2%1.0%
December1.0%1.0%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late September, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early April, 23 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early March, 21 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 20 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Ring-necked Pheasants arrive in Wisconsin?
Ring-necked Pheasants arrive in Wisconsin in late September, peak in early June (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Ring-necked Pheasants leave Wisconsin?
Most Ring-necked Pheasants have left Wisconsin by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ring-necked Pheasant in Wisconsin?
The Ring-necked Pheasant is reported most often in early June, on about 2.5% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Ring-necked Pheasants seen most often?
By county, Pierce County, St. Croix County, and Polk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-necked Pheasant (counties with at least 200 checklists).