WhenToBird

Phasianus colchicus · Phasianidae

When Do Ring-necked Pheasants Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Ring-necked Pheasants reach Wyoming in the second week of September, are common by the second week of October, peak in mid April (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 6.5% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.8% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.6% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.6% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.6% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.6% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.8% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.3% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.2% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.6% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.1% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.7% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.7% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.9% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.8% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.5% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.5% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.9% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sheridan CountyBest the second week of April · 99 checklists that week, 6,459 in all33%
  2. Goshen CountyBest the second week of April · 47 checklists that week, 1,920 in all26%
  3. Big Horn CountyBest mid May · 23 checklists that week, 2,023 in all24%
  4. Fremont CountyBest late April · 990 checklists that week, 27,707 in all22%
  5. Hot Springs CountyBest late April · 25 checklists that week, 1,345 in all18%
  6. Washakie CountyBest early May · 135 checklists that week, 6,033 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Town of Lander ParkFremont County, best the second week of May · 48 checklists that week, 894 in all37%
  2. Ray ReservoirFremont County, best early May · 43 checklists that week, 426 in all35%
  3. Alkali LakePark County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 722 in all23%
  4. Hudson DrawFremont County, best late May · 74 checklists that week, 2,803 in all17%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Ring-necked Pheasant is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 5.6% of 8808 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 18458 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 22143 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 21499 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 19425 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 2.5% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 2.3% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January2.4%2.8%3.0%2.3%
February2.6%2.6%3.3%2.6%
March3.6%3.8%4.3%4.4%
April5.2%6.6%6.3%6.6%
May6.1%5.7%4.7%3.9%
June3.2%2.4%1.8%1.5%
July1.4%1.3%1.0%0.7%
August0.6%0.6%0.9%0.8%
September0.9%1.1%1.4%1.1%
October1.5%2.1%2.1%2.5%
November3.0%2.6%2.5%3.0%
December2.9%2.5%4.3%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Utah: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives mid March, 23 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Ring-necked Pheasants arrive in Wyoming?
Ring-necked Pheasants reach Wyoming in the second week of September, are common by the second week of October, peak in mid April (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Ring-necked Pheasants leave Wyoming?
Most Ring-necked Pheasants have left Wyoming by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a Ring-necked Pheasant in Wyoming?
The Ring-necked Pheasant is reported most often in mid April, on about 6.5% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Ring-necked Pheasants seen most often?
By county, Sheridan County, Goshen County, and Big Horn County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-necked Pheasant (counties with at least 200 checklists).