The Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife is seeking respondents to produce and deliver ring-necked pheasants to Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) properties for the Put / Take Pheasant Hunt program. The Put / Take Hunt begins the Saturday before Thanksgiving and continues through to the Sunday after Thanksgiving for a period of nine consecutive days. Pheasants must be a minimum of 22 weeks old, fully feathered, and capable of strong flight. Deliveries must be made to each property no later than 5pm EST on the day before each hunt. The respondent should be aware that the properties do not always release their quota of birds each day; the number of birds released is dependent upon the number of hunters present. Because of this variable in the number of birds released each day, respondents will need to communicate daily with each property to ensure delivery of an adequate number of birds available for each release. Respondents must leave birds in crates at the property, a maximum of 15 birds in each crate, unless prior arrangements to change this number have been made with the property manager. Occasionally birds not released will have to be returned to the vendor to be uncarted and rejuvenated. The respondent must raise pheasants under growing conditions that include proper space, acceptable food, and adequate drugs to ensure healthy birds. Birds must meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration medicine drug withdrawal period. All pheasants must be certified to be free from Pullorum and fowl typhoid. In addition, two weeks prior to the delivery to the Fish & Wildlife properties, a sample of 12 pheasants must be tested for avian influenza with a negative result. Weights for males will be 2lbs. & 8oz. minimum and 3lbs. & 12 oz. maximum. All birds must be free of injuries and malformations and must have full breaks. All birds must be ring-necked pheasants and no white, melanistic or unusual colored birds will be accepted. Birds must be fully feathered with fully developed tail feathers and no signs of feather pecking. Ninety-five percent of all birds must have complete tail fans consisting of six to eight feathers. Male birds must have three feathers with a minimum length of 16 inches. All pheasants must be housed in flight pens to ensure adequate flight capability and must be capable of a strong flush and sustained flight. Birds must be fed foods developed to accomplish the following goals: starter food to promote early growth, grower food to achieve desired size and flight conditioner food (finisher) to promote good flight capability.
