Guide — hunting pheasants

Choosing your pheasant strain: the guide, ground by ground

Common, FAISAN PUR CHASSE®, Chinese or melanistic: no strain is “the best” in the abstract — each answers a particular ground and a particular shooting objective. This guide, written by a game farm established at Chatte, in the Isère, since 1951, gives you the concrete criteria for deciding before you order from our hunting pheasants for sale.

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Pheasant cock with a long, intact tail, GIBIS farm in Isère — a visible sign of a well-reared strain

The method

The choice is made in the field, not in the catalogue

Before comparing strains, ask yourself three questions. One: what is your ground — open cereal plain, hedgerow country, woodland and edges, hills? That is the main criterion, because every strain has a habitat where it excels and one where it disappoints. Two: what is your objective — birds returned to the wild for the season's shooting, summer restocking, or the qualitative management of a wild population that is becoming established? Three: how much acreage do you really have, and do your neighbours shoot? A strain that strays across 200 hectares will make the neighbouring ground very happy. The four strains in our pheasant catalogue cover all these situations: the table below sets them side by side, and the detailed profiles take over for each strain.

1. The ground

Plain, hedgerow country, woodland, hills: the habitat decides before you do. A light strain in small hedgerow country, or a woodland strain on a bare plain, is a wasted return to the wild.

2. The objective

Shooting birds returned to the wild before the opening, summer restocking with poults, or selective shooting over a mixed population: each objective has its strain and its age for returning to the wild.

3. Acreage and neighbours

The further a strain flies, the more acreage you need to keep it. On a small ground, holding matters more than flying performance.

Comparison of the 4 GIBIS strains

The decision table: which strain for which use?

The table below sums up decades of field feedback from our customers — shooting clubs, hunting associations and federations. The prices shown are our catalogue prices per bird for adults of 20 weeks minimum, falling with quantity; the 14-week poults for summer returns to the wild have their own separate price list.

Use / ground	Recommended strain	Size	Flight	Holding to the ground	Indicative price
Plain and hedgerow country, managed ground, all-round restocking	Common pheasant (Mongolian type)	Heavy — cock 1.5 to 1.7 kg, hen 1.3 to 1.5 kg	Good, honest flush	Very good: settles readily on managed ground	Adult €14.90 (cock only €16.50); poult 14 wks €11.60
Demanding flying shoots, presentation over pointing dogs, quality driven days	FAISAN PUR CHASSE®	Intermediate, athletic	Excellent: explosive flush, sustained flight, able to take cover again	Good: reared to take cover rather than fly off in a straight line	Adult €19.00; poult 14 wks €13.50
Large open grounds; as a US cross for medium-sized grounds	Chinese pheasant (and US cross)	Light — cock 1.1 to 1.4 kg, hen 0.6 to 1.2 kg	The fastest: explosive take-off, flights of several kilometres	Poor: runs and strays away — the US cross partly corrects this	Adult €14.90 (cock only €16.50); US cross poult €11.60
Woodland, edges, hills; selective shooting on ground with a wild population	Melanistic pheasant	Heavy — cock 1.5 to 1.7 kg, hen 1.3 to 1.5 kg	Good, very strong defence in cover	Very good in woodland: it takes cover and makes you work for it	Adult €14.90

Open and semi-open ground

Plain and hedgerow country: common for holding, PUR CHASSE® for flight

On a cereal plain or in managed hedgerow country — feeders, water points, strips of cover — the Mongolian-type common pheasant remains the safe bet: heavy and hardy, it settles well and gives an excellent recovery rate, including for summer restocking with poults of 14 weeks. If your priority is the quality of the shooting rather than the volume, the FAISAN PUR CHASSE®, our exclusive registered strain, has been selected for decades on flight alone: natural breeding in the aviary, rearing in large planted aviaries, and flushing with pointing dogs. The price difference — €19.00 for an adult against €14.90 — is entirely accounted for by that method of production, and it shows at the flush from the very first bird.

The common: the all-rounder: Hardy, heavy, with a good recovery rate: the default choice for plains, hedgerow country and restocking programmes.
PUR CHASSE®: flight first: Explosive flush and sustained flight, able to take cover again: the strain for teams who want birds that are hard to shoot.
Habitat does half the work: Feeding, cover maintained, an acclimatisation pen: the best strain in the world will not settle on bare ground.

Mongolian-type common pheasant with coppery plumage on a plain — the all-round strain for hedgerow country and managed ground

Selective shooting

Woodland, hills and fine management: the case for the melanistic

The melanistic pheasant is not a separate species: it is the melanistic variety of the common pheasant, with black plumage and a metallic sheen. It keeps the heavy frame and the holding of the common, with one quality of its own: an excellent defence in woodland, along edges and on broken ground, where its dark plumage acts as camouflage. Above all it has a use the French wildlife agency ONCFS cites explicitly in qualitative management (Faune Sauvage no. 274, 2006): on ground where a wild population of common pheasant is establishing itself, returning melanistic birds to the wild makes it possible to shoot only the reared ones — the colour does the sorting at the flush, with no ringing required. It is the strain for wooded ground and for managers who want to shoot without compromising their restocking.

The woodland strain: Defence in cover and natural camouflage in brambles and undergrowth: it takes cover instead of fleeing across open ground.
Selective shooting by plumage: Black against coppery: at the flush, the bird returned to the wild can be told from the wild pheasant, and the natural breeders are spared.
The size of a common: A cock of 1.5 to 1.7 kg: the same weight in the bag as the common, at the same adult price of €14.90.

Melanistic pheasant with black metallic plumage beside a common pheasant — the contrast that makes selective shooting possible

The light strain

Large open ground and sporting shooting: pure Chinese or US cross?

The Chinese pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus, also known as the US pheasant) is the sportiest strain in the catalogue: a cock of 1.1 to 1.4 kg, explosive take-off, immediate height, and flights that can cover several kilometres. Its limitation is the exact reverse of its quality: it runs and strays, and on a small ground some of the birds move to the neighbour’s within days of being returned to the wild. We therefore keep it for large grounds, or for returns to the wild run with acclimatisation pens. For medium acreages, the US cross — a Chinese-strain cock over a common hen — is the compromise we recommend most often: it keeps the lively flight of the Chinese and recovers the hardiness and holding of the common. Our summer poults are in fact offered as common or US cross, at the same price of €11.60 at 14 weeks.

Pure Chinese: the strongest flier: For extensive grounds only: spectacular flushes, but the bird does not stay on a small acreage.
US cross: the compromise: Lively flight inherited from the Chinese, holding and hardiness inherited from the common: the right choice for a medium-sized ground.
Our honest advice: We would rather advise you against the pure Chinese before the order than watch you count the missing birds after the return to the wild.

Chinese pheasant cock with white collar and entire tail — the light, hard-flying strain for large grounds

Poults or adults

Age matters as much as strain

Once the strain is chosen, the age remains. For summer restocking, use poults of 12 to 16 weeks, returned to the wild 6 to 12 weeks before the opening so that they go wild on site: €11.60 for common or US cross, €13.50 for PUR CHASSE® at 14 weeks, plus €0.55 for each additional week of age. For the shooting season, use adults of 20 weeks minimum, in full plumage and with their flight muscles formed, to be returned to the wild at least three to four weeks before the opening — or in staggered returns to the wild during the season for late shooting days, where size and freshness of flight come first: common or melanistic for holding, PUR CHASSE® for quality of presentation. All the strains are reared at Chatte, in the Isère, in large planted aviaries, and delivered in our fitted vehicles in France and neighbouring countries; an entire tail is our first check before a bird leaves. Our rearing method, step by step, is detailed in our pheasant rearing guide. Book in the spring: August and September are the tightest months.

Summer restocking

Poults of 12 to 16 weeks, returned to the wild early so that they go wild: the economical and lasting way to rebuild a population.

Shooting season

Adults of 20 weeks minimum, returned to the wild 3 to 4 weeks before the opening so that they settle, or in staggered batches.

Delivery in France and neighbouring countries

Fitted vehicles, live arrival guarantee, health certificates. Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg also delivered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pheasant strain should I choose for a cereal plain?

For a cereal plain, the Mongolian-type common pheasant is the reference choice: heavy (a cock of 1.5 to 1.7 kg) and hardy, it settles well on ground managed with feeders and strips of cover, at €14.90 for an adult. If the plain is very open and the acreage substantial, the FAISAN PUR CHASSE® adds an explosive flush and a sustained flight that transform the quality of the shooting, at €19.00 for an adult. Avoid the pure Chinese on a small bare plain: with no cover or relief to hold it, it strays away quickly.

Which pheasant strain for hedgerow country and woodland?

In hedgerow country the common pheasant remains the all-rounder: it works the hedges and holds well. As soon as the ground becomes wooded, broken or set along a forest edge, the melanistic pheasant takes the advantage: the same heavy frame as the common, but a better defence in cover and dark plumage that camouflages it in the brambles — it takes cover and makes you work for it instead of running off. The melanistic adds a unique advantage if a wild population of common pheasants exists on the ground: its black plumage allows selective shooting, sparing the wild birds at the flush.

What is the difference between the melanistic pheasant and the Chinese pheasant?

They are opposite strains. The melanistic is a melanistic variety of the common pheasant: black metallic plumage, heavy frame (a cock of 1.5 to 1.7 kg), very good holding, at home in woodland and on broken ground — it is the strain for fine management and selective shooting. The Chinese (Phasianus colchicus torquatus, also called the US pheasant) is a light strain (a cock of 1.1 to 1.4 kg) with a white collar, an explosive take-off and flights of several kilometres, but it strays away: it is the sporting strain for large grounds. Both are the same adult price of €14.90 each at GIBIS.

Which strain for a late return to the wild or for shooting birds?

For shooting during the season, take adults of 20 weeks minimum, in full plumage and with their flight muscles formed. The FAISAN PUR CHASSE® (€19.00) gives the finest presentations: immediate flush, sustained flight, a clean return to cover. The common pheasant or the melanistic (€14.90) are the safe bet if the birds have to hold on the ground for several days between their return to the wild and the driven day, because they settle better. The pure Chinese is not advisable for a late return to the wild on a small acreage: its tendency to stray works against you as winter cover thins out.

Can several pheasant strains be mixed on the same ground?

Yes, and it is common practice among our customers: a base of common pheasants or US cross poults for holding and restocking, topped up with PUR CHASSE® birds returned to the wild for the days when the quality of the flight matters. One special case deserves attention: if you use the melanistic for selective shooting by plumage, be aware that crossed with a normally coloured pheasant it produces young of both types — the visual marker is diluted within a single generation. On ground under qualitative management, melanistic birds are therefore regularly returned to the wild rather than relied on to breed true.

Is the FAISAN PUR CHASSE® worth the price difference?

It depends on your objective. At €19.00 for an adult against €14.90 for the common, the premium pays for a more demanding method of production: entirely natural breeding in the aviary, rearing in large planted aviaries, flushing with pointing dogs — several decades of selection on flight alone. If your priority is restocking volume, the common or the US cross are more rational. If you run days where the quality of the birds’ presentation carries your reputation, the difference shows from the first flush. Our prices fall with quantity: ask for a quotation on 04 76 38 31 01.

Still unsure about the strain? Describe your ground to us.

Acreage, cover, shooting objective, period for returning birds to the wild: in a few minutes on the telephone we will tell you which strain — and which age — will give the best result on your ground. Quotation on 04 76 38 31 01 or by e-mail. Hunting, the natural way!

Contact us +33 (0)4 76 38 31 01