A little phez history for anyone interested
Utah Pheasants Among First in the US
Pheasants were introduced into the United States on March 13, 1881. The man responsible for their introduction was Owen Denney, Consul General to China. While in China he observed and later wrote “The Chinese farmers…..take them with nets and market them alive, but the fact that they were often poor and thin induced me to purchase them by the dozen and feed them until they were fat and fit for my table. On occasion I had in my enclosure a large number of extraordinarily handsome birds, and while admiring them I thought, what would I not give to be able to turn the entire lot adrift in Oregon? Then and there the resolve was made”.
When Owen Denny returned home he did just that and released 60 birds near his house in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Upon release the pheasants flourished and spread throughout the Pacific Northwest. Later, Owen Denny wrote a friend, “These birds are delicious eating and will furnish fine sport”. Owen Denny was right about “furnishing fine sport” amazingly the birds did so well that by 1892 Oregon had their first Pheasant season and reportedly hunters bagged 50,000 birds the first day of the season.
Not long after Owen Denny’s pheasants were brought to the Northwest they were shortly introduced into Utah. The first permanent settlers of the Utah Territory were the Mormon pioneers. Many of these early pioneers came from England and parts of Europe. They already knew a lot about pheasants due to their exciting cackle, delicious table fare, and for those lucky enough to hunt in the old world an incredible game bird.
One of these pioneers was Peter Kesko Olsen from Denmark. He was a talented farmer and Cattleman specializing in a better breed of Hereford Cow. Peter Kesko Olsen is credited with introducing the Ring-Neck Pheasant from Oregon to South Central Utah. Interestingly enough he is the Great Grandfather of Glendon Johnson who is the owner of Castle Valley Outdoors and Ranch.
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