Expert: Julia Booth - 7/29/2008

Question
I don't know if you can help but our french neighbor has acquired some golden pheasants and has asked us if it is possible to eat them, he classes them as the same as a common pheasant.
Seems a shame to eat these beautiful birds but I assume he is thinking of the excess  females.
Thanks
Lorraine

Answer
To my knowledge, if you live in North America, Pheasant hunting laws are broken down by state and province. As near as I can tell, it is legal to hunt the Golden Pheasant. People do raise them as game and eat them, but I couldn't find a place that lists the specific laws regarding this.

I would go to your state website and look for them there, under the department of fish and game. The Golden Pheasant is indiginous to China, so it's not likely to be protected in the US.

It's a shame to kill them, yes. It's the females that get eaten. Males are usually killed just for their feathers or so they can be mounted.