Hunting pressure in South Korea is not heavy except in the vicinity 
of large cities. Here pheasants often have been reduced to the extent 
that hunters must go farther afield for this quarry. Good bird dogs are 
rarely available but are highly desirable when pursuing the wary ring- 
neck. Like many of the other true pheasants, the South Korean pheasant, 
in its native habitat, can withstand heavy hunting as well as netting 
pressure. Cc. M. Fennell (9) was told by a Korean friend that the 
natives poisoned pheasants by inserting cyanide in whole grains of corn 
and scattering them in the fields. It was further indicated that al- 
though the mass slaughter must have reaped a heavy toll, the species 
seemed to be making a strong stand. 
Competition with Other Game Species 
Observations indicate that the South Korean ringneck, like other 
subspecies of ringnecks, seldom seems to interfere seriously with other 
game birds whose range they share. In South Korean ringneck habitats 
are found scattered populations of migratory or Japanese quail (Coturnix 
coturnix ssp.). Fennell observed three Coturnix southwest of Pusan on 
April 4, 1948, but had not previously found this species for sale in 
the South Gate Market of Seoul, which tends to illustrate their scarcity 
in this northern area. Program biologists observed, in December 1958, a 
few of these birds on low grassy ridges east of Seoul. In this area, 
several hours by jeep from the city, pheasant populations were still 
present although hunters and trappers were responsible for a rapid re- 
duction in their numbers. 

In captivity all subspecies of the ring-necked pheasant group 
normally may be penned with other game birds with but little difficulty. 
Breeding and Raising 
Game farm personnel find the South Korean ring-necked pheasant 
easy to raise in captivity (7). Generally there is little difference 
in game farm propagation techniques concerning breeding, incubation 
of eggs, feeding, and raising of young as compared to those commonly 
in use with ringnecks in the United States. 
Acceptable techniques for game farm rearing involve placing one 
male and four to five females together in one pen for breeding purposes. 
Larger holding pens are used later in the rearing season for all 
breeders and young birds, allowing ample pen-run space and cover. 
As with other game birds, South Korean ringnecks, when wild- 
trapped, breed better in their second and third years on the game farm. 
Egg production averages between 25 to 35 a season for productive fe- 
males. The period of incubation is 23 to 24 days and the percent of 
fertility of the eggs normally ranges from 75 to 90 percent. 
63 
