About MPHI

Putting Roosters in Michigan's Public Fields

The goal of the Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative is to ensure that pheasant hunters have an opportunity to succeed in the public pheasant fields of Michigan.

This is accomplished by supporting the successful release of pheasants on designated state-owned lands and ensuring public access to those hunting areas. Our goal is simple — get every pheasant hunter in Michigan back into the fields with lots of roosters being flushed.

A successful MPHI benefits today's hunters while fostering the next generation of Michigan pheasant hunters.

Ken Dalton
"The Pheasident"

Ken Dalton of Attica, Michigan is the founder and driving force behind MPHI. A lifelong rooster hunter, Ken watched Michigan's wild pheasant population collapse and decided to do something about it.

When the Michigan DNR declined to create a release program, Ken didn't quit. He organized hundreds of pheasant hunters, partnered with the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation, Pheasants Forever, and Michigan United Conservation Clubs, and lobbied the legislature until the law changed.

The result was Public Act 618 of 2018 — legislation that created the pheasant hunting license and required the DNR to administer a release program on public lands. The first birds hit the fields in 2019.

Ken's goal was simple: put roosters where Michigan hunters could find them, on public land, for everyone. He achieved it — and kept fighting until the program was made permanent.