Governor Mark Dayton announced today that the First Annual Governor's Pheasant Opener will be held October 14-15 in Montevideo, in Southwestern Minnesota. The event is being coordinated by the Montevideo Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Explore Minnesota Tourism. This is the first time a Minnesota Governor has participated in an official pheasant hunting opener.

About the event, Dayton said, "I am very excited to host the very First Annual Governor's Pheasant Opener in Montevideo. I have enjoyed pheasant hunting in Minnesota for over half a century."

The Governor's Pheasant Opener will promote upland bird hunting in the state by showcasing opportunities and habitat in the Montevideo area. The area's grasslands, cattail marshes and grain fields provide food and cover for pheasants, a species sought by roughly 100,000 Minnesota hunters last year.

Since 1987, resident and visiting hunters have harvested about 400,000 pheasants per year, enjoying a sport that contributes to the area's economy. Statewide, upland bird hunting generates roughly $121 million in direct retail sales and supports more than 2,300 jobs, according to a 2006 federal report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Governor hopes to establish the Pheasant Opener as a tradition in Minnesota, similar to the Governor's Fishing Opener and the Governor's Deer Opener.