A friend of mine raised two dozen pheasants (I believe he needed a permit, but not positive) and released them on the several hundred acers of farmland and swamp behind my house.
...the owls, hawks, coyotes, and fox ate very well for about a week.
These raised birds were not street smart. They had access to excellent cover but most of the piles of feathers we found were on the outside edges in the sunny spots and out in the middle of wide open fields.
Does anyone know of a way to raise them to be more cautious?