The Mikado pheasant (Syrmaticus mikado) is distributed in Guangao (secondary forest) and Dueiguan (primary forest) areas in Yushan National Park. The two habitats are distinctively different, therefore the population size and habits of the Mikado pheasant are worth comparing. From September 1996 to November 1996 and in March 1997, traps were set up on Chunta Forest Road and the Dueiguan Trail. Captured pheasants were measured, colored tags were attached to their legs, and wireless radio transmitters were placed around their necks. From September 1996 to June 1997, the study was conducted on 105 different days, with equal time devoted to each location. During the study, pheasants were sighted 123 times on Chunta Forest Road and the Dueiguan Trail. 24 pheasants were captured, 11 of which died between October 1996 and January 1997. A lesson was learned about the technology used in the study: the neck-style transmitters used prevented a small number of the pheasants from feeding, resulting in their deaths. According to the result of the data from the radio transmission, the home range of male pheasants over the entire year overlapped with that of femal pheasants and other male pheasants. The data collected between the fall of 1996 and the winter of 1997 showed that the home range of femal pheasants did not overlap during the fall. The data collected in the spring of 1997 was inadequate. However, it appears that the home range of pheasants extends in the springs. The study also discovered that the life span of male pheasants was a minimum of six years. The population of pheasants at Chunta Forest Road was less in 1997 than in 1991. The reason of the decline is unknown, but may be related to the typhoon of August 1996.