Woodlands represent refugia for wildlife within the intensive agricultural landscape of rural Britain but over the last century these ecosystems have become highly fragmented, exposing woodland specialist species to a range of threats. Management for pheasant shooting affects 14% of all woodland area in Britain and is often promoted as a way to reconcile sporting interests with conservation. However, the implications of pheasant release and the associated management for ecosystems are not well understood. I examined this issue by quantifying the effects of pheasant release and the associated management on the abundance and diversity of small mammal and breeding bird populations within game-managed woodlands. I found no evidence to suggest that pheasants impacted woodland ecosystems directly. However, the management practices associated with pheasant release did affect native vertebrates. In autumn, wood mice were more abundant near pheasant release pens, perhaps in response to increased resource levels and/or release from predation pressure within the pen. Common shrews decreased near release pens in autumn, potentially as a result of habitat disturbance.