Episodes

6d ago

Statehouse conservation battles are shaping your future experiences in the uplands. This episode provides a valuable state-by-state rundown of what’s coming in 2026 and how bird hunters can influence policy through advocacy efforts at the state level. From dedicated conservation funding to the restructuring of state natural resource agencies, the 2026 legislative season is already loaded with major issues that could reshape the future of upland hunting, wildlife management, and habitat conservation across the country. In this episode, host Bob St. Pierre sits down with Swanny Evans, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Government Affairs, for a deep dive into the state-level policy fights that matter most to bird hunters, habitat advocates, and public land diehards. Swanny breaks down upcoming conservation legislation from Pennsylvania to Washington and Tennessee to Colorado, highlighting wins, setbacks, and the political realities driving each effort. Listeners get an insider view at how dedicated funding models work, why license plate programs help fuel on-the-ground habitat work, and how charitable gaming reforms directly impact chapter fundraisers that support upland conservation nationwide. The guys also tackle access issues like Sunday hunting, college-student hunting license reforms , public lands bills, and growing threats from “ ballot box biology .” Swanny also explains how hunters, anglers, and conservationists can meaningfully influence state policy, and why a single action-alert email can carry surprising weight when it hits an elected official’s inbox at the right time. If you care about upland habitat, bird dogs, hunting access, public lands, or the future of conservation funding, this is essential listening. Show notes Learn more about PF & QF’s advocacy efforts or drop an email inquiry to advocacy@pheasantsforever.org . Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership to plan your next bird hunting adventure. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Dec 10

A rich, winter-ready wild game dish that hunters can master with simple stock and sauce techniques. In this holiday feasting edition of On the Wing podcast, we dig into an upland-inspired meal built for cold evenings after long days in the field. Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks returns to the podcast and guides hunting cooks through his red wine and mushroom quail recipe, an approachable plate that blends Italian-style game cooking with ingredients any bird hunter can pull straight from the freezer. Ryan breaks down how to turn a handful of bobwhite quail into a meal that highlights every ounce of the bird. You’ll learn why small game cooks should always save legs and carcasses, how to make a no-nonsense homemade stock in a crockpot, and how to build richer, more reliable sauces using simple reduction and deglazing techniques. We also cover choosing the right mushrooms, crisping quail breasts properly, pairing wild game with the right wine, and adapting the recipe for pheasants or other upland birds. Whether you're a seasoned upland hunter or an aspiring wild game cook, this episode gives you practical, confidence-building techniques you can use across your entire upland hunting and wild-game kitchen repertoire. And yes, this one absolutely tastes like Christmas. Show notes Check out the Passalacqua + Quail Forever wines and a limited-edition holiday gift pack ready to ship in time for Christmas. Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership to plan your next bird hunting adventure. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Dec 3

A fall feast of pheasant, apples, and Passalacqua Winery’s white wine created for hunters who love wild game. In this snackable holiday edition of On the Wing podcast, Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks breaks down his pretzel-crusted pheasant cutlets with apple cream sauce, a cold-weather dish that blends upland hunting traditions with rich autumn flavors. If you’re looking for a new way to showcase fresh pheasant after a long day in the field, this is the recipe to add to your hunter’s table. Ryan walks through the full process, from pounding out pheasant breasts for even cooking to building the perfect crisp using crushed pretzel chips. He explains why spaetzle makes the ideal companion starch and how to avoid common pitfalls when cooking delicate wild game. Along the way, he shares stories from late-season pheasant hunts on his family’s ranch, highlighting how food ties us back to the land and the memories behind each bird. You’ll learn how to make a balanced apple cream sauce using pheasant stock, the best varietal of apple for the dish, and how to build flavor without overpowering the natural taste of upland birds. And to top it off, Ryan pairs the entire dish with the Passalacqua + Quail Forever Fiano, a bright white wine that cuts through the richness of the cutlet and elevates every bite. Whether you’re planning a holiday wild game feast or just want a new go-to wild game meal, this episode delivers everything you need to cook like a seasoned hunter-chef. Show notes Check out the Passalacqua + Quail Forever wines and a limited-edition holiday gift pack ready to ship in time for Christmas. Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership to plan your next bird hunting adventure. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Nov 26

In this episode, we dive deep into the heart of Illinois upland hunting with chapter volunteer leader and bird dog devotee Freddy Reyes. Aaron Williams, PF & QF’s regional representative for northern Illinois, also provides a boots-on-the-ground upland report for early-season pheasant and quail hunting. Together, they break down common struggles for new hunters (from gear and dogs to confidence in the field) and share practical takeaways you can use on your next upland hunt. Freddie also shares how he transitioned from deer and dove hunting to discovering the thrill of bird dogs and wingshooting. You’ll hear how his German shorthaired pointer, Bailey, completely changed his hunting trajectory and how that dog/hunter connection fuels his passion for mentoring new hunters across Illinois. From running youth clinics to helping adult-onset hunters through Illinois’ Learn to Hunt program, Freddie illustrates why volunteerism is the backbone of PF & QF’s upland conservation mission. If you care about bird hunting, upland habitat, youth recruitment, or the future of conservation, this discussion delivers real insight straight from the field. This episode is an authentic, insider conversation for anyone passionate about bird hunting, habitat conservation, and growing the next generation of outdoorsmen and women. Show notes Learn more about PF & QF in Illinois at www.IHuntIL.com . Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership to plan your next bird hunting adventure. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Nov 19

A single newspaper column sparked one of America’s greatest upland conservation movements, here’s how it happened. Before there were banquets, chapters, or habitat acres on the ground, there was a typewriter and an idea. In this episode of On the Wing Podcast , PF & QF’s Bob St. Pierre and Jared Wicklund sit down with Star Tribune Outdoors Editor Dennis Anderson, the man whose 1982 newspaper column launched Pheasants Forever. Anderson reflects on the early days of pheasant hunting across Minnesota and Iowa, how changing farm practices and vanishing grasslands inspired him to act, and what it took to turn a single column into a nationwide conservation force. He also shares his lifelong passion for upland bird hunting, his fascination with British Labradors, and his firsthand stories of duck and grouse hunting across the Midwest. Listeners will come away with a deep appreciation for how grassroots action, community, and habitat conservation changed the future of pheasant hunting and why today’s hunters must continue that fight. Whether you’ve been chasing roosters for decades or are just stepping into the uplands, this discussion offers rare insight from one of the most influential voices in outdoor journalism. Show notes Dennis Anderson will be the keynote speaker at PF & QF’s National Celebration Dinner on Saturday, February 21st in Minneapolis during National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2026. Tickets for this special dinner celebrating Pheasants Forever’s origin story are now on sale at www.PheasantFest.org Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership to plan your next bird hunting adventure. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Nov 12

Three hunters, six dogs, and three western states—one unforgettable pursuit for prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, and ptarmigan. This episode of On the Wing Podcast follows three Pheasants Forever volunteers, Kenny Reed, Colton Nefsker, and Justin Nie, as they return from an epic upland hunting road trip across South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming. From prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse in the Fort Pierre National Grasslands to the elusive white-tailed ptarmigan high in Colorado’s alpine ridges, these “Flatlanders” share the challenges, lessons, and triumphs that come with chasing new birds in wild country. Host Bob St. Pierre dives deep into their preparation and field strategy—how they conditioned for altitude, handled dogs across different terrains, and balanced conservation ethics with the thrill of the hunt. Along the way, listeners will pick up practical tips for planning multi-state bird hunts, researching habitat, and staying mobile when conditions—or luck—shift. With plenty of laughs, dog stories, and hard-earned insight, this episode captures the heart of upland adventure: wild birds, wild country, and good company under big western skies. Show notes Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership to plan your next bird hunting adventure. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Nov 5

Chasing ptarmigan across Alaska’s tundra pushes bird dogs, hunters, and grit to their absolute limits. This episode of On the Wing Podcast transports listeners deep into the Alaskan backcountry as host Bob St. Pierre sits down with upland hunter Hunter Kamm, who just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime ptarmigan hunting trip. From the Kenai Peninsula to the Alaska Range, Hunter recounts the journey to check three species (willow, rock, and white-tailed ptarmigan) off his list in pursuit of the Upland Bird Slam. Listeners will learn the logistics behind flying bird dogs to Alaska, navigating remote float-plane hunts, and choosing the right outfitter. Hunter breaks down the key differences between each ptarmigan species, how to prepare dogs for rugged mountain country, and why booties, trekking poles, and smart conditioning are essential gear. Beyond the technical side, this episode captures the raw thrill of backcountry adventure—the cold air, sweeping tundra, and the unmistakable flush of birds against snow-dusted peaks. Whether you’re dreaming of an Alaska hunt or looking for practical upland hunting tips closer to home, this episode delivers both inspiration and insider know-how from someone who’s done it right. Show notes Check out Hunter Kamm’s collection of photos from this adventure by following him on Instagram at @Hunter.Kamm.5 Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Oct 29

Want more wild birds, better access, and stronger habitat? It all starts with joining the upland community. In the heart of bird hunting season, the On the Wing Podcast takes a closer look at what really keeps the upland tradition alive—its members. Host Bob St. Pierre sits down with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s membership team—Brian Essling, Emy Marier, and Scotty Moehlmann—for a candid conversation on how joining the organization directly supports wildlife habitat, public access, and the next generation of hunters and bird dogs. From prairie hunts for sharp-tailed grouse in North Dakota to chasing late-season roosters through Minnesota cattails, this episode blends personal hunting stories with real insight into how membership dollars hit the ground. You’ll hear how members like Scotty found mentorship through local chapters, how Emy’s retrievers keep her connected to the field, and why Brian believes that supporting conservation is inseparable from chasing wild birds. Whether you’re a lifelong upland hunter or an “adult-onset” bird hunting convert, this discussion illustrates how membership translates into acres of restored grassland, healthier wild bird populations, and better days afield for all of us. Show notes Check out our current Pheasants Forever membership offers at https://pheasantsforever.org/join Check out our current Quail Forever membership offers at https://quailforever.org/join Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Oct 22

Discover how a simple day at the range can ignite a lifelong passion for hunting and wildlife conservation. In this “snackable” edition of On the Wing podcast, host Bob St. Pierre sits down with PF & QF’s Hunting Heritage Program Manager Ashley Chance to explore how target shooting creates the next generation of hunters and conservationists. Through six fast facts, they unpack why a few broken clays can lead to deeper engagement in the outdoors—from building shooting confidence to supporting wildlife habitat funding through the Pittman-Robertson Act. Ashley shares insights from recent research showing how women and new shooters are changing the face of recreational shooting and how those changes are strengthening the future of conservation. The discussion also highlights the surprising role of non-hunting firearm sales in funding for habitat restoration and public access programs across the country. Whether you’re introducing someone to upland bird hunting, mentoring at the clay range, or brushing up on your marksmanship ethics, this episode is a must-listen for hunters who care about the long-term future of conservation and outdoor traditions. Show notes Check out the National Shooting Sports Foundation to get involved in shooting programs at https://www.letsgoshooting.org/ . Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Oct 15

Find out where the best quail hunting opportunities are this season—and why bird numbers are rebounding across key states. Quail hunters across the country are gearing up for what could be one of the most promising upland seasons in years. In this episode of On the Wing podcast, we break down the 2025 state-by-state quail hunting forecast, covering major quail states like Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, and Arizona. From weather impacts and habitat restoration to population trends and hunting pressure, this is your go-to field guide for planning a successful season. You’ll hear how Iowa’s habitat improvements have sparked a remarkable rebound in quail numbers, why Arkansas is becoming a sleeper state for upland hunters, and what’s driving the positive trends across Texas grasslands. The conversation covers species-specific hunting strategies, explaining how to adjust your approach for bobwhites versus scaled or Gambel’s quail—and how dogs quickly adapt to each terrain. Beyond population stats, this conversation reinforces a timeless truth of the uplands: slow down, trust your dog, and savor the hunt. Whether you’re chasing coveys in the prairies or brush country, you’ll come away with practical takeaways on scouting, shooting, and habitat conservation that every quail hunter should know. Show notes Check out Quail Forever’s 2025 Hunting Forecast for a look at your favorite quail hunting states. If you missed Quail Forever’s 2022 film, “Mearns’ Quail Country,” featuring llamas, watch it at www.QuailForever.org/llama Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Oct 8

In this episode of On the Wing podcast, host Bob St. Pierre sits down with Pheasants Forever Journal editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter to unpack his new article, “Mix It Up.” Together they break down five fresh pheasant hunting tactics to keep your hunts productive all season long. From ditching rigid game plans and trusting your bird dog’s instincts to exploring overlooked thin-cover areas and trying brand-new public lands, “Carp” shares decades of hard-earned lessons that will help you see pheasant country—and your own hunting habits—with new eyes. You’ll hear vivid stories from the prairies, where prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse still dance on the last wild grasslands, and get insider tips for adapting to changing cover conditions across the Dakotas and Midwest. Whether you’re a seasoned upland hunter or just getting started in bird hunting, this conversation will remind you why the best hunts happen when you step off the beaten path and follow your curiosity. Show notes Follow along to learn how to mix it up this season—and why a little chaos in the field might be the key to your next limit. The foundation of this podcast comes from Carp’s “Mix It Up” article in the new Fall edition of the Pheasants Forever Journal . If you missed becoming a PF member in time for this issue to hit your mailbox, please email Carp at tcarpenter@pheasantsforever.org and he’ll get you hooked up with a copy. Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Oct 1

Discover the hidden world of chukar hunting with insider research, expert field reports, and hard-earned lessons. In this episode of On the Wing Podcast, we dive deep into the rugged and rewarding pursuit of chukar hunting. Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by biologist Catherine Isaac, conservation leader Levi Day, and upland hunter Andrew Vavra to explore the unique challenges and opportunities of chasing these hardy game birds across the Intermountain West. Listeners will learn how habitat quality, diet, and weather conditions directly influence chukar populations, and why understanding cheatgrass, native forbs, and seasonal food sources matter for both hunters and conservationists. The conversation blends science and experience—covering everything from the Idaho’s chukar opener and Wyoming field reports to insights on grouse hunting, antelope country, and bird dog training in tough terrain. Whether you’re a seasoned upland hunter or “chukar curious” for your first western hunt, this episode offers actionable hunting tips, habitat strategies, and conservation knowledge that will make your time in the field more rewarding. From managing snake season to scouting slopes for coveys, you’ll gain the tools to hunt smarter and appreciate the landscape on a deeper level. Show notes If you’re interested in a conservation career like Catherine Isaac, check out PF & QF’s upcoming Virtual Career & College Fair. Registration opens on October 1 st and the event takes place on December 4 th . Contact PF & QF’s Levi Day with questions at lday@pheasantsforever.org. If you’re a chukar hunter in Idaho who would like to contribute birds to Catherine Isaac’s research, please contact her at catherinetharpe@u.boisestate.edu Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Sep 24

In conjunction with Build a Wildlife Area Week, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are excited to announce the creation of a new public wildlife area in Iowa honoring Jim Wooley, the first biologist the organization hired during the mid-1980s. On this episode of On the Wing Podcast, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jim Wooley and two of his long-time biologist colleagues Matt O’Connor and Matt Holland. The conversation covers: · The Early Days of Pheasants Forever : Wooley relives working as Iowa’s upland bird biologist and being courted by Pheasants Forever to join the fledgling organization to become its first biologist in the mid-80s. · Habitat Not Stocking : Wooley explains how the organization’s focus on improving wildlife habitat, rather than releasing stocked birds, caught him pleasantly surprised and ultimately convinced him that Pheasants Forever would be successful for the long-term. · Quail Forever : Wooley also reminisces about the creation of Quail Forever in 2005 and talks about the hard work of chapter volunteers across the quail range to get the organization off the ground. · Build a Wildlife Area : Holland explains the creation of the 422-acre Jim Wooley Family Tract located in Iowa’s Madison and Clarke counties. He also describes that the property shares a public boundary with the 1,021-acre Heritage Hills Wildlife Management Area and is already home to pheasants and bobwhite quail. Learn more about PF & QF’s Build a Wildlife Area week and this terrific property at PheasantsForever.org/Wooley . Use the code PFQF at onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Sep 17

As autumn arrives in the northern states, bird hunters look forward to ruffed grouse season. On this episode of On the Wing Podcast, Jeremy Collard from the Ruffed Grouse Society joins host Bob St.Pierre to discuss the 2025 outlook for ruffed grouse hunting. St.Pierre also shares his “Yooper” roots and highlights the release of PF & QF’s second Opening Day film about celebrating the opener with the people you love. The conversation covers: Ruffed grouse hunting forecast : The guys chat about the upcoming prospects for this year’s hunting season with a focus on the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Ruffed grouse hunting tips : The duo also discuss tips for hunting ruffed grouse during the early season when the forest is a jungle of green vegetation, tactics during the mid-season after the leaves fall, as well as strategies for finding birds when there is snow on the ground at the end of the hunting calendar. Opening Day Film : In celebration of this year’s release of PF &QF’s Opening Day film, Tetra Hearing is offering $100 off any CustomShield devices using the code PFOpeningDay100 at www.TetraHearing.com . Use the code PFQF at www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Sep 10

South Dakota’s reputation as the nation’s pheasant hunting capital makes it a bucket-list destination for upland hunters. In this episode of On the Wing Podcast, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Matt Gottlob, Pheasants Forever’s South Dakota State Coordinator, and South Dakota Game Fish & Parks biologists Alex Solem and Jake Wolfe to preview the 2025 South Dakota bird hunting season. The conversation covers: · Pheasant hunting in South Dakota : 2024’s record harvest of 1.3 million roosters and what it means for 2025. · Prairie grouse hunting forecast : weather, habitat, and how 99,000 birds were taken in 2024—the best since 2000. · Sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chickens : population trends and prime regions for upland hunters. · Bird dogs in the field : Wolfe’s incredible story of rescuing a yellow Lab that became his first hunting partner. · Public hunting access : updates on the Public Access To Habitat (PATH) program, now providing over 121,000 acres across the region. Whether you’re planning an early season trip, chasing roosters in the heart of fall, or stretching the season late into winter, this episode delivers the latest information, upland hunting strategies, and expert insights you need for a successful hunt. Fuel your passion for upland bird hunting in South Dakota and prepare for your best season yet. Use the code PFQF at www.onxhunt.com for 20% off your onX Hunt membership this hunting season. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Sep 3

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by University of Georgia’s Dr. James Martin and Tall Timbers’ biologists Amanda Cramer and Justin Rectenwald for a conversation recapping the group’s three-year study focused on assessing crippling loss from bobwhite quail hunters. The results show hunters often wound more birds than they realize, many of which are never recovered. Episode Highlights: • Rectenwald details how the team tracked hunters and monitored radio-collared quail to measure success and loss. • Cramer reveals the startling percentage of birds crippled and never recovered by shots taken on the covey rise. • This episode also marks the return of Grain Belt’s “Premium Moments” in the Field story submissions. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Aug 27

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra for a conversation with MeatEater’s Tony Peterson focused on his love of chasing birds with his Labrador retrievers. Peterson leads MeatEater’s dog content as the host of Houndations Podcast and DOG EDU . Peterson is also the father of two twin teenage daughters who he is raising in the outdoors, and the group talk about parenting kids to love hunting and fishing. Episode Highlights: · Known for his love of bowhunting public land whitetail deer, Peterson admits that chasing pheasants behind his black Labrador retriever may be his absolute favorite activity. · Peterson also recounts the genesis of MeatEater’s dog content like his video, “Chasing Late Season Roosters,” and the DOG EDU educational series. · The guys close the conversation with a rundown of bird hunts on Peterson’s calendar, as well as a few Easter eggs teasing upcoming MeatEater bird dog content. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Aug 20

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Vice President of Government Affairs Ariel Wiegard and Director of Government Affairs Andrew Schmidt to attempt answering the difficult question, “Will there be a new Farm Bill in 2025?” The trio also discuss the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and what the absence of a new Farm Bill means for the crown jewel of voluntary conservation programs. Episode Highlights: • Wiegard provides a recap of recent efforts in Congress to sell public land as part of the budget reconciliation process, and how PF & QF supporters and the broad outdoors community successfully helped push back on that effort earlier this summer. • Schmidt provides an overview of the conservation victories within the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including an increase of funding for Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP), as well as the integration of remaining IRA funding into the Farm Bill conservation baseline. • Schmidt also details the new “CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act” introduced by U.S. Senators John Thune (R-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Tina Smith (D-MN). This proposed legislation includes many of PF & QF priorities for improving CRP, making the program more attractive to landowners and beneficial for wildlife. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Aug 13

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by The Flush’s Travis Frank, Western Wingshooter Podcast’s Tyler Webster, and Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter for a discussion focused on prairie grouse. The conversation covers late summer dog training during the “catch & release” season, habitat, dog work, hunting, and cooking approaches to sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie chickens, and sage grouse. Episode Highlights: • Webster talks about his love for September grouse hunting and teases our brand new two-part Montana Grouse film released in collaboration with onX Hunt. • Carpenter, the most veteran of the prairie grouse hunters, tells listeners exactly how he finds sharp-tailed grouse in a sea of grass. He also previews PF & QF’s upcoming Prairie Grouse Primer presented by Sportsman’s Guide, which will be released on August 19, 2025. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Aug 6

Host Bob St.Pierre talks with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever leaders Al Eiden, Ron Leathers, and Andrew Vavra about habitat improvement efforts in eleven western states. They also discuss hunting opportunities for 26 upland bird species found in these regions. Episode Highlights: • Eiden and Leathers discuss PF & QF’s habitat work along the Bear River, which spans Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho and is the Great Salt Lake's largest tributary. These habitat efforts benefit upland birds and improve the Great Salt Lake’s water quality and quantity. • The group also discusses the Bruneau-Owyhee Sage-grouse Habitat (BOSH) Project in Idaho. PF & QF leads this 617,000-acre project, which happens to be the largest single contiguous habitat effort currently underway in the U.S. • Throughout the conversation covering eleven Western states, the guys talk about hunting terrain and tactics for chukar, valley quail, blue grouse, Mearns’ quail, Gambel’s quail, and a variety of other species with a focus on Midwestern bird hunters with wanderlust to explore the West. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jul 29

Host Bob St.Pierre speaks with Dave Trauba of Minnesota DNR’s Division of Fish & Wildlife about how the agency conducts August roadside counts and uses the data. Trauba also discusses the “Pheasant Action Plan” and efforts to solicity hunter feedback on possibly extending the season into January and adjusting the 9am start time. Episode Highlights: • Trauba tells some fascinating stories from early in his career as a black bear ecology researcher on the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. • Trauba also stresses the critical importance of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to the state’s pheasant populations. • The guys discuss the differences in spring ruffed grouse drumming counts compared to pheasant August roadside counts. • Check out Minnesota’s Pheasant Action Plan to learn more about the state’s short-term and long-term conservation goals. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jul 23

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a conversation with Jason Passalacqua, owner of Passalacqua Winery, and Jessica Boone, Passalacqua’s winemaker. This episode celebrates a new collaboration between Quail Forever and Passalacqua introducing a Quail Forever Pinot Noir and a Quail Forever Fiano. A portion of the sale from each of these wines will go to QF’s wildlife habitat conservation mission. Episode Highlights: • Jason Passalacqua tells of his journey growing up as a hunter moving to Silicon Valley followed by his return home to purchase the winery that bears his name. He also explains why Quail Forever’s conservation mission is so personally important. • Jessica Boone explains the art and science of winemaking, as well as how she approaches the creation of wines to pair with wild game meats. • Each guest also talks about their favorite wild game meal and the wine they’d pair to go with it. • Learn more about the Passalacqua + Quail Forever collaboration at www.Passalacquawinery.com/quail-forever On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jul 16

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra and Praedictix meteorologist Todd Nelson. The conversation covers the intersection between weather, upland habitat, pheasants, and quail. Vavra kicks off the discussion with an overview of his experiences with bird dogs, including the recent adoption of a started German wirehaired pointer named Merle. The episode also reviews the three-year process undertaken by PF & QF to update the organization’s brand identity and logos. Episode Highlights: • Vavra reflects on his experiences with puppies compared to started bird dogs. • The trio discuss PF & QF’s new content collaboration with Praedictix looking at both forensic meteorology and weather forecasts to provide the organization’s social media audiences with insight into weather conditions and their impact on America’s six species of quail, as well as ringneck pheasants. Have a look at our June reports for pheasants and for quail. • Check out the story behind our new look at PheasantsForever.org/Brand or QuailForever.org/Brand. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jul 2

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Communications Jared Wiklund for a conversation with Travis Frank previewing the 2025 season of The Flush TV on Outdoor Channel. The discussion covers a wide array of upland bird hunting adventures spanning Ontario to Oklahoma and Indiana to Wyoming. The guys chat about pheasants, bobwhites, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, as well as bird dogs. Episode Highlights: • After a hunt with his entire family that included a massive flock of migrating snow geese and a North Dakota moose, Travis Frank explains how “Family Time” emerged as the theme for this year’s season of The Flush. • The new season of The Flush includes 13 new episodes and runs through December 2025. Past episodes of The Flush are available at TheFlush.TV. The Flush’s 2025 AIRTIMES on Outdoor Channel (ALL TIMES EASTERN) MONDAYS @ 2:30 PM TUESDAYS @ 12:30 PM THURSDAYS @ 8:30 AM SATURDAYS @ 12:30 PM SUNDAYS @ 6:30 AM On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jun 25

Host Bob St.Pierre chats with Federal Ammunition’s Vice President of Marketing Jason Nash and Director of Community Relations Jon Zinnel about the innovative new Prairie Storm Bismuth Blend shotgun loads available in 12 and 20-gauge this summer. WATCH Federal’s video about the new load. There’s also some fun banter about the NFC North, Bon Iver, and moose vs. elk for dinner. Episode Highlights: • Nash explains that Federal, CCI, HEVI-Shot, Remington, Speer, and now Fiocchi are all part of The Kinetic Group of ammunition brands. • Zinnel highlights Federal Ammunition’s role as the largest contributor to Pittman-Robertson funding through the excise tax on firearms and ammunition, while also serving as a major corporate partner of non-profit conservation organizations, including Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. • Nash talks about Federal Ammunition’s ground-breaking move in 1961 to make all 20-gauge shells yellow to help promote safety and prevent confusion with 12-gauge shells. The guys also discuss some of the reasons behind the other colored shells. On the Wing Podcast is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jun 18

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by The Nature Conservancy’s Kelsey Molloy, Wyoming Migration Initiative’s Andrew Jakes, Pheasants Forever’s Casey Sill and PF’s Montana State Coordinator Hunter VanDonsel for a discussion regarding the Montana Grassland Initiative. The dialogue spans the objectives for the initiative, emphasizing its advantages for Montana’s diverse wildlife species as well as the farming and ranching community. Episode Highlights: • VanDonsel kicks off the conversation with a poignant narrative about walking across a Montana grassland while carrying his newborn daughter against his chest. This experience inspired VanDonsel to conceive the Montana Grassland Initiative and solidify his career aspirations. • Molloy and Jakes explain the significance of Montana’s sagebrush habitat for sage grouse and pronghorn, particularly during their migration periods. • Jakes further discusses the distinct nature of pronghorns in North America, noting that their closest relative is Africa’s giraffe. “On the Wing Podcast” is proudly fueled by Purina Pro Plan.

Jun 4

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a conversation about bird dogs with musician, hunter, and Pheasants Forever member Reese Glover. After the unexpected death of St.Pierre’s German shorthaired pointer, “Esky,” he wrote the blog, “The Story of a Bird Dog Going Out on Top.” Upon reading that blog, Glover sent St.Pierre his song, “Ballad of the Bird Dog,” which tells the story of a bird dog’s final hunt at eleven years old. This episode brings laughter, tears, and a lifetime of memories. Episode Highlights: • Glover discusses his songwriting process and how it involves daily walks behind his own German shorthaired pointer, Bridger. • Sparks recounts the story of Tippet, his English pointer who also died suddenly of a heart attack earlier this year. Within that conversation, Sparks explains the beautiful reasoning behind Tippet’s name and how the pup connected him to birds and Quail Forever. • For more information about Reese Glover’s music and live performance opportunities, follow him on Instagram @reesealexanderglover

May 20

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Government Affairs Andrew Schmidt to discuss the current Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup and its relevance for bird hunters. There are currently 1.8 million acres available for CRP enrollment this fiscal year with a signup underway right now through June 6th. Schmidt also discusses new proposals aimed at improving CRP and increasing funding for walk-in access programs. Episode Highlights: • Schmidt examines how bird populations have correlated with CRP acreage since the program began in 1985 and emphasizes the role of CRP acres in increasing public access through state walk-in programs. • The discussion covers a range of benefits provided by CRP, including contributions to rural economies via wildlife habitat, enhancement of water resources and soil health, and risk mitigation for farmers and ranchers. • Schmidt outlines the distinctions between general CRP, continuous CRP, CREP, and other signups, and explains how the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) increases public access for bird hunters.

May 14

Host Bob St.Pierre moderates a discussion with Quail Forever’s Louisiana State Coordinator Jackson Martini, Arkansas State Coordinator Ryan Parker, and landowner Andrew Wiesmann about improving bobwhite quail habitat in the Southeastern United States. The conversation covers how USDA Farm Bill programs can be used to burn or thin trees, decrease the basal area, and open up the forest canopy to promote grasslands beneficial to bobwhites. Episode Highlights: • Martini talks about the Arkansas-Louisiana Conservation Delivery Network and how that coalition is working together to implement the Open Pine Regional Conservation Partnership Program. • Wiesman explains his love of wirehaired pointing griffons and waterfowl hunting with those dogs in Louisiana’s bayous. Bob then asks about the threat level for duck hunting with bird dogs where alligators live.

May 7

Host Bob St.Pierre talks with PF & QF’s Marissa Jensen and Andy Fondrick, along with volunteers Mike Gruenke and Jeff Ennis from Washington's Spokane Inland Empire Chapter of Pheasants Forever. They discuss winning last year's $7,500 Hands-On Habitat grand prize from onX Hunt and how it motivated their chapter to undertake an even larger habitat project in Washington’s scablands this spring. Episode Highlights: • Gruenke shares how they attracted more volunteers by focusing on projects in which volunteers could participate in on-the-ground habitat work. • Jensen outlines the month-long Hands-On Habitat efforts and onX Hunt’s 2025 incentives for volunteer projects. Learn more about Hands-On Habitat at www.PheasantsForever.org/handsonhabitat

Apr 30

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Olivia Lappin and Levi Day to talk about the organization’s new “Journey to Conservation Careers” film featuring Lappin. Day kicks off the discussion with an overview of the organization’s Journey to Conservation Careers program, while also explaining the inspiration behind the film. From there, Lappin recounts her education, internships, and career path leading up to putting her degree to work for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever as the organization’s Integrated Habitat Management Rights of Way & Energy Coordinating Wildlife Biologist. Episode Highlights: • Lappin talks about her anti-hunting roots, which grew into an interest about where her food actually comes from and has burgeoned into a love of hunting. • Lappin and Day also talk about the Texas A & M Natural Resources Job Board and how valuable a tool it is for people interested in finding career opportunities in the conservation field. • Check out Lappin’s adventures on Instagram at @olappin1 and check out the Journey to Conservation Careers film.

Apr 23

Host Bob St.Pierre sits down with Will Primos and Anthony Matarese Jr. to talk about Straight Shooting for Hunters, a new book about wingshooting they co-authored. Matarese Jr. is the most decorated sporting clays shooter in U.S. history, while Primos was an original innovator in the game-call industry and a world-renowned hunter. Episode Highlights: • Primos kicks off the conversation with an update on the collection of Purdey shotguns he’s donated to be auctioned off for conservation efforts. Learn more about the collection and upcoming auction at www.TheTruthAboutConservation.org. • Matarese Jr. talks through the critical importance of mounting your gun properly and moving your feet, hands, and head in sync with a bird as it flushes to match its speed. • Matarese Jr. also explains why hunters need to SLOW DOWN and that the most common mistake hunters make is shooting too quickly, fearing birds are getting out of range. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Apr 16

Host Bob St.Pierre talks with professional bird dog trainer Justin King and Purina vet Dr. RuthAnn Lobos about her new pup. Dr. Lobos, an adult-onset bird hunter with a Labrador for the last decade, has added a wirehaired pointing griffon named Journey to her family. Journey has been trained by King at Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels in recent months. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Lobos talks about the family decision to get a wirehaired pointing griffon, the breed’s attributes, and how the entire family has been involved in Journey’s training process. • King talks about a variety of tools he uses in the dog training process, including a check chord, e-collar, pigeon launcher . . . and even snow fence. Thanks to SportDOG BRAND for being a supporting partner for this bird dog focused episode of On the Wing podcast.

Apr 9

Host Bob St. Pierre sits down with Dr. Dirac Twidwell, a professor and research scientist from the University of Nebraska, to talk about his hunting roots and life’s mission to save America’s last remaining grasslands. Dr. Twidwell explains the concept of the “Green Glacier” of woody vegetation taking over the Great Plains, and why prescribed fire is the most important tool for grassland habitat conservation. He also reports that woody encroachment is now equal to land conversion for agricultural production as the top two factors in habitat loss across the country. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Twidwell explains how his bird hunting trips had been moving west to keep ahead of the “Green Glacier” of woody encroachment into grasslands to find better upland gamebird populations before he even knew of the Green Glacier concept’s existence. • The guys discuss Dr. Twidwell’s bird hunting roots and how his work to save America’s grasslands through science is akin to keeping a promise “to his 8-year-old self.” • Dr. Twidwell also reports The Sandhills of Nebraska as the single most intact grassland remaining on the entire planet. • Learn more about Dr. Twidwell’s work on the Working Lands for Wildlife website or read his paper at the Society for Conservation Biology. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Apr 2

Host Bob St. Pierre leads a discussion with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever National Board members Ashley Langen, Keith Schopp, and Owen Stockdale. The conversation covers their career paths, interest in hunting, commitment to the wildlife habitat mission, and their vision for the organization's future. Episode Highlights: • Langen recalls her father initiating the Montgomery County (IL) Chapter of Pheasants Forever, participating in the National Youth Leadership Council of the organization, and working in precision agriculture in Illinois, Texas, and Hawaii. She also talks about living in Hawaii with three growing seasons and an abundance of pheasants. • Schopp discusses his experience as a newspaper reporter and his 34 years in communications at Purina. He also shares perspective on owning two Labradors and two German shorthaired pointers, including effective hunting strategies with them. • Stockdale talks about his career at McKinsey & Company, joining PF & QF as a strategic planning advisor, and his father's poignant message about not waiting, shared shortly before his passing. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Mar 26

Join host Bob St.Pierre as he visits with CEOs Patrick Berry (Backcountry Hunters & Anglers), Ted Koch (North American Grouse Partnership), and Ed Arnett (The Wildlife Society) for an engaging roundtable discussion. Discover their favorite bird dogs, delve into Aldo Leopold’s timeless quotes, and explore the intersection of conservation and personal passions. Episode Highlights: • BHA’s Berry explains his affinity for English Springer spaniels and how the breed’s personality matches his own. Berry also offers an interesting perspective on social media through the lens of a famous Leopold quote about hunting. • Koch recounts the North American Grouse Partnership’s roots in falconry, then he and St.Pierre riff on the “magic” that exists in training a pointing dog and raptor to work together as a hunting team. • Arnett talks about Aldo Leopold’s role in The Wildlife Society’s creation and how so much of Leopold’s writing is still used today by wildlife professors in universities across the country training biologists in non-profits and agencies. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Mar 14

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Kent Adams, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Conservation Delivery for the Northeast, John Kinney, PF & QF’s Indiana State Coordinator, and Will Hinshaw, PF & QF’s Indiana Regional Representative about the organization’s growth in the “Hoosier State.” The group talks about the organization’s public and private land habitat efforts in the state and public hunting access programs. Episode Highlights: • Adams explains the challenges PF & QF faces in eastern states compared to states West of the Mississippi River. • Kinney talks about PF & QF’s Build a Wildlife Area land acquisitions to add permanent public properties in Indiana with a highlight of the organization’s addition to the Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area. • Hinshaw reports a 30% increase in PF & QF members in Indiana and explains the way chapters work on habitat and access across the state. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Mar 10

Host Bob St.Pierre was joined last weekend at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Kansas City by PF & QF’s Permanent Habitat Programs Manager John Laux and onX Hunt’s Marketing Manager Ben Brettingen for a conversation focused on public access for hunters. And thanks to a significant multi-year financial commitment from onX Hunt, PF & QF has announced the organization’s Public Access To Habitat (PATH) program is now expanding to a national scale. Episode Highlights: • Laux recounts the origin story of PATH connected to the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition and its rapid expansion across South Dakota with now more than 25,000 acres of PATH enrolled in the state over the first two years. • Laux also discusses the program’s explosion into Nebraska with 44,000 acres enrolled within a target area of Keith, Deuel, Garden, Arthur, Lincoln and Cheyenne counties in just one year. • Brettingen provides first-hand testimony of hunting PATH acres in South Dakota and Nebraska over the last two seasons, then discusses onX Hunt’s commitment to helping create public hunting access through partnerships. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Feb 25

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Shannon Hoheisel, Luc Ramthun, and Jake Hanson to preview National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming to Kansas City on March 6-9. The group shares stories of favorite moments from past events and provides a rundown of the weekend’s attractions and exhibitors. Episode Highlights: • Ramthun provides an overview of the quail-oriented attractions celebrating Quail Forever’s 20th anniversary as part of this year’s event. • Hoheisel and Ramthun talk about some of the businesses making their debut among the 400 exhibitors on the Kansas City show floor. • Hanson teases an exciting announcement about the organization’s Public Access To Habitat (PATH) program taking place at 11am on Saturday, March 8th on the Public Lands Stage of the event. • Hoheisel provides an overview of the organization’s efforts to beef up the event’s attractions on Sunday. Those highlights include free admission for kids as part of Family Day, a quail dog toy giveaway for the first 500 attendees, a Women on the Wing Brunch, and a MeatEater Meet & Greet in the SCHEELS booth on Sunday morning starting at 9:30am. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Feb 11

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks to recap their hunting seasons and preview the upcoming spring issues for each PF & QF publication. During the discussion, the guys share their favorite moments, misses, gear, and more. Episode Highlights: • Carpenter tells the story of bagging a South Dakota rooster with a 27 5/8” tail feather, the longest of his life. • Sparks recaps his first desert quail hunt, which included a running group of 100 scaled quail. • While St.Pierre remains focused on talking about the upland hunting season that was, Carp & Sparks share their excitement for the coming spring turkey season. In fact, Carp closes the episode with some spontaneous shock-gobbling. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Feb 3

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by audiologist Dr. Dave Fabry, SoundGear’s Wes Christ, and PF & QF’s Director of Communications Jared Wiklund for a conversation about the importance of hearing to wingshooting. Wiklund talks about his own hearing loss and how it’s impacted his quality of life. SoundGear, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s official hearing protection partner, is offering listeners a $300 discount off Phantoms using the promo code ONTHEWING at www.SoundGear.com. Episode Highlights: • Don’t let the topic of hearing protection fool you into thinking this is an infomercial, the conversation covers eargasms, cocaine, chinchillas, and darkness retreats. • Christ also provides an overview of the brand new SoundGear Shield product introduced this week. Shield is now the smallest and lightest dynamic digital hearing protection on the market. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jan 27

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Suzanne Anglewicz, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s first-ever employee hired to focus exclusively on state-level conservation policy. Both native Michiganders, St.Pierre and Anglewicz share some fun banter over being long-suffering Detroit Lions fans while discussing the nuances of playing offense and defense on conservation legislation at state capitols. Episode Highlights: • The conversation kicks off with Anglewicz’s rundown of her career that includes a bachelor’s degree in political theory and constitutional democracy, a law degree, and more than a decade as the manager of field operations for the grassroots division of the National Rifle Association. • Anglewicz provides an update on Kansas House Bill 2063, introduced by Kansans for Conservation last week. If passed, the legislation would provide dedicated funding for wildlife habitat and natural resources in Kansas. Today, Kansas is one of only 15 states without a dedicated conservation fund. • The discussion also includes fun banter about shooting “cosmic clays,” the need for more hunters to run for elected offices, and antiquated state laws around charitable gambling. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jan 14

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar and North Dakota’s Department of Game & Fish Private Land Section Leader Kevin Kading for a conversation about the state’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) program. The discussion covers the history and goals of the PLOTS program, as well as some special memories each person wouldn’t have experienced without private landowners opening their acres to public land hunters. Episode Highlights: • Kading kicks off the discussion with a look back to PLOTS’s creation in 1987, evolution through the years, and program goals for the future. Kading also explains how the state’s pheasant populations and access acres have mirrored the state’s enrollment in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. • Spolyar and Kading recap the state’s first-ever Habitat & Access Summit, which took place in December 2024. They both were extremely pleased to hear the new North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong talk about the importance of hunting and access to the state’s values and culture. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jan 8

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with Will Primos near his home in Mississippi following a gathering to shoot Primos’ collection of custom-made Purdey shotguns. Primos collection, which includes .410, 28, 20, 16, and 12 gauges, will be auctioned in December 2025 with proceeds shared by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and National Wild Turkey Foundation. Episode Highlights: • Primos talks about how his game call business and his popular television show, “Primos TRUTH About Hunting,” both got started. • Primos also talks about his love of wingshooting, particularly his fondness for Mearns’ quail hunting in Arizona. • The donation of Primos’ Purdey shotguns is being organized by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and will be auctioned through Rock Island Auction Company in December 2025. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jan 7

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with husband and wife duo Mark & Laura Flom who have created the new Tyro Dog Vests company. The Flom’s share the story behind the creation of their new hunting vests to protect their Springer spaniel and golden retriever bird dogs. They also talk about how the tragic death of St.Pierre’s own shorthair, “Izzy” in 2013, served as inspiration for their design. Episode Highlights: • This episode serves as the introduction of a new podcast opening song, “Forever,” by Trampled by Turtles off their new album, Always Here / Always Now. Sincere THANK YOU to the band and Dave Simonett for the gracious donation of this awesome tune. • The new Tyro hunting dog vests will be available to check out at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming up this March in Kansas City. The Tyro Dog Vests booth will be located at #1118 on our show floor. • The Floms also talk about successfully working with Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist Cody Tromberg on conservation programs for improving the upland habitat on their own property in Wisconsin. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Dec 24, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a back-and-forth conversation about late season bird hunting. Carp breaks down his six tips for late season roosters as they appear in his article “PhD Roosters” from the Winter edition of the PF Journal, while Sparks adds color to his six tips for late season bobwhite quail hunting from his article, “In the Thick of It.” Episode Highlights: • As listeners have come to expect, Carpenter drops classic “Carpisms,” like tootles and hellholes, while providing veteran hacks for finding skittish late season roosters when your hands are cold and the snow is blowing. • As a Nebraska native, Sparks focuses on late season bobwhites in the Great Plains by providing terrific tips for finding late season coveys, while also treating them with respect to survive harsh winter conditions. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Dec 14, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Chief Conservation Officer Ron Leathers for a conversation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Sergio Pierluissi and AnnMarie Krmppotich about the Service’s announcement last week proposing the monarch butterfly be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The group talks about what this proposed listing means, what it doesn’t mean, and what role PF & QF can play in creating habitat for monarch butterflies and upland birds. Episode Highlights: • The group discusses public land and private land opportunities to improve grasslands habitat for monarchs, as well as for pheasants, quail, and prairie grouse. • Learn more about the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s announcement about the status of monarch butterflies at www.fws.gov/monarch and submit comments at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137-0001. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Dec 11, 2024

This is the fifth and final episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, PF’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar, and PF’s Social Media Coordinator Nate Akey to put a bow on this year’s adventure across North Dakota. Episode Highlights: • For gear junkies, each member of the crew talks about their favorite piece of gear from this year’s hunt. Vavra also talks about features of the new Browning 825 making it a shotgun he’s planning to add to his own personal gun safe. • The group also fields crowd-sourced questions from PF & QF’s social media channels about Rooster Road Trip, hunting North Dakota public lands, gear questions, and bird hunting strategy. • Find all four companion videos accompanying the trip at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 825 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the new Browning Bird & Buck knife. DEADLINE is December 16, 2024. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2024 sponsors • Browning • Orvis • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • YETI • Irish Setter onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Dec 5, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre has a new 5-month old German shorthaired pointer puppy named “Winter” that has just completed a two-week training session introducing her to birds and gunfire at Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels. That training was completed by the kennel’s lead pro trainer, Mike Wieben, who talks about the process of first introducing a puppy to birds, which is followed by a slow and methodical introduction to gunfire. Episode Highlights: • Wieben talks about the variety of ways dog owners inadvertently create gunshy puppies through fireworks, banging pots & pans, or showing up at the trap range with a dog in a crate. • Little Winter gets a good report card for passing bird & gun introduction, but Wieben coaches St.Pierre on some homework on retrieving and reversing the “sit” command. • Thanks to SportDOG BRAND and Purina Pro Plan for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing Podcast focused on bird dog training. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Nov 18, 2024

This is the second episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined for the conversation by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, PF’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar, and North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Upland Game Supervisor Jesse Kolar. Episode Highlights: • Kolar provides status reports for North Dakota’s pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, sage grouse, and prairie chicken populations, along with an overview of current habitat conditions. • Spolyar and Kolar also provide excellent tips for selecting hunting spots from the road with specific examples of the types of attributes they look for in cover to find upland birds. • Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 825 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the new Browning Bird & Buck knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2024 sponsors • Browning • Orvis • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • YETI • Irish Setter onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Nov 18, 2024

This is the fourth episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra and University of North Dakota’s Dr. Susan Felege. Dr. Felege is a professor of wildlife biology & management and is also a member of PF & QF’s National Board of Directors. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Felege recounts the history of prairie grouse populations across North Dakota and provides a status report for how sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chickens are currently doing in the state. • Vavra talks about “the pucker factor” of hunting in a region where greater prairie chickens and hen pheasants are illegal to shoot, while sharp-tailed grouse and sharpie/chicken hybrids are both legal. • Dr. Felege also shares her enthusiasm for working with the Grand Forks County Prairie Partners and how the collection of non-profit groups, state and federal agencies, farmers, and volunteers are helping conserve this very special tall grass prairie. • Find the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 825 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the new Browning Bird & Buck knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2024 sponsors • Browning • Orvis • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • YETI • Irish Setter onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Nov 17, 2024

This is the third episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, PF’s North Dakota Education and Outreach Coordinator Seth Owens, and PF’s Video Production Coordinator Aaron Black-Schmidt to recap the conclusion of the group’s hunt in the Bismarck area and the start of the hunt in the greater Grand Forks region. Episode Highlights: • Vavra provides the play-by-play to the group’s very “birdy” third day of hunting with North Dakota Game & Fish Department’s R3 Coordinator Cayla Bendel. Although there were lots of roosters in the air, Vavra hangs the “missed opportunities” banner over the day following some lackluster group marksmanship. • Owens grabs the R3 baton from Bendel on the fourth day to talk about his effort to pass along the state’s hunting heritage through education events and his stunning photography. Check out Owens’ photography and videography talents on Instagram at @stuff.seth.sees. • Find the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 825 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the new Browning Bird & Buck knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2024 sponsors • Browning • Orvis • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • YETI • Irish Setter onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Nov 2, 2024

This is the first episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. True to Rooster Road Trip’s foundation since its creation in 2010, this year’s hunting occurs exclusively on publicly accessible lands. In this first podcast installment, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, PF’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar, and PF’s Social Media Coordinator Nate Akey to set the stage for this year’s trip and to recap the crew’s first day hunt. Episode Highlights: • Vavra, the only person to ever participate in all fifteen Rooster Road Trip events, explains the genesis behind the idea and talks about formulating this year’s plan to hunt across North Dakota. • The crew take turns recapping the play-by-play from the first day’s hunt, while also offering thoughts about their favorite moment. • Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 825 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the new Browning Bird & Buck knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2023 sponsors • Browning • Orvis • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • YETI • Irish Setter onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Oct 30, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Federal Ammunition’s Global Shotgun Shell Director Dan Compton and PF & QF’s Vice President of Corporate Partnership’s Chris Kalis for a conversation about shotshell ballistics, patterning a shotgun, and new ammunition innovations on the horizon. Episode Highlights: • Compton provides step-by-step guidance on how to pattern a shotgun with different distances, chokes, and shotshells. • The guys also discuss Federal Ammunition’s creation of Prairie Storm in 2011 and how it almost got named “Ringneck Rocket.” • Additionally, Compton reveals that Federal Ammunition will be releasing a bismuth and steel blend of Prairie Storm featuring the Pheasants Forever logo next year. • Finally, Compton explains how Quail Forever members can help get more QF shotshells on store shelves. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click www.onxmaps.com/hunt/r/p56q9fg to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Oct 30, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand and his sons Erik and Chad Hildebrand for a discussion about the ingredients making opening day of a bird hunting season so special. The guys also recap the original PF & QF film, Opening Day, featuring the Hildebrand family’s Minnesota pheasant opener traditions. Episode Highlights: • “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand recounts the hilarious story of how he became the host of FAN Outdoors radio on KFAN more than 33 years ago. • The guys share their favorite memories of bird dogs, hits, misses, mixed bags, wild game meals, and practical jokes. They also talk about their own reactions to watching the film for the first time. • Thanks to SoundGear and SportDOG BRAND for sponsoring our first installment of our annual Opening Day film and podcast. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Oct 23, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by veterinarians Dr. RuthAnn Lobos and Dr. Seth Bynum for the second podcast installment of our “Ask a Vet” video series being presented by Purina Pro Plan to recap video episodes 7 through 12. Episode Highlights: Ask a Vet Episode 7 – How can I prevent bad breath? tinyurl.com/4uc5mpn4 Ask a Vet Episode 8 – How much should I feed my bird dog? tinyurl.com/56vv9dsf Ask a Vet Episode 9 – How do I keep my bird dog fit year-round? tinyurl.com/yy43chb3 Ask a Vet Episode 10 – How do I keep my bird dog hydrated? tinyurl.com/5h463aut Ask a Vet Episode 11 – How do you deal with heat stress in hunting dogs? tinyurl.com/yc835ce3 Ask a Vet Episode 12 – Should I give my dog the rattlesnake vaccine? tinyurl.com/33ns4c4c onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click www.onxmaps.com/hunt/r/p56q9fg to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Oct 16, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks, QF Program Manager Andy Edwards, and Gun Dog Editor and host of Wild Upland on Outdoor Channel Kali Parmley to preview the 2024 quail hunting season. Each participant also offers their top four quail hunting tips for hunting any of America’s six species of quail during the inaugural game of Quail Hunting Battleship. Episode Highlights: • Ryan Sparks kicks off the conversation with an overview of Quail Forever’s 2024 Quail Hunting Forecast based upon input from 28 different states. Edwards follows up with the anecdotal reports he’s heard during conversation with biologists and QF chapter members across the country. • Parmley talks about how she fell head over heels for bird hunting as an adult through the love of her first bird dog. She also discusses starting with a flushing breed and moving to pointers, and what she enjoys about both styles of bird dogs. • The group covers a wide array of quail hunting tips, but Sparks steals the episode with his “smoke a cigarette” suggestion. How do lung darts and quail hunting go together? You’re just going to have to listen to this one for it to all make sense. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Oct 9, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter, PF & QF Director of Communications Jared Wiklund, and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks to preview the 2024 pheasant hunting season. Each individual also offers their top four pheasant hunting tips during the inaugural game of Pheasant Hunting Battleship. Episode Highlights: • Tom Carpenter kicks off the conversation with an overview of Pheasants Forever’s 2024 Pheasant Hunting Forecast based upon biologist input from 22 different states. Wiklund follows up with the “word on the street” based upon anecdotal reports he’s heard in conversations with PF members, landowners, and partners across the country. • The group covers a wide array of pheasant hunting tips from using the wind and being stealthy quiet to the best days of the week and times of the day to chase roosters. • This also marks Purina Pro Plan’s inaugural episode as the presenting sponsor of On the Wing podcast. Thanks to Purina Pro Plan’s longtime commitment to PF & QF and our wildlife habitat conservation mission. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Oct 2, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a visit with Danielle Prewett about her brand new book, “MeatEater’s Wild + Whole, Seasonal Recipes for the Conscious Cook.” Prewett also discusses her love affair with North Dakota, grasslands, and sharp-tailed grouse. Episode Highlights: • One of Prewett’s signature philosophies is that every meal tells a story. She writes about that philosophy in the new Fall 2024 edition of the Quail Forever Journal and explains how a meal is the final chapter to a story connecting people to birds to habitat. This philosophy also mirror’s Sparks’ vision for the Quail Forever Journal’s new recurring feature, “The Hunter’s Table.” • Prewett also tells a hilarious story of ice fishing on Devil’s Lake during a brutally cold and windy North Dakota winter’s day. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Sep 25, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with Matt Holland, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s vice president of grant development and a wildlife biologist, about the organization’s public land creation efforts in celebration of Build a Wildlife Area Week. The organization first created a public wildlife area in 1986. Since that time, PF & QF has worked on 1,810 different land acquisitions covering 229,846 acres of permanently protected habitat for wildlife. Those acres are now open to public recreation, including hunting. Episode Highlights: • St.Pierre approximates that Holland has played a role in the creation of 100,000 acres of public wildlife areas during his 28-year career with “The Habitat Organization.” In an oddly funny comparison, St.Pierre goes on to equate Holland to being a Swiss Army Knife and how sometimes he must be the blade and other times the toothpick to help facilitate a land acquisition. • Holland shares news of $300,000 in matching contributions to help incentivize donations from listeners interested in becoming “Public Land Creators.” • To learn more about PF & QF’s Build a Wildlife Area program and to get your hands on a new limited edition coffee mug, please go to www.PheasantsForever.org/BAWA or www.QuailForever.org/BAWA to learn more. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Sep 18, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Editor Ryan Sparks for a discussion with professional upland photographers Brian Grossenbacher and Aaron Black-Schmidt. The conversation starts with Sparks sharing his vision for a photo essay to capture a quail hunt from the very beginning to the final meal. The final result of that concept appears in the current edition of the Quail Forever Journal and features multiple images from Grossenbacher and Black-Schmidt. Episode Highlights: • Grossenbacher kicks things off with the funny story behind the essay’s lead photo featuring a pair of legs wearing brush pants sticking out from under a jacked-up truck with a flat tire. • Black-Schmidt, who is also PF & QF’s video production coordinator, talks about his philosophical approach to capturing film and still photography, while also offering practical tips for using the camera phone in everyone’s pocket. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Sep 11, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jon Steigerwaldt, the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society’s forest conservation director for the upper Midwest, to preview the 2024 ruffed grouse hunting season. Jon describes the ideal habitat for ruffed grouse and woodcock, and offers plenty of tips to find more birds this season. The guys also discuss new projects in Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania getting underway because of the recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) between PF & QF and RGS & AWS. Episode Highlights: • Steigerwaldt talks about the science behind ruffed grouse drumming counts and what they indicate about bird survival through the winter, but what drumming counts don’t tell biologists about the population heading into autumn hunting seasons. • Steigerwaldt also talks about the 10-year ruffed grouse population cycle and how climate change is influencing swings up and down. • Learn more about the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society and check out their current membership offer at www.RuffedGrouseSociety.org. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Sep 4, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Editor Tom Carpenter and Quail Forever Editor Ryan Sparks for a conversation with professional dog trainer Clyde Vetter, who also happens to be husband to PF & QF President and Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Vetter. Each member of this conversation also considers themselves prairie grouse hunting junkies, so they provide a forecast for the 2024 sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chicken hunting season and weave their hunting tips into a game of Prairie Grouse Battleship. Episode Highlights: • The group plays four rounds of “Prairie Grouse Battleship” in which each participant provides a fresh hunting tip for sharpies and/or chickens in hopes of scoring points for tips the other competitors don’t have on their lists. • This episode marks the introduction of the brand new “Premium Moments in the Field” stories from Grain Belt Premium, “The Pheasant Friendly Beer.” • Check out the state-by-state prairie grouse hunting forecast at www.PheasantsForever.org/Primer presented by Sportsman’s Guide. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Aug 28, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s newly elected national board chair Jerrod Burke and vice chair Dan Forster. Burke hails from southwest Nebraska where he farms, works on habitat, and bird hunts. Forster is a biologist from Georgia where he chases bobwhite quail, ducks, and alligators. Episode Highlights: • Burke and Forster talk about their professional, conservation, bird dog, and hunting backgrounds, then they explain the board of directors’ role in helping guide the organization’s vision for delivering its’ habitat mission. • Unable to help himself, St.Pierre’s fascination with alligator hunting leads him to keep bringing the conversation back to gator hunting in Georgia, which will likely result in this edition of the podcast being referred to as “The Gator Episode.” onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link: https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/r/p56q9fg to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Aug 21, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever National Board member Thomas Harris about quail, bird dogs, wildlife art, and his commitment to volunteering. A passionate Alabamian, Harris talks about a very personal connection to his quail hunting property, and how his conservation ethic resulted in being named the Alabama Conservationist of the Year for 2019 as recognized by the Alabama Wildlife Federation. Episode Highlights: • Harris talks about growing up outdoors and how that upbringing was the impetus for the creation of Alabama Blackbelt Adventures in 2009. • Harris also previews the Wetumka Wildlife Arts Festival coming up on October 19th featuring PF & QF President and CEO Marilyn Vetter. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Aug 12, 2024

We’ve assembled a special upland bird hunter’s super show episode with Travis Frank of The Flush and Nick Larson of Birdshot Podcast for a conversation focused on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ new Bird Hunter Diary app and ruffed grouse drumming counts. Joining the conversation from the Minnesota DNR are Assistant Area Wildlife Manager for northeast Minnesota Bailey Petersen and Resident Game Bird Consultant Nate Huck. Episode Highlights: • On the Wing host Bob St.Pierre kicks off the show with a recap of his recent visit to Washington, D.C. to moderate a panel focused on the idea of a North American Grasslands Conservation Act and to talk with elected officials about a new federal farm bill. • The conversation then jumps into Minnesota’s eye-popping ruffed grouse drumming counts indicating the highest adult carryover of birds since 1972. Peterson, a wildlife biologist, explains what those counts do AND don’t indicate for the upcoming hunting season. • Huck provides an overview of Minnesota’s new Bird Hunter Diary, what the state is looking to measure through the app, and how all upland hunters can help provide better data through citizen science. ✓ The Minnesota DNR’s Bird Hunter Diary is available at https://tinyurl.com/2nbdyz6p ✓ The Flush podcast is available at www.theflush.tv ✓ The Birdshot Podcast is available at www.birdshotpodcast.com onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. To get a free month of onX Hunt, go to https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/r/p56q9fg and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Aug 7, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Vice President of Government Affairs Ariel Wiegard for a conversation in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow focused on farm bill legislation. A democrat from Michigan, Chairwoman Stabenow talks about the bi-partisan nature of the farm bill’s conservation title II and the legislation’s intersection between farming, ranching, hunting, and fishing. Episode Highlights: • St.Pierre plays a fun game of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” based upon a famous baseball player from Senator Stabenow’s hometown of Clare, Michigan. • Chairwoman Stabenow explains how her proposed farm bill legislation would increase funding and acres for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). • Chairwoman Stabenow talks about the importance of seizing the opportunity to integrate Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding into the farm bill’s conservation baseline before the end of the year or else that opportunity disappears forever. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Aug 7, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Vice President of Government Affairs Ariel Wiegard for a conversation in Washington, D.C. with U.S. House Agriculture Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson focused on farm bill legislation. A republican from rural Pennsylvania, Chairman Thompson talks about the bi-partisan nature of the farm bill’s conservation title II and the legislation’s intersection between farming, ranching, hunting, and fishing. Episode Highlights: • Chairman Thompson kicks off the conversation with a story of how his shotgun ended up in Jamaica on his way to a duck hunt in Arkansas that nearly resulted in him bringing home a new Labrador retriever puppy from a Ducks Unlimited banquet. • Chairman Thompson talks about his work on the House’s farm bill language that includes improved soil rental rates for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and a tripling in funding for Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP). • Chairman Thompson also “handicaps the race” to get a new farm bill across the finish line before the current bill expires. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jul 31, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President & Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Vetter for a conversation in which she reflects on her first year in the organization’s top leadership role. The pair also detail the vision, mission, values, and four strategic priorities comprising the organization’s new strategic plan themed “Building Forever.” Episode Highlights: • St.Pierre asks Vetter to share stories from her first year as “The Habitat Organization’s” leader; including the significant moments, times of frustration, best advice received, and favorite hunt. • Despite the organization already having a strategic plan in place, Vetter explains her philosophy behind initiating a revitalized strategic plan with a larger collection of PF & QF employee executives focused on the following quote from business leader and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek, “If a movement is to have an impact, it must belong to those who join it not just those who lead it.” • Vetter goes on to explain why the organization’s wildlife habitat mission isn’t changing, but how increasing a reliance on science-based decision-making and improving accountability sharpened the organization’s focus on four strategic priorities, which include: a. Increase & improve wildlife HABITAT on public and private lands b. Advance conservation POLICIES and program funding c. Expand public ACCESS to upland wildlife habitat d. Expand, educate and engage the upland conservation COMMUNITY Learn more about PF & QF’s new strategic plan by reading “Aiming High,” an excerpt from the Pheasants Forever Journal. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jul 17, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for the first-ever meeting of the Upland Bird Hunters’ Book Club. The conversation starts with a discussion about Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It and how that book, and subsequent movie, changed the general public’s perception of fly fishing. St.Pierre poses the question, “has the upland bird hunting version of that classic narrative been written yet?” Episode Highlights: • The “national treasure” Tom Carpenter dives deep into his bookcase of classics with personal tales, including a story of his cherished friendship with renowned bird hunting writer Ben O. Williams. • Sparks covers a wide array of genres with his selections as his top five picks include a cookbook, a collection of essays, a couple of classics, and even a wacky fiction where a wealthy English hunter is reincarnated as a pheasant on his own hunting estate. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jul 15, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Yia Vang, a Hmong American chef, restaurant owner, and host of Outdoor Channel’s television show “Feral.” Vang talks about growing up as a small game hunter, going on his first pheasant hunt in Wisconsin, and his perspective on the Hmong “balanced” approach to food. Episode Highlights: • Vang talks about his journey from college to chef and food truck operator to the owner of a new restaurant, Vinai, in Minneapolis. • Vang also explains how Andrew Zimmern’s producers “discovered” him, which led to “Feral.” • WATCH Vang make pheasant fried rice, which is featured in the new PF & QF Upland Bird Hunting Super issue. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Jul 10, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by the husband-and-wife dog training duo Susanna and Ronnie Smith. Ronnie comes from a long line of famous bird dog trainers that includes his father, Ronnie Sr., his uncle Delmar, and his cousin Rick. The couple talk about falling in love when Susanna brought her young German shorthaired pointer pup to Ronnie for training. This is their touching love story filled with bird dog conversation and priceless bird dog training tips. Episode Highlights: • Susanna shares her story of growing up as a ranching kid in Texas, moving to Washington, D.C. to work for the House Committee on Agriculture, then coming back home to her roots to work livestock, horses, and dogs. • Ronnie shares a few fun stories about guiding President George H. Bush, President George W. Bush, NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann, and astronaut Eugene Cernan on Texas quail hunts. • The couple also share how the COVID pandemic changed the way they approached training a bird dog. • The Smiths are members of the Purina Pro Plan Pro Staff, check out this video about their story and learn more about the Smiths at their website.

Jul 3, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Travis Frank, host of The Flush, to preview the television show’s new 2024 season on Outdoor Channel. The guys kick off the conversation with a fun debate about which characters they most resemble from 1990’s sitcoms, then talk about their philosophical differences in approaching podcast preparations. The highlight of the episode comes with Travis discussing his personal trepidation about filming his son’s first pheasant hunt and the joy he experiences raising two daughters and two sons as hunters and anglers. Travis also shares the horrific experience of getting a fishhook in his eye and his miraculous recovery. The Flush 2024 Season Lineup Week 1 July 1 Alberta Huns & Fowl Week 2 July 8 Superior Trail Ruffed Grouse Week 3 July 15 North Dakota Sharpies & Huns Week 4 July 22 Minnesota’s First CRP Farmer Week 5 July 29 Kansas Quail Week 6 August 5 Marilyn Vetter as PF & QF’s New President & CEO Week 7 August 12 Traveling Grouse Guide Week 8 August 19 A Boy’s First Pheasant Week 9 August 26 Iowa Pheasant Roadtrip Week 10 September 2 Idaho Quail Nightmare Week 11 September 9 Christmas Grouse Camp Week 12 September 16 Hank Hunt #3 at Prairie Wildlife Lodge Week 13 September 23 A Young Chukar Hunting Phenom The Flush airs on Outdoor Channel at the following times (Eastern): • Mondays at 9:30am • Wednesdays at 12:30pm • Fridays at 11:30am • Saturdays at 8:30am • Sundays at 6:30am

Jun 26, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever’s Dr. Jessica McGuire, University of Georgia’s Dr. James Martin, and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a conversation about the new “Bobscapes” mobile app. The group chats about citizen science, artificial intelligence, and using Bobscapes data to better understand bobwhite quail populations. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Martin discusses the evolution of citizen science in wildlife research and also theorizes ways artificial intelligence may be used to help biologists in the future. • Jokingly referred to as a Bobscapes app “super user,” Sparks explains how easy the app is to use and how he enjoys putting it to work on his family’s Nebraska farm. • Learn more about Bobscapes and download the free app at www.Bobscapes.org. This episode of On the Wing podcast was made possible by a grant from the #Farming4Habitat campaign. Learn how private landowners are investing in the conservation of America’s fish and wildlife resources by visiting www.Farming4Habitat.org.

Jun 19, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever biologists Ciera Garner and Heather Francis to talk about the intersection between pollinator habitat for pollinating insects and brood habitat for upland birds. Garner is the organization’s pollinator coordinator in Tennessee and Francis is a farm bill biologist III and on-boarding coordinator in Nebraska. In fact, pollinators are so important to them both that Garner’s wedding earlier this spring included a variety of native wildflower components as did Francis’ youngest son’s wedding that happened on the very same day as Garner’s nuptials. Episode Highlights: • The group focuses their conversation on a Top 10 list of wildflowers as voted on by a sampling of PF & QF’s team of biologists. • The criteria for the Top 10 list of wildflowers included each plant’s a) value in creating habitat structure; b) value as a food resource – both in seed produced as food, as well as the plant’s ability to attract soft-bodied insects as chick food; and c) as the wildcard value of the flower’s blooming beauty. • Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are currently offering a special Pollinator Week package including a PF or QF membership, six wildflower plants, a “Habitat Creator” sticker, and a “Pollinator Habitat” sign. Check out the offer at: www.PheasantsForever.org/PollinatorWeek www.QuailForever.org/PollinatorWeek Thanks to our Pollinator Week partners: • Corteva Agriscience • Bayer U.S. Crop Science • Syngenta US • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Monarch Joint Venture • Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund

Jun 12, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a conversation with Jesse Griffiths, a restauranteur, chef, cooking instructor, MeatEater contributor, and James Beard award-winning food writer. Griffiths wrote an article in the new summer edition of the Quail Forever Journal titled, “The Three Quail I’ve Known,” about wild, stocked, and farm-raised quail. Episode Highlights: • The conversation starts with a focus on quail hunting opportunities in Texas and how a love for eating quail can lead to a passion for quail habitat conservation. • Sparks equates being a capable wild game cook at home to being able to read quality habitat for bird hunting. Both are equally important, but not always viewed as equals. • Griffiths closes the conversation with a lightning round of his favorite way to prepare quail, favorite quail side dishes, and favorite quail libations. Learn more about Jesse Griffiths by visiting the following sites: - His restaurant Dai Due at https://www.daidue.com/home - His books at https://www.thewildbooks.com/ - Follow Jesse on Instagram @sac.a.lait

Jun 5, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mike Amman and Ashly Steinke, both volunteers with the Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society, for a conversation about prairie grouse, barrens habitat, and dog training. When most folks think about sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chickens, they automatically think about the large expanses of prairie grasslands across the Dakotas or Montana or Nebraska. There is, however, a somewhat “secret” population of sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin’s brushland habitat. Episode Highlights: • Steinke, an ecologist with Audubon Society, shares his personal passion and professional knowledge focused on growing Wisconsin’s sharp-tailed grouse population through habitat management and brushland connectivity. • Amman, a forester for Wisconsin’s Bayfield County, discusses his perspective on the importance of the state’s brushland habitat and the wildlife dependent upon this unique form of grasslands habitat, even though he’s also passionate about the state’s Northwoods forests. • The guys also discuss the value Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society find in having a booth to recruit new members from all over the country at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. Learn more about sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin by visiting www.WiSharptails.org

May 29, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Irene Liu, Wenfei Tong, and Tom Swartwout, along with web developer and software engineer Ben Cooley for a “behind the scenes” conversation about the creation of the Map for Grasslands. The map is the output of a partnership spanning two years between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and more than two dozen conservation organizations working toward the creation of the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. Episode Highlights: • As a producer, editor, and director with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Conservation Media, Swartwout explains his organization’s interest in grasslands conservation and his team’s role in turning data into a visual tool for the public. • Liu and Tong discuss the data sources behind the map’s focus on bobwhite quail, pheasants, monarch butterflies, elk, and northern pintails as five of the fifteen different wildlife species highlighted within the www.MapForGrasslands.org. • Cooley then explains how he turned the tremendous volume of data sources into a heart-breaking AND compelling story of the need for grasslands habitat conservation by utilizing the “martini glass” principle.

May 22, 2024

Continuing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s special Women on the Wing podcast series, host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen for a conversation with Dr. Jess McGuire who is the Senior Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Bobwhite Program Manager. Jess shares stories about working on a variety of research projects, the ups and downs of conservation on private lands and why quail can save the uplands. Episode Highlights: • Why Jess has multiple unusual species in her freezer…. Cicadas anyone? • Hear about Jess’s experience as a biologist climbing trees with a chainsaw to build red cockaded woodpecker habitat. • How gopher tortoise conservation is quail conservation and why working with private landowners is extremely rewarding. • The crew discusses how sharing their enthusiasm for the natural world with kids, neighbors, former teammates, and private landowners will save the world. • Quail conservation at large and how creating and restoring habitat will produce more healthy and resilient quail populations. To learn more about the Bobscapes app referenced in the podcast, visit: https://bobscapes.org/ Suddenly curious about gopher tortoises? Visit: https://gophergamesfilm.com/

May 15, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Nick Hoffman, a singer-songwriter, fiddle player, and host of “Nick’s Wild Ride” on Outdoor Channel and Bally’s Sports. At the age of 17, Hoffman ran away from his Minnesota home to chase musical dreams in Branson, Missouri, and then later to Nashville where he landed as the fiddle player in Kenny Chesney’s band. From there, Hoffman takes us on his “wild ride” in the music industry, and growing up in a non-hunting family to hosting an award-winning outdoor television show. Episode Highlights: • Hoffman discusses his growing interest in hunting while touring with Chesney for 12 years, then while as a co-founder of the trio The Farm. He then explains how he jumped from a successful musical career into outdoor television. • The guys also talk about the importance of being a mentor beyond the initial introductory hunt, especially through failures. • Hoffman also explains the role his grandfather, Harry Hoffman, played in the early days of Federal Ammunition and how it has all come full circle with Federal Ammunition as the longest tenured partner of “Nick’s Wild Ride.”

May 8, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Senior Regional Representative Will Clayton for a conversation with chapter volunteers Nina Hoekstra and Dave Scherf. All four participants in this episode recently contributed to projects as part of PF & QF’s Hands-On Habitat effort to improve upland acres across the country. Episode Highlights: • The crew talk about clearing barbed wire, old tires, and other trash during habitat workdays, then they go around-the-horn with tales of the weirdest garbage they have picked up on public lands. • Nina Hoekstra, a volunteer with Minnesota’s McLeod County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, talks about the intimidation of first getting involved as a PF volunteer, then being so inspired to change careers focused on her passion for wildlife habitat and upland bird hunting. Follow Nina on Instagram @in.ninas.nature • Dave Scherf, a long-time volunteer with Minnesota’s Metro Minneapolis Chapter of Pheasants Forever, talks about his love for public land and how Hands-On Habitat projects brings him so much personal joy. Special “THANK YOU” to onX Hunt for supporting PF & QF’s Hands-On Habitat efforts across the country throughout the entire month of May. As part of their commitment, onX Hunt is funding three grants for PF & QF chapters participating in Hands-On Habitat projects. Learn more and find an event near you at: www.PheasantsForever.org/HandsOnHabitat or www.QuailForever.org/HandsOnHabitat

May 1, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Conservation Leadership Program Manager Levi Day for a discussion about the organization’s effort to foster more interest in conservation careers, ranging from biologists to marketing professionals and accountants to educators. Episode Highlights: • Day recounts becoming a hunter, pursuing a career as an education professional, then developing a hunting friendship via social media that resulted in his jump into a conservation career of his own with PF & QF. • Day also explains PF & QF’s Journey to Conservation Careers program and recaps a successful career curriculum session that occurred on the morning of the podcast in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s Harrisburg High School.

Apr 24, 2024

Continuing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s special Women on the Wing podcast series, host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen for a conversation with North Dakota Senior Field Representative Renee Tomala. Renee talks to us about growing up in the outdoors, DIY dog training and how she works with Pheasants Forever Chapters to carry out our organization’s mission. SPOILER ALERT: There are now 13 Women on the Wing Chapters across the country with more on the way! Episode Highlights: • Being in the path of totality – Britta's eclipse experience. • The crew talks about getting comfortable eating unusual animal parts. • Renee talks about what a privilege it is to work with chapters to carry out our mission and all the ways she goes about that, leaving us to wonder what doesn't a regional representative do? • Renee gives us a brief history of Women on the Wing and Women on the Wing Chapters, which originated with an all-women staff years ago in North Dakota. • Today there are Women on the Wing Chapters in ND, TX, MN, MI, NC, WA, GA, WI, AZ, SD and OH doing all kinds of neat things including hosting events like “Unstuck your truck.” • Renee chronicles the (mis)adventures of Quill, her German Wirehaired Pointer aka ‘Porcupine Lover.’ Find a Women on the Wing Chapter near you on our website, and if you’d like to start a Women on the Wing Chapter where you live, reach out to Renee at rtomala@pheasantsforever.org!

Apr 17, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tony Jones, an adult-onset hunter, theologian, author, professor, podcaster, and former pastor. Jones has just released a new book, The God of Wild Places with the subtitle “Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors.” In the book, Jones writes about the role pheasant hunting, bird dogs, and wild meat have played in shaping his new perspective on life following a tumultuous divorce. Episode Highlights: • The guys start off the episode with a spirited flusher vs. pointer debate. • Jones tells the funny story of trading preaching services for pheasant hunting expertise and land access. • The discussion ends with a preview of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers annual Rendezvous taking place at the Minneapolis Convention Center on April 19 & 20 where Tony will be selling his books and where PF & QF will have a membership booth. Learn more about Tony Jones, his new book, and the Reverend Hunter podcast at www.ReverendHunter.com.

Apr 10, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Clay Thompson, a SportDOG Brand pro staff dog trainer, for a conversation about his Oklahoma quail roots and his current South Dakota waterfowl and pheasant passions. The guys also discuss the new SportDOG Brand FieldSentinel, which Thompson equates to a dog’s “check engine light,” as it monitors a pup’s heart rate and the intensity & duration of exertion. Episode Highlights: • Thompson explains how skipping a day of college to go on a duck hunt with a well-trained bird dog changed his life for the better. • Thompson tells the story of how an impromptu South Dakota sharp-tailed grouse hunt on a hot day put his Labrador retriever into a scary situation, which was the genesis story for the new SportDOG Brand FieldSentinel. Check out the new SportDOG Brand FieldSentinel.

Apr 3, 2024

Continuing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s special Women on the Wing podcast series, host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen for a conversation with Iowa Senior Farm Bill Biologist Allie Barth. Barth is one of the longest tenured biologists in the organization and brings a wealth of knowledge to the discussion focused on prescribed fire and the ins and outs of the Conservation Reserve Program. The trio also discuss how our organizations’ biologists use their skills and passion to create wildlife habitat, and Barth also shares some of the important things she’s learned from working with landowners. Episode Highlights: • Barth shows off her biologist chops throughout the conversation, while also talking about how lighting a prescribed fire can be thrilling, scary, and extremely beneficial. • The crew discuss why Labs should be everyone’s next dog. • Upcoming adventures: exploring the outdoors with Labs and kids, more fire, and turkey hunting!

Mar 27, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined Ben Wheeler, a Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever wildlife biologist and prescribed fire expert from Nebraska, for a conversation with author Maura O’Connor. The discussion focuses on O’Connor’s new book, Ignition, which is subtitled “Lighting Fires in a Burning World.” The trio talk about the importance of prescribed fire for wildlife habitat, as well as the importance of regular burning of prairies and forests to prevent massive wildfires. Episode Highlights: • Wheeler recounts famed biologist Herbert Stoddard’s advocacy for fire as a critically important wildlife habitat management tool, as well as Stoddard’s dubbing of the bobwhite quail as “the fire bird.” • O’Connor explains the role prescribed fire plays in protecting grasslands from woody encroachment, mitigating climate change, and protecting water resources. Check out O’Connor’s book, Ignition, on Amazon.

Mar 20, 2024

Host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen to introduce a special Women on the Wing series of the podcast focused on highlighting the women that make up the Habitat Organization. Learn about who Britta and Ashley are as hunters and conservation professionals as well as what inspired them to tell the stories of other women in this series. SPOILER ALERT: 36% of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever staff are women and sharing their professional conservation journeys through this series is going to be amazing! Episode Highlights: Exploring the myth of man the hunter and woman the gatherer. What it means to have other women to go hunting with and learn from. Hear about the third consecutive year of an all-women buckthorn and honeysuckle murder squad. Upcoming adventures: prescribed fire, shed hunting and being pregnant during turkey season!

Mar 15, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three biologists from Oklahoma and Texas to discuss the massive wildfires in the panhandle areas of both states in recent weeks, as well as the impact those wildfires have had on upland birds. Those biologists include Tell Judkins, upland game biologist with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation; John McLaughlin, upland game program leader with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; and Thomas Janke, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s state coordinator for Texas. Episode Highlights: • Judkins and McLaughlin provide a recap of the massive number of acres burned and provide an update on the impact those wildfires have had on wildlife populations so far. • Janke explains difference between wildfires and prescribed fires, as well as the critically important role prescribed fire plays in properly managing upland habitat to maximize potential for wildlife. • Judkins and McLaughlin explain the concept of “fighting fire with fire” and the dual role prescribed fire plays in mitigating the risk and impact of wildfires. Read The Heart of The Habitat Organization is with the Southern Great Plains by Casey Sill

Mar 13, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by veterinarians Dr. RuthAnn Lobos and Dr. Seth Bynum for a podcast version of our “Ask a Vet” video series being presented by Purina Pro Plan. To kick off the conversation, Dr. Lobos and Dr. Bynum share their hunting and bird dog backgrounds, then Bob asks follow-up questions from the first six episodes of the video series. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoOX_tNUo44MiMiZqXrjqQqCDfw1jbFlI Episode Highlights: Ask a Vet Episode 1 – What’s in your bird dog’s first aid kit? Ask a Vet Episode 2 – How do I safely travel with my bird dog? Ask a Vet Episode 3 – How do I prevent bird dog injuries? Ask a Vet Episode 4 – What is the best feeding method for my bird dog? Ask a Vet Episode 5 – What supplements should I consider for my bird dog? Ask a Vet Episode 6 – When should I spay or neuter my bird dog?

Mar 6, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter and PF & QF Director of Communications Jared Wiklund to preview the special section, “Pheasant Habitat Essentials Guide” coming up in the spring edition of the Pheasants Forever Journal. The trio discuss nesting & brood-rearing habitat, winter habitat, food plots, pheasant stocking fallacies, the science of predators, and federal Farm Bill conservation and access programs. Episode Highlights: • Carp drops a wide array of “Carp-isms” like “hellholes” and “tootles” during the conversation. He also explains a few scientific terms like the immense “fecundity” of coyote populations and the constant “senescence” of habitat. • Jared explains the #Farming4Habitat campaign to highlight the robust investments America’s landowners make in support of fish and wildlife resources, particularly through Farm Bill conservation programs. The campaign’s partners include Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Congressional Sportsmen’s Alliance, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Learn more at www.Farming4Habitat.org.

Feb 28, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever co-workers to provide overviews of family-centric attractions that’ll be a part of National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming up on March 1-3 in Sioux Falls. Episode Highlights: • Kim Cole, PF & QF’s Habitat Education Program Manager, provides an overview of the event’s Youth Village sponsored by Sportsman’s Guide, which features archery, fly tying, and conservation career development. • Ashley Chance, PF & QF’s Hunting Heritage Program Manager, gives a rundown of the Path to the Uplands Stage sponsored by ALPS OutdoorZ. The lineup includes Ben Brettingen from onX, Dr. Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek from the South Dakota State University, Nick Hoffman of Nick’s Wild Ride on Outdoor Channel, James Beard Food Writer Hank Shaw, and Doug Duren of MeatEater fame. • Shannon Hoheisel, PF & QF’s Corporate Partnerships Manager, closes out the episode with an overview of “Family Day” sponsored by First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard. Sunday’s Family Day features free admission for attendees 16 years of age and younger, and a complimentary Spunky Pup pheasant dog toy for the first 500 families through the gates. Learn more about National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic at www.PheasantFest.org

Feb 21, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Buddy Huffaker, the President & CEO of The Aldo Leopold Foundation, and Rich Wissink, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s VP of Conservation Programs for a discussion about Aldo Leopold’s influence on conservation in 2024 and the 75th anniversary celebration of Leopold’s seminal work, A Sand County Almanac. The trio discuss how hunting and bird dogs shaped Leopold’s view of the natural world, his writings, and his Land Ethic. Episode Highlights: • Huffaker talks about becoming a hunter to better understand Leopold’s writings and how hunting has influenced his own view of Leopold, conservation, and the outdoors. • Wissink, a lifelong Wisconsinite and wildlife biologist, explains how his own career in conservation with the Wisconsin DNR and PF & QF has been influenced by Leopold. • Huffaker also explains how Delia Owen’s #1 New York Times Bestseller book, Where the Crawdads Sing, was influenced by Leopold. A Sand County Almanac is available through the Aldo Leopold Foundation for an affordable $7.50 each in recognition of the publication’s 75th anniversary and with the goal of helping get the text into more people’s hands to influence the broader public’s “Land Ethic.”

Feb 14, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jordan Martincich, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s VP of Development, and Ariel Wiegard, PF & QF’s VP of Government Affairs, for a discussion about a new effort to create sustainable conservation funding in Kansas. Jordan, a lifelong Kansas resident, provides the background on the initiative’s origin story, proposed funding structure, and anticipated deliverables. In fact, the Kansans for Conservation coalition includes a wide array of partners covering agriculture, energy, and conservation sectors. Episode Highlights: • Wiegard explains 35 of our country’s 50 states already have some form of sustainable funding in place for conservation investments, but Kansas does not. In fact, the absence of a dedicated conservation revenue stream is resulting in Kansas leaving considerable federal dollars on the table that could be coming back to Kansas. Wiegard also describes the mechanics of this proposal and how it would NOT result in the creation of a new tax. The proposal is a re-allocation of existing funding sources toward natural resources. • Martincich reports Kansas House Bill #2541 was introduced in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at the request of Representative Doug Blex on January 18th, which is the first step. A hearing was conducted related to HB #2541 on January 22nd. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members who live in Kansas are encouraged to contact their Kansas House Representative and voice their support for House Bill #2541. Learn more at www.KansansForConservation.org

Feb 7, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre has a “get to know you” chat with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s new Vice President of Government Affairs Ariel Wiegard. Following career stops with TRCP, Syngenta, and American Soybean Association, Wiegard joined PF & QF’s leadership team in late 2023. During the conversation, she talks about her hunting roots, her bird dogs, and how her career path in agriculture and conservation has culminated in her dream job at PF & QF. Episode Highlights: • Wiegard shares the terrific story behind her veteran German shorthair’s name, Argos. In Homer’s Odyssey, Argos is the only one who recognizes Odysseus after his ten-year journey. • Wiegard provides legislative updates on the Farm Bill, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP), and North American Grasslands Conservation Act. She also shares her vision for growth in the organization’s efforts to influence conservation policy at the state level.

Jan 31, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Charlotte Roy, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Grouse Project Leader and Bailey Petersen, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Assistant Area Wildlife Manager for northeast Minnesota, for a deep dive into the biology, habitat, and hunting tactics for spruce grouse. Episode Highlights: • Roy discusses a recently completed spruce grouse study spanning three years, which provided a tremendous amount of insight into this beautiful and secretive grouse species of the boreal forest. • Petersen, an avid upland bird hunter who travels across the country with her three English setters and one small Munsterlander, provides a wide array of tips for locating and hunting spruce grouse across Minnesota’s northern range. In fact, Petersen invites traveling bird hunters to contact her at bailey.petersen@state.mn.us to answer questions about hunting these birds in Minnesota, the eastern most state where they are legal upland game. Learn more about spruce grouse on the Minnesota DNR’s website at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/sprucegrouse.html

Jan 24, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dave Simonett, lead singer and songwriter of the band Trampled by Turtles, to preview Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s first-ever Concert for Conservation. In partnership with Pepper Entertainment, the show will open with Chester Floyd and Carl Hansen before Trampled by Turtles takes the stage at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Thursday, February 29th. Check out the available tickets to PF & QF’s first-ever Concert for Conservation at pheasantsforever.org/TrampledbyTurtles Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about their shared love of saunas, reading books, watching baseball, and following bird dogs. • Simonett also talks about how bird hunting, upland habitat, public lands, and bird dogs have changed his lifestyle and influenced his songwriting. Check out the limited-time PF or QF membership offers featuring the special concert artwork at pheasantsforever.org/Trampled or quailforever.org/Trampled Special THANK YOU to our Concert for Conservation sponsors Pepper Entertainment, Leinenkugel’s, Purina Pro Plan, and onXHunt.

Jan 17, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by lifelong South Dakota pheasant hunter and longtime Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer Darwin Weeldreyer. With two weeks remaining in South Dakota’s pheasant hunting season (as well as Nebraska and Kansas), Weeldreyer offers a few hard-earned tactics for outsmarting late season longtails. Episode Highlights: • Weeldreyer talks about originally getting involved with South Dakota’s Wessington Springs Chapter of Pheasants Forever to learn how to improve the habitat on land he inherited from his father, while also getting in good with the guy who would later become his father-in-law. • Fresh off a January pheasant hunt with eight inches of crusty snow on the ground, Weeldreyer gives a handful of hot tips for hunters chasing roosters the final couple of weeks of this hunting season. Get involved with PF or QF by becoming a volunteer with your local chapter.

Jan 10, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ryan Sparks during his first week as the new editor of Quail Forever Journal. Sparks talks about growing up in Nebraska and how quail have played an important role in every stage of his life leading to his dream job with Quail Forever. In fact, Sparks’ master’s thesis was titled, “Feathers and Farmers: A Cultural Ecology of Bobwhite Quail in Nebraska’s Platte River Valley.” Episode Highlights: • Sparks discusses his passion for Elhew English pointers, wild game cooking, and classic outdoors writing. He also floats the idea of a future quail hunting and bonefish cast & blast adventure to the Bahamas. • The guys also discuss Sparks’ vision for where he’d like to take the Quail Forever Journal and his interest in sourcing more stories from QF members. In fact, if you’ve got a story idea, please email Ryan at rsparks@quailforever.org. Become a Quail Forever member so you can start receiving the Quail Forever Journal and read Ryan Sparks’ work.

Jan 2, 2024

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President and CEO Marilyn Vetter for an in-depth conversation with Donnie Vincent, a biologist, explorer, conservationist, hunter, and filmmaker. Vincent will serve as the keynote speaker at the organization’s Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic National Banquet on March 2nd in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Episode Highlights: • Vincent explains the origin of his favorite quote, “To experience fantastic things, you have to put yourself in fantastic places” and how that ethos fits into his approach to life and filmmaking. • Vetter tells the funny and winding story of connecting with Donnie Vincent through a friend from Alaska, Ken Gates, that resulted in her husband having an impromptu hour and a half long conversation with Donnie in the fishing aisle of a Wisconsin sporting goods store. • Vincent also gives a taste of the habitat and hunting thoughts he’s building his keynote address around. Tickets to the National Banquet are sold out, but we are taking names on a waiting list at https://pfqf.myeventscenter.com/event/2024-National-Pheasant-Fest-Quail-Classic-84173 Learn more about Donnie Vincent at www.DonnieVincent.com and check out his signature film about what hunting means to him, Who We Are.

Dec 20, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever member Vincent Martino to share Idaho’s secrets as a top-tier upland bird hunting state. Marino, a former Marine Corps officer who recently was able to retire after selling his software company, recaps his recently completed adventure to hunt and bag all nine of Idaho’s upland bird species in a single season. Episode Highlights: Martino runs through his hunts for each of the nine species, which he successfully took over points by one of his two Brittany pups all on public land over the last four months. This includes ruffed grouse, blue grouse, Hungarian partridge, sharp-tailed grouse, California quail, sage grouse, pheasants, chukar, and spruce grouse!

Dec 15, 2023

This is the fifth episode of Pheasants Forever’s 14th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Design Director Logan Hinners, and Video Production Specialist Jordan Darley to recap this year’s Rooster Road Trip. The featured element is the group answering questions crowdsourced from PF & QF’s social media channels. Episode Highlights: · Darley explains his rational for leaving paradise in Hawaii to pursue his dream in North Dakota of becoming a wildlife biologist. He then talks about the importance of telling the story of our natural world through film as the impetus for his career pivot from a biologist to a video production specialist. · Each participant also talks about their favorite pieces of hunting gear, shotgun/ammo/choke preferences, and traveling hacks for living with bird dogs on the road. · Vavra also makes an impassioned plea for all the upland hunters complaining about a lack of public hunting access to get involved with a non-profit organizations and political efforts to move conservation policy forward in state capitols and in Washington, D.C. Check out all of this year’s Rooster Road Trip content at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the PF or QF Browning Blackout Knife. Don’t delay, the deadline to enter is December 20, 2023. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2023 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Autos • YETI • Irish Setter • Leupold

Dec 7, 2023

This is the fourth episode of PF’s 14th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Design Director Logan Hinners, and Social Media Strategist Nate Akey to recap the final day of this year’s adventure in Nebraska. Episode Highlights: The conversation starts with the group reminiscing around Rooster Road Trip’s origin story as an experiment for social media that has burgeoned into the PF’s largest online event and a driver of significant unrestricted revenue for the organization’s wildlife habitat mission. The crew also have some fun talking about the Threads social media mash-up around the launch of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer earlier this summer. Hinners and Akey talk about their young pup’s evolution as bird dogs over the course of the weeklong Rooster Road Trip and how wild birds are invaluable to their progression. And Vavra, the only person to have participated in all 14 Rooster Road Trip adventures, declares this year the “birdiest” Rooster Road Trip of all. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the PF Browning Blackout Knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2023 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Autos • YETI • Irish Setter • Leupold

Nov 30, 2023

This is the third episode of Pheasants Forever’s 14th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Iowa Regional Field Representative Lexi Ashbrook, and Nebraska Coordinating Wildlife Biologist Ben Wheeler as the group recaps hunting public lands in Iowa and Nebraska for pheasants and bobwhite quail. Episode Highlights: Ashbrook explains bonding with her dad while growing up pheasant hunting without a dog and how excited she is to have her own first bird dog, “Timber” a German shorthaired pointer, who is figuring things out on this trip. Vavra talks about his affinity for Iowa’s IHAP and Nebraska’s Open Fields & Waters, which are both programs creating public access to private land with wildlife habitat improvements being made in the process. Wheeler reminisces about the highlights, lowlights, and funny stories of his veteran bird dog, “Annie,” an 11-year old German shorthaired pointer. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the PF Browning Blackout Knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2023 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Autos • YETI • Irish Setter • Leupold

Nov 23, 2023

This is the second episode of Pheasants Forever’s 14th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Corporate Partnerships & Product Development Coordinator Erica Divan, and Iowa State Coordinator Josh Divan for opening day of pheasant hunting season in Iowa. Episode Highlights: · The Divan’s share their special opening day traditions as a young married couple and Erica Divan talks about feeling great at 5 ½ months pregnant while bird hunting on the trip. · Andrew expresses his love for watching pointing dogs work running roosters even though he admits to being a devoted Lab lover. · Josh Divan provides play-by-play to bagging his three-bird Iowa limit in the span of 90 seconds after missing a relatively easy opportunity earlier in the day. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the PF Browning Blackout Knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2023 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Autos • YETI • Irish Setter • Leupold

Nov 16, 2023

This is the first episode of Pheasants Forever’s 14th annual Rooster Road Trip. True to Rooster Road Trip’s ethos, this year’s “Hunting the Heartland” edition takes place exclusively on publicly accessible lands. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Senior Regional Representative Will Clayton, and Regional Representative Chance Steward to recap the trip’s first day of public land hunting on wildlife areas in south central Minnesota. Episode Highlights: · Vavra kicks off the conversation with the Rooster Road Trip’s origin story and talks about this year’s plan to hunt Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska. · Clayton describes the importance of early successional grassland habitat for pheasants and what it looks like to a hunter’s eye. · The group exchange barbs over bird dogs, water retrieves, shooting prowess, and St.Pierre’s propensity to separate from the group for a “walkabout” hunt by himself without cameras. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the PF Browning Blackout Knife. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2023 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Autos • YETI • Irish Setter • Leupold

Nov 1, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever’s Program Manager Andy Edwards for a conversation focused on the upcoming bobwhite quail hunting season in the Southeast. Michael Hook, small game program coordinator for South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and chair of the National Bobwhite and Grasslands Initiative – Technical Committee and Tim Caughran, PF & QF’s director of field operations in the South Region, roll through a highlight reel of hunting opportunities across southern bobwhite quail states. Episode Highlights: • Hook covers his home state of South Carolina, along with Alabama and Texas. He also explains his day-to-day responsibilities as a small game program coordinator. • Caughran touches on Virginia, Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana, while stressing the importance of being willing to venture deeper into the places other folks aren’t willing to go when in search of public land bobwhites. • Edwards highlights Georgia and touches on ways to use onX Hunt and your knowledge of quail habitat to seek out new areas to hunt this season. Check out Quail Forever’s full state-by-state quail hunting forecast for more details.

Oct 25, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever’s Program Manager Andy Edwards for a conversation focused on guests Casey Cardinal, resident game bird biologist for the New Mexico Game & Fish Department and chair of the Western Quail Working Group, and Lauren Stamm, Quail Forever’s regional representative for the southwestern U.S. The group provide an upland bird hunting forecast covering quail species across the western states starting in the southwest desert up to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Episode Highlights: • Cardinal gets the conversation started by targeting scaled quail in west Texas and rolls across New Mexico and Arizona with positive prospects for bobwhite, Gambel’s, and Montezuma quail. • Stamm covers Nevada and California for valley quail, Gambel’s quail, and chukar. • Cardinal closes the conversation with a wide array of hunting forecasts for valley quail, mountain quail, sharp-tail grouse, dusky grouse, and chukars across the Pacific Northwest. • Edwards and St.Pierre add their perspectives as Midwest-based bird hunters traveling to the West where rattlesnakes, mountain cliffs, and cactus are intimidating factors for the first-timers. Check out Quail Forever’s full state-by-state quail hunting forecast for more details.

Oct 18, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Nebraska Senior State Coordinator Kelsi Wehrman, Iowa State Coordinator Josh Divan, Missouri State Coordinator Andrew White, and Oklahoma & Kansas Regional Representative Laura McIver for a conversation about the upcoming pheasant and quail hunting seasons across the Great Plains. Each participant discusses weather, upland habitat, public lands, and hunting tactics in their respective state. Episode Highlights: · Wehrman and McIver talk about Nebraska and Kansas emerging from an extended drought to create optimism for the hunting season ahead and a potential big rebound for next season. · Divan’s Iowa report echoes Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota’s glowing recap heard during the last episode focused upon this spring and summer’s weather for “nearly perfect” nesting conditions for upland birds. · Wehrman and White both share first-time observations of quail “mega-broods” in Nebraska and Missouri this year. · Each participant provides a closing tip to help put an extra bird in your vest. Check out Pheasants Forever’s full state-by-state pheasant hunting forecast and Quail Forever’s full state-by-state quail hunting forecast for more details.

Oct 11, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined PF & QF’s North Dakota and Montana Senior Field Representative Renee Tomala, Minnesota State Coordinator Tanner Bruse, and South Dakota State Coordinator Matt Gottlob to preview the pheasant hunting seasons in each of their home states. The group talks about weather, habitat, and hunting tactics. Episode Highlights: · Tomala provides an update about her bird dog, Quill, who suffered a traumatic injury in the field last season during the filming of an episode of The Flush. · Gottlob and St.Pierre talk about both being Type 1 diabetics and how they overcome the challenges of their conditions as avid hunters. · Each participant provides a closing tip to help put an extra bird in your vest. Check out Pheasants Forever’s full state-by-state pheasant hunting forecast: pheasantsforever.org/forecast

Oct 5, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Program Manager Andy Edwards for a conversation with University of Tennessee’s Dr. Craig Harper and Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Park’s biologist John Gruchy for a discussion focused on bobwhite quail research and management. Episode Highlights: · Dr. Harper discusses historic quail management recommendations and how we have learned a lot from our mistakes over the last 20 years. He also urges, “every day of the year is a possible day to do something good for bobwhite quail. Don’t be relegated to any certain time of the year.” · Gruchy takes Dr. Harper’s comments and explains how state agencies are putting those constant learnings about quail and quail habitat to work on the ground. Learn mor about Dr. Harper’s research and publications at https://naturalresources.tennessee.edu/craig-harper/

Sep 27, 2023

In celebration of Build a Wildlife Area week, host Bob St.Pierre visits with three people instrumental in the creation of the new 195.5-acre Howard K. Vincent Waterfowl Production Area honoring PF & QF’s recently retired president and chief executive officer. The group in this conversation includes President of the Spirit Lake Protective Association John Smeltzer, Iowa Great Lakes Pheasants Forever Chapter volunteer Mary Jo Rapp, and PF & QF’s Minnesota State Coordinator Tanner Bruse. Episode Highlights: · Rapp explains how this project fulfills her local PF chapter memberships’ interest in improving habitat on public lands in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. · Smeltzer, a retired biologist with the Colorado Department of Parks & Wildlife, explains his passion for Spirit Lake’s water quality where he has made his retirement home and how that water quality focus also dovetails with his passion for hunting upland birds. · And the group of Labrador-loving guests have some fun ribbing St.Pierre for being the only pointer guy on this podcast. Learn more about PF & QF’s Build a Wildlife Area program at www.PheasantsForever.org/BuildaWildlifeArea

Sep 20, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter to discuss his feature article from the upcoming fall edition of the PF Journal titled, “9 Pheasant Hunting Lessons (Re)Learned.” This upcoming season will be Carp’s 50th spent chasing roosters and he has boiled down five decades worth of tricks into a list of nine core tips that will help add tailfeathers (and a roostery sag!) to your vest this autumn. Episode Highlights: · Bob retells the story of a Facebook friend proclaiming Carp as “a national treasure.” · The conversation is filled with terrific discussion about finding public land spots, hunting the “golden hour,” using the wind to advantage, being ready all the time, the importance of confidence in finding birds, and some of Carp’s hunting tales. During the conversation, Carp expresses his passion for onXHunt as a scouting tool by converting the company name to a verb, “onXing.” If you’ve not yet unlocked the bird hunting secrets of onXHunt, use the code PFQF at onxhunt.com for 20% off this year’s membership.

Sep 13, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society’s Engagement Coordinator Sam Tilman, along with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Vice President of Conservation Programs Rich Wissink to discuss their shared love of the autumn ruffed grouse woods. The conversation covers ruffed grouse and woodcock habitat, biology, and hunting tactics. Episode Highlights: · Wissink, recently back from a Montana sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge hunt during opening weekend, provides a recap of his first hunting trip into the uplands this season. · Tillman provides a great description of grouse and woodcock habitat for listeners who’ve never visited the Northwoods but are interested in a new upland hunting adventure. · The group also has some fun running down the roster of nicknames for the American woodcock. · Tillman also explains the difference between how ruffed grouse populations are surveyed using drumming counts versus august roadside counts used to measure pheasant and quail population indexes. Learn more about the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society at www.RuffedGrouseSociety.org

Sep 6, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Project Leader Scott Glup, PF & QF Director of Conservation Delivery for the Midwest Eran Sandquist, and Public Land Tees co-owner Sam Soholt for a discussion about how the federal Duck Stamp also creates habitat for upland birds. Episode Highlights: · Glup starts the conversation with a brief history of the federal Duck Stamp’s origin story. He also talks about how Fred Staunton, a biologist from South Dakota, fought to use Duck Stamp dollars for the purchase of small wetlands for public access which we now know as Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs). · Sandquist then explains the habitat value of WPAs for upland birds and how PF & QF partners with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to facilitate WPA acquisitions and habitat restorations. · Soholt closed the episode with an overview of the Stamp It Forward program, which has purchased more than $150,000 in Duck Stamps over the last four years. Soholt then explains this year’s effort, called the “Prairie Pothole Duck Ruck,” which has a goal of generating $100,000 for the purchase of 4,000 Duck Stamps powered by Soholt walking 100 miles from North Dakota to South Dakota’s Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge. Learn more at www.PublicLandTees.com/DuckRuck

Aug 30, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever co-workers who love creating upland habitat and hunting for greater prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse. That trio includes PF’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar, PF’s Minnesota Public Lands Specialist Becca Kludt, and PF & QF’s Nebraska Coordinating Wildlife Biologist Ben Wheeler. Episode Highlights: · The group starts with a conversation about identifying the type of habitat greater prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse favor. They also describe the difference in grassland height preferred by prairie grouse compared to pheasants. · The conversation then moves into each participant’s tips for how to hunt sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chickens. · The discussion is rounded out with a forecast for greater prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse with an emphasis on Nebraska, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Check out PF & QF’s 2023 Prairie Grouse Primer for our state-by-state forecast. https://pheasantsforever.org/primer

Aug 23, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Director of Communications Jared Wiklund and Development Officer Jake Hanson to announce the organization’s new Public Access To Habitat (PATH) program. PATH opens to South Dakota landowners for enrollment on September 1st and to hunters for public hunting access later this autumn. Ben Brettingen, onXHunt’s Regional Manager, also jumps into the conversation to deliver the program’s first $250,000 contribution, in partnership with South Dakota Tourism, which will result in the PATH program’s first 10,000 acres of open access. Episode Highlights: · The group has gathered in northern Wisconsin to run their bird dogs together before setting up the podcasting gear and camp chairs for a conversation about bird dogs, upland hunting, and public access. · Wiklund explains how the creation of the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition in 2013 was the precursor for this new statewide PATH program launching in South Dakota this autumn. · Hanson reminisces about predicting the future during episode 143 of On The Wing podcast while on the 2021 Rooster Road Trip, then directs landowners interested in learning more about PATH to connect with a PF Farm Bill Biologist in South Dakota. Special thanks to onXHunt and South Dakota Tourism for kicking off our new PATH program with the effort’s first contribution. Use the code PFQF at onxhunt.com for 20% off.

Aug 16, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ben Fleischacker, SCHEELS product development & sourcing expert AND a Pheasants Forever volunteer, along with PF & QF’s Erica Divan and Andy Fondrick for a conversation about the new line of PF & QF upland apparel and gear. The trio of avid bird hunters and bird dog owners talk about their philosophical approach to building the store’s assortment for the upcoming year. Episode Highlights: · Each individual talks about their favorite new apparel items in this year’s line that includes products from Simms, Orvis, and the SCHEELS Outfitters line. · The group also discusses the tagline “Purchase with a Purpose” and how SCHEELS has contributed to three new wildlife areas creating upland habitat and public access. Check out all the new Pheasants Forever items at PFStore.org and Quail Forever items at QFStore.org.

Aug 9, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre welcomes Tim Springer, professional dog trainer and owner of Dynamic Retrievers, for a conversation about understanding a dog’s mental state. Joining the conversation are PF & QF’s membership marketing manager Emy Marier and public relations specialist Casey Sill who’ve both been training their young black Labrador retrievers with Springer this summer. Following a quick training session, St. Pierre and his guests break down the ins-and-outs of DIY retriever training, from blind retrieves and marking, to basic obedience in the house — all centered around the importance of understanding your dog’s mental perspective. Episode Highlights: · Marier talks about how Springer’s background in behavioral science resonated with her as she embarks on training her second bird dog, a one-year-old Lab named Lou. · Sill explains how his four-year-old Lab, Bruly, recently came up short on a hunt test and Springer walks through the training steps to help Bruly succeed the next time. Learn more about Tim’s training methods at www.DynamicRetrievers.com

Aug 3, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Conservation Education Programs Colby Kerber and Hunting Heritage Program Manager Ashley Chance to talk about the organization’s brand new and FREE online educational video series. The How to Hunt Upland Birds online course features the stories of five hunters chasing a wide array of upland bird species in five different geographic regions. Videos include a mix of compelling personal narrative films and short how-to videos. Check out the video series trailer at www.howtohuntuplandbirds.org Thanks to our partners making this project a reality: • Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program • Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Backcountry Hunters & Anglers • Becoming an Outdoors Woman • Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies • Minority Outdoor Alliance • North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association • Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society • Modern Carnivore

Jul 26, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Chief Conservation Officer and biologist Ron Leathers to discuss the basics of pheasant and quail nesting season, while debunking some common myths. The guys also chat about what this year’s spring and summer conditions could mean for upland birds as state natural resource agencies head into August roadside counting. Episode Highlights: • Leathers explains the differences in what happens when a hen pheasant loses a NEST to factors such as predation, weather or haying versus what happens when a hen pheasant loses a BROOD that was successfully hatched. Then, Leathers runs through the similarities and differences in the quail nesting and reproduction biology. • Leathers closes the conversation emphasizing the need for more grassland habitat. In fact, he explains America’s Great Plains are the fastest disappearing ecosystem on the planet and our continent’s version of the rain forest.

Jul 19, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with Luc Ramthun, PF & QF’s senior corporate partnerships account executive, about the journey he’s been on with his first bird dog. The guys talk about Ramthun’s breed selection of a large Münsterländer, picking a puppy out of a litter, and training his pup for the upcoming hunting season. Episode Highlights: • Ramthun, a diehard fly angler, equates training his own bird dog to catching trout on a fly he has tied himself and explains how the Upland Institute, an online video-based training series, has been particularly helpful in training his bird dog independently. • St.Pierre also shares the stories of each of his first four bird dogs’ wild roosters and the serendipitous connection between them all.

Jul 12, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Director of Sustainability Brent Rudolph for a conversation with Peter Byck, a filmmaker and professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability. The discussion focuses upon Byck’s new four-part documentary, “Roots So Deep (You Can See the Devil Down There).” The film’s trailer articulates its premise as “a big ole research project about farmers and scientists who are figuring out if the way cattle are being grazed can actually help solve climate change. In the process of looking for common ground between farming and science, the common ground is the dirt right beneath their feet.” SPOILER ALERT: Bobwhite quail play a surprising starring role throughout the documentary. Episode Highlights: • The film chronicles ten neighbors in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky who are managing their cattle operations through two distinctly different methods of grazing over a ten-year period. A team of scientists measure the differences these two grazing methods have on soil, water, insects, birds, biodiversity, climate resiliency, and carbon sequestration. • Two members of the famous country music band, Alabama, participate in the documentary as cattle ranchers and bobwhite quail lovers. Check out the trailer for “Roots So Deep (You Can See the Devil Down There)” at www.CarbonCowboys.org

Jun 28, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Travis Frank, host of The Flush, and Mitch Petrie, vice president of programing at Outdoor Channel, to preview the television show’s new 2023 season of adventures. The guys also talk about the evolving world of hunting television in the face of a culture cutting the chord on cable and satellite services. Episode Highlights: • Petrie tells the story of meeting Frank for the first time at a Pheasants Forever banquet and offering him a job the following day. • Frank breaks down some of his favorite episodes of the coming season that includes an Alaskan adventure chasing three species of ptarmigan and a hunt with Trampled by Turtles’ frontman Dave Simonett that included ruffed grouse, woodcock, and pheasants. • Petrie also talks about the hot streak Outdoor Channel owner Stan Kroenke is on as owner of the St. Louis Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and Premier League’s Arsenal. The Flush airs on Outdoor Channel at the following times (all times Eastern): • Mondays at 9:30am • Wednesdays at 12:30pm • Fridays at 3:30pm • Saturdays at 8:30am • Sundays at 6:30am

Jun 21, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Habitat Education Program Manager Anna Swerczek and Monarch Joint Venture’s Executive Director Wendy Caldwell for a special Pollinator Week episode. The group’s conversation centers upon the habitat intersection between pheasants, quail, and pollinating insects with special attention focused on the monarch butterfly. Episode Highlights: • Swerzcek compares pollinator habitat plantings to food plots for pheasant and quail chicks who feast on the insects these pollinator plants nurture. • Caldwell explains the fascinating migration and life cycle of monarch butterflies. She also heralds the benefits of PF & QF’s habitat mission for pheasants and quail, and highlights that habitat work’s benefits to monarchs and a wide array of pollinating species. • Swerzcek also breaks down this year’s special Pollinator Week offer which includes a PF or QF membership, a Pollinator Week sticker, and six pollinator plant plugs that are geographically-appropriate based upon the purchaser’s location. Learn more at PheasantsForever.org/PollinatorWeek or QuailForever.org/Pollinator Week.

Jun 14, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by a group of folks who have trained their bird dogs together every Wednesday night for the last four years under the tutelage of amateur dog trainer John Zeman. In a change-up in formats, St.Pierre starts and ends the episode talking to John Zeman with six rounds of conversations in between. Episode Highlights: • David Abel talks about his two wirehaired pointing griffons and his plans to bird hunt on horseback while camping this coming hunting season. • Callie Brown talks about the fun process of introducing her husband, Chris, to bird hunting and bird dogs through her long friendship with the Zeman family. • Xoua Shower Xiong & Andre Xiong talk about becoming adult-onset bird hunters as a young married couple, and the importance their shorthairs now occupy in their lives. They also talk about their love for chasing prairie grouse in the Nebraska Sandhills. • Julia Schrenkler returns to our podcast reminiscing about how her first shorthair, Wren, lead her to become a bird hunter ten years ago, and the importance of Wednesday evenings with the Zeman group for training her new pup, Nixie. • Richard Hansen explains the circumstances leading him to getting a German shorthair as the COVID pandemic started and how his pup, Debbie, has pushed him headfirst into training, bird hunting, and wildlife habitat conservation. • Paul Godfrey offers a variety of “dad” jokes as he explains his reactivation back into hunting through the addition of a Brittany puppy after coaching youth hockey during the last thirty years.

Jun 7, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Keng Yang and Matt Addington, a professional photographer turned filmmaker, for a conversation about the creation of the film, “A Bird Dog Named Kaiya,” which is the story of Yang’s introduction to bird hunting. Growing up in urban America as a first-generation child of parents who immigrated from Laos, Yang found himself conflicted with his culture’s history of subsistence hunting. It was a bird dog that changed Yang’s perspective on hunting, while also mending a fractured relationship with his father. Episode Highlights: • Yang also joined St.Pierre for episode 200 following a cold Minnesota pheasant hunt. During that January episode at the beginning of the NFL Playoffs, Yang predicted the Minnesota Vikings would win the Super Bowl, so the group has fun reminiscing about that bold prediction. • Addington discusses how photography has added a sixth stage of his evolution as a hunter where he sees dogs, habitat, and hunting in a unique angle through a camera lens. Watch the “A Bird Dog Named Kaiya” at www.PheasantsForever.org/Kaiya with special thanks to the film’s presenting partners at Purina Pro Plan, Toyota, and Benelli.

May 31, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Jessica McGuire, a wildlife biologist and Quail Forever’s Working Lands for Bobwhite Quail Framework Coordinator, and Joe Burnam, Georgia DNR’s red-cockaded woodpecker biologist who also has an extensive background in bobwhite quail biology. Burnam and McGuire discuss how focusing on creating great red cockaded-woodpecker habitat using prescribed fire on the southeastern United States’ open pine woodlands also can help create a bobwhite quail population explosion. Episode Highlights: • McGuire explains the shared habitat need for an open pine forest between the red-cockaded woodpeckers living near the canopy to the gopher tortoises living at ground level (and sometimes underground), and bobwhite quail living on the ground and in between. • Burnam explains the “Safe Harbor” program that incentivizes landowners to create habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker by removing the fear around the Endangered Species Act. • McGuire points landowners to learn more about conservation programs available for improving wildlife habitat in the southeastern bobwhite quail range by visiting with a Quail Forever biologist. Find a QF Biologist near you. Reminder: Document the bobwhite quail you encounter to help us measure their nationwide population by using the new Bobscapes mobile app.

May 24, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dave Simonett, lead singer of the band Trampled by Turtles, and Mike Wieben, head dog trainer at Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels, for a conversation about Simonett’s two bird dogs. The conversation starts with a focus on Hrbek, Simonett’s Australian shepherd mix breed rescue, then transitions to Maxon, Simonett’s new German wirehaired puppy currently being trained by Wieben. Sincerest THANK YOU to SportDOG Brand for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast. Episode Highlights: • Simonett discusses his relatively new love for bird hunting and how it has reprioritized his autumn calendar and opened his eyes to the value of public lands. • The guys also compare the artistry of songwriting with the artistry of training a dog to reach its full potential as a bird dog. • Simonett also talks about his growing outdoors writing endeavors with recent stories in Garden & Gun magazine and Tom Beckbe’s Field Journal. Sign up for Simonett’s new newsletter, GOOD RECORD, at his website www.DeadManWinter.com Learn more about the collaboration between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and Trampled by Turtles through this fantastic article by Javier Serna that originally appeared in Outdoor News.

May 10, 2023

In this episode, hosts Marissa Jensen and Rachel Bush of PF & QF are taking over the podcast for a special Mother’s Day edition. They are joined by two special guests to celebrate the ups, downs, and in-betweens of raising a family outdoors. This episode’s guests include Susan Felege, PF & QF Board of Directors and Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of North Dakota, and Kata Miller, North Carolina Women on the Wing Quail Forever Chapter president. The episode is all about these mothers doing their best to raise their children with a love and appreciation for hunting and conservation. Episode Highlights: • Kata and Susan share the ways they get their families outdoors. • We all know that getting our kids outside can be challenging at times, but the rewards are worth it. Our guests share some of the challenges they’ve faced as well as those ah-ha moments. • Even when you think your kids aren’t listening or learning from you, they surprise you with their astute observations of nature when you’re least expecting it . . . and sometimes kids say the funniest things! • Secrets and snacks, our guests share what works best for them through the good times and the bad.

May 3, 2023

If given a choice, would land managers be better off adding pheasant nesting habitat in a few larger chunks or dispersed as a bunch of little tracts across the landscape to mitigate the impact of predators on pheasant populations? Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Scott Taylor, the National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan Coordinator, to talk about scientific research assessing small and large tracts of nesting habitat for pheasant reproduction. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Taylor discusses the importance of looking at pheasant habitat from “a neighborhood” point of view. • The guys also break down the importance of nesting cover, brood-rearing habitat, winter cover, and food plots as landowners approach maximizing their land for pheasant populations. Read Dr. Scott Taylor’s new essay, “Play Small Ball or Swing for the Fences?” on pheasant nesting cover and how tract size plays into reproduction success. https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Play-Small-Ball-or-Swing-for-the-Fences.aspx

Apr 26, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tom Reed, Greg McReynolds, and Reid Bryant, the three principles behind the new Mouthful of Feathers book. Each participant previews their contributions to the upcoming book of short stories focused on bird hunting and bird dogs with a heavy dose of literary prose absent of how-to essays. Episode Highlights: • Byrant, host of the Orvis Hunting and Shooting podcast, recounts assembling a group of outdoors writers at a northern Minnesota grouse hunting lodge in 2017 that included Reed, McReynolds, and St.Pierre all meeting for the first time. • McReynolds, who works at Trout Unlimited with Reed, talks about the intersection between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and Trout Unlimited as the habitat created through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) benefiting upland game birds and cold-water fish species. The new Mouthful of Feathers book will be available in a print edition this summer and includes stories from Quail Forever Editor Chad Love and PF & QF’s Conservation Leadership Program Manager Marissa Jensen.

Apr 19, 2023

Bobwhite quail have long been known as a “fire bird,” because of their positive population response to habitat improved through fire management. In this episode, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three PF & QF employees for a conversation covering the science and art of using prescribed fire as a wildlife habitat management tool for bobwhite quail. The trio includes Missouri State Coordinator Andrew White, Missouri Prescribed Fire Coordinating Wildlife Biologist Wes Buchheit, and Missouri Habitat Specialist Crew Leader Dylan Jacobs. Episode Highlights: • White describes the importance of early successional habitat for bobwhite quail and explains how fire is utilized to maintain the integrity of grasslands as an ecosystem. • In a fascinating sequence, Jacobs equates prescribed fire to an artform, his drip torch to a paint brush, and a natural landscape to a canvas. • Buchheit explains how QF’s efforts to embrace fire through government policy, partnerships, and public education are turning the tide for the state’s quail populations. • Each participant also puts in words of support for their favorite bird dog breed during this month’s Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. They also debate whether or not the Simpson’s dog, “Santa’s Little Helper,” is a vizsla.

Apr 12, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by John Laux, PF & QF’s habitat protection program manager, and Eric Sytsma, PF & QF’s habitat protection development officer, for a conversation about creating public lands through the organization’s Build a Wildlife Area program. Since its first land acquisition in 1986, PF & QF have created more than 220,000 acres of permanently protected and publicly accessible upland wildlife habitat. The Build a Wildlife Area program is one of the organization’s signature tools helping grow that acre total even larger. Episode Highlights: • Laux explains the variety of ways PF & QF work with federal and state agencies to permanently protect critical habitat and create public access. Agencies interested in discussing a land acquisition with PF & QF should connect with Laux at jlaux@pheasantsforever.org. • Sytsma adds to the discussion with his knowledge around the role chapters, donors, and corporate partners play in helping fund permanent protection. Donors interested in learning more about land gifts should connect with Sytsma at esytsma@pheasantsforever.org. • All told, the organization averages a 14-to-1 match for leveraging donor contribution toward a land acquisition. In fact, acquisitions in the state of Minnesota even reach a match averaging 40-to-1. BIRD DOGS FOR HABITAT and BUILD A WILDLIFE AREA Bird Dogs for Habitat is an online popularity contest with a purpose. From April 1st through 30th we’re challenging people to cast a vote and make a donation on behalf of their favorite bird dog breed. Every dollar donated equals one vote and every donation will help create more permanently protected and publicly accessible places for our bird dogs to roam via our Build a Wildlife Area program. Head to www.birddogsforhabitat.org to vote! And thanks to our partners at Orvis, Purina Pro Plan, SportDOG BRAND, Ruff Land Kennels, and North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association.

Apr 5, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mike Wieben, head dog trainer at Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennel, for a conversation with PF & QF’s Logan Hinners, the proud new owner of a young Labrador retriever puppy named “Trek.” Over the course of the episode, Wieben coaches Logan on properly introducing Trek to birds, gunfire, water, and electronic dog training tools. Episode Highlights: • Logan describes his hopes for Trek to become a “5-tool” bird dog who will accompany him in the uplands, in the duck blind, and in search of shed antlers. • Wieben explains the importance of separating obedience training from bird & gun introduction to build a puppy’s prey-drive and foster a pup’s connection to fun associated with birds. • Wieben also discusses the various SportDOG BRAND® e-collars available for training and hunting. BIRD DOGS FOR HABITAT Bird Dogs for Habitat is an online popularity contest with a purpose. From April 1st through 30th we’re challenging people to cast a vote and make a donation on behalf of their favorite bird dog breed. Every dollar donated equals one vote and every donation will help create more permanently protected and publicly accessible places for our bird dogs to roam via our Build a Wildlife Area program. And on top of this, every week our generous sponsors are supplying fantastic prizes that are eligible to anyone who voted. This week, SportDOG has provided a SportTrainer 1275 as a prize for one lucky donor. Head to www.birddogsforhabitat.org to vote! And thanks to our partners at Orvis, Purina Pro Plan, SportDOG BRAND, Ruff Land Kennels, and North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association.

Mar 29, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Marilyn Vetter for her inaugural podcast interview as the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. The conversation starts off fast and fun with Vetter explaining how she was tapped for jury duty her first week on the job at PF & QF, then moves into a wide range of topics from bird dogs to volunteerism to her SWOT analysis of the organization and her vision for The Habitat Organization’s future. Episode Highlights: • Vetter talks about developing a passion for the uplands while growing up on the family cattle farm in North Dakota, then becoming a bird hunter with her high school sweetheart and now husband, Clyde. • She also explains the role bird dogs have played in her personal life and volunteer ethos. • This must-listen episode lends important insight into our new leader’s perspective on how our habitat mission won’t change. The vision of how we accomplish those habitat goals, however, must constantly evolve to be successful. Learn more about Marilyn Vetter in the press release announcing her as the organization’s 3rd CEO in our 40-year history. https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Pheasants-Forever-and-Quail-Forever-National-Board-of-Directors-Select-Marilyn-Vetter-as-New-Preside.aspx

Mar 24, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Chief Development Officer David Bue to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Call of the Uplands campaign coinciding with the retirement of longtime PF & QF President & CEO Howard Vincent. Episode Highlights: • Vincent revisits the important moments of his four decades with Pheasants Forever; including the story of Quail Forever’s creation and the personal promise behind the Sage Grouse Initiative. • Bue and Vincent talk about the campaign’s 11 million acres of habitat improvements and the 2 million acres of access created, as well as how Call of the Uplands has changed the trajectory of the organization’s future. • Vincent also explains the impetus for the new fighting roosters tattoo on his right arm and unveils plans for a covey of flushing quail on his left arm as an illustration of his lifelong commitment to upland habitat. Learn more about the Call of the Uplands accomplishments by visiting our campaign summary. https://pheasantsforever.org/celebrate

Mar 8, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by four Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever biologists who are also experts in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). PF & QF’s Rachel Bush, Brittney Viers, Andy Houser, and Nate Fore talk about why bird hunters should care about CRP and discuss the unique opportunity for CRP enrollment open to landowners through April 7th. Episode Highlights: • Bush, a biologist from North Dakota, explains the importance of CRP for upland birds, hunters, water quality, and soil health. • While CRP has always been synonymous with pheasant habitat, Viers, a biologist from Tennessee, explains the value CRP brings to the mid-south and southeastern U.S. for landowners interested in creating bobwhite quail habitat. • Houser, a biologist from Nebraska, explains how the private lands enrolled into CRP are the foundation to walk-in access programs across the country. Interested in learning more about CRP and conservation options for your property, contact a Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever biologist near you by visiting www.PheasantsForever.org/CRP or www.QuailForever.org/CRP

Mar 1, 2023

On January 20th, we posted a blog titled, “Like Pheasants? Thank a Coyote,” on the Pheasants Forever Facebook page. That article generated a whopping 430 shares and 369 comments ranging from unhinged vitriol to unapologetic praise. The response on Instagram was similarly passionate. In this episode, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Tim Lyons and Dr. Nicole Davros, both biologists with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Aaron Kuehl, PF & QF’s habitat programs national director who also received his master’s degree in animal ecology from Iowa State University where he studied predator movement and activity. The group discuss the science behind the blog’s premise and answer the more popular questions on the social feeds generated by the post. Episode Highlights: • In what may be a surprising reaction, Kuehl thanks the social media commentors for their passion about pheasants and for their pushback on the science. • The biologists discuss the role coyotes play as predators of adult pheasants and pheasant nests. They also explain the complex relationship between coyotes, fox, and pheasants. • Lyons explains “compensatory reproduction,” and how coyotes will actually produce more litters when their populations are suppressed.

Feb 22, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by MeatEater’s Ryan “Cal” Callaghan, Sharing the Land’s Doug Duren, and PF & QF biologist Matt Morlock on the final day at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. The group recaps their upland bird hunting seasons, recent wildlife habitat trends, and takeaways from this year’s record-breaking event. Episode Highlights: • Callaghan relives a serendipitous pronghorn and pheasant hunt in Montana last season. • Duren talks about his excitement around a new project on his forested property to improve the land as ruffed grouse habitat. • Callaghan explains his affinity for the young PF & QF biologist team working with landowners to improve the landscape for wildlife.

Feb 15, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by European bird hunter Miguel Canaverde and Project Upland filmmaker Kevin Erdvig for a conversation about the new film “Lapland Grouse” debuting at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Film Fest later this week in Minneapolis. The new film is about Portuguese native Canaverde’s relocation to Sweden where he’s fallen in love with the country’s upland bird hunting opportunities, especially for capercaillies, a Eurasian forest grouse species. Episode Highlights: • The film “Lapland Grouse” will be a part of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s second-ever Film Fest kicking off National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2023 in Minneapolis on Thursday, February 16th. • Canaverde and his Bracco Italiano bird dog will be featured in the upcoming spring issue of Project Upland’s magazine. • And, special thanks to the musical group Trampled by Turtles for allowing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever to use their song “On the Highway” as our new podcast intro music. Learn more about National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic at www.PheasantFest.org

Feb 8, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by representatives from Ruffed Grouse & American Woodcock Society, North American Grouse Partnership, Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society, Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society, and Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society to preview the brand new GROUSE TRAIL addition to National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic taking place in Minneapolis on February 17-19, 2023. Episode Highlights: • Sam Tillman of the Ruffed Grouse & American Woodcock Society and Jodie Provost of the North American Grouse Partnership both preview their respective talks on the Public Lands Stage. Provost also describes the new show floor attraction of a grouse viewing blind with video of each grouse’s spring dancing ritual. • All five grouse groups provide overviews of their organization’s conservation efforts and talk about the special membership offers and incentives they’ll be rolling out at the event. • Provost announces a Grouse Trail Happy Hour occurring at 4pm on Saturday, February 18th that’s being sponsored thanks to onX and will also generate donations for PF & QF’s Build a Wildlife Area program for public land creation. Learn more about National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic at www.PheasantFest.org

Feb 1, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Habitat Education Program Manager Anna Swerczek and The Flush TV’s Travis Frank for a conversation previewing the family-friendly attractions at this year’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming up in Minneapolis on February 17-19th. Episode Highlights: • With winter tightening its grip across much of the country, St.Pierre starts the conversation with a recap of his recent trip to sun-splashed Arizona where he was hunting scaled, Gambel’s, and Mearns’ quail. • Swerczek provides an overview of the Youth Village and Pollinator Pathway sections of the event, while Travis Frank previews his talk on the Path to the Uplands Stage. • St.Pierre also leaves an Easter egg in the conversation about retiring President & CEO Howard’s Vincent’s plan to unveil a pheasant and quail tattoo during this year’s event after losing a wager with the PF & QF employee team. Learn more about National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic at www.PheasantFest.org

Jan 25, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Public Relations Manager Jared Wiklund for a fun and wide-ranging conversation with Keng Yang. The guys start by recapping the trio’s snowy pheasant hunt to close out the Minnesota season, then talk about Yang’s journey from anti-hunter to hardcore, every-single-free-day pheasant hunter. Episode Highlights: • St.Pierre explains how the group navigated snow drifts up to their nipples to find pheasant hunting success in the Minnesota cattails on the closing days of the state’s pheasant hunting season. • Yang talks about how the addition of a German wirehaired pointer changed his perspective from anti-hunter to a person who loves hunting, and is adamant about giving back to wildlife habitat conservation as a volunteer for Pheasants Forever and a variety of other conservation groups. Keng Yang will be speaking on the Public Lands Stage at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2023 in Minneapolis on February 17-19.

Jan 18, 2023

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three Pheasants Forever biologists to discuss the impact this year’s severe winter weather has been having on pheasant populations across the country’s northern tier of states. Those three biologists include Private Lands Conservation Program Manager Rachel Bush from Bismarck, North Dakota; Minnesota State Coordinator Tanner Bruse from Marshall, Minnesota, and South Dakota and North Dakota State Coordinator Matt Morlock from Huron, South Dakota. Episode Highlights: • Bush explains the philosophy of “putting the kitchen next to the bedroom” when designing quality pheasant habitat to best survive severe winters. • Bruse breaks down the good and bad of seeing pheasants in open agricultural fields during the winter. Are they stressed and vulnerable or taking advantage of accessible food? Or both? • Morlock delivers a few zingers as he talks about cattails (nature’s hot dogs), hot lunch (corn kernels in steaming cow pies), and the OG’s of surviving winter (sharp-tail grouse).

Jan 11, 2023

As we near National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic and the celebration of our 40th anniversary, we’re turning the spotlight on Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapter volunteers, the true lifeblood of our organization’s habitat mission. In this episode, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Will Clayton, the organization’s senior regional representative to introduce “The Year of the Volunteer” concept. To bring life to the celebration of volunteers, we’ve got four dynamic chapter officers lined up to talk about their motivations for volunteering. Those chapter volunteers include Austin Roby in Ohio, Cayla Bendel from North Dakota, Clay Denny out of Missouri, and Mike Coyle of Kentucky. Episode Highlights: • Each individual volunteer talks about their motivations for getting involved with a local Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever chapter and how those expectations resulted in friendships, on-the-ground habitat results, fun times, and cherished memories. • Coyle highlights the importance of the organization’s unique, locally empowering model in which chapters retain 100% local control of the funds they generate through their efforts. • St.Pierre closes it out with an interesting anecdote about being contacted for use of the PF or QF logos in tattoos and casket engravings as evidence of how important the organization becomes to people’s identities. Check out more Year of the Volunteer Content - https://pheasantsforever.org/forever-one - https://pheasantsforever.org/forever-two

Jan 4, 2023

At this year’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming up in Minneapolis this February, we’re presenting a special hands-on course called BIRD DOG TRAUMA TRAINING. It’s the brainchild of our very own David Gutierrez, PF & QF’s senior regional representative for the southwestern U.S. and a former Green Beret turned habitat conservation warrior. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Gutierrez for this episode, along with one of the Bird Dog Trauma Training session’s experts, Tom Sager, who is also a fellow serviceman with the unique role of training U.S. military special operations teams to take care of their canine partners. Bird Dog Trauma Training Seminar Where: At National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2023 inside the Minneapolis Convention Center When: Thursday, February 16th, Friday, February 17th, and Saturday, February 18th 8am to 3pm daily Who: Sessions are limited to 20 participants each day What: Each session includes training with Tom Sager, Dr. Seth Bynum, and Jerry Snetsinger, aka “The Trap Doctor.” Registration is $500 per participant and includes a PF or QF Dog Life Membership and a custom field trauma kit Learn more at www.PheasantsForever.org/K9Trauma or contact David Gutierrez for more details at dgutierrez@pheasantsforever.org

Dec 29, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Gun Dog Supply’s Steve Snell to talk bird hunting, dogs, and bird dog gear. Steve is a passionate bird dog man and likely among the country’s top traveling wingshooters racking up truck miles in search of covey flushes from his home in Mississippi to his quail hunting properties in Texas to public lands destinations in Montana and beyond. Episode Highlights: • The guys reminisce about a quail hunting trip together on which Bob bagged his first-ever blue quail after making the 17-hour drive from Minnesota to West Texas to hunt over his own bird dogs. Snell also explains his love for hunting “cheating” blue quail (also known as scaled quail and cottontops) over big running English pointers. • Snell explains the Gun Dog Supply origin story and shares the business’ top-selling bird dog gear items, while also offering some sage advice for what to list on a bird dog’s ID collar. • Just back from a quail hunting trip to Texas, Snell provides a recap of his hunt and an overview for the rest of the Texas quail season.

Dec 21, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three of the country’s foremost quail biologists to talk about past, present, and future efforts to count bobwhite quail and how that population data is used to create high quality quail habitat, more birds, and better hunting opportunities. Those quail biologists include Quail Forever’s Working Lands for Bobwhite Quail Framework Coordinator Dr. Jessica McGuire, Georgia DNR’s Quail Coordinator Dallas Ingram, and University of Georgia Associate Professor Dr. James Martin. Episode Highlights: • Ingram and Martin explain how bird dogs are used to help count fall bobwhite coveys, while taking fun jabs at each other’s favorite bird dog breeds in the process. • McGuire also discusses how landowners who are interested in fostering higher quail populations on their property can get involved with counting quail as a means of better understanding what factors need to be improved on a particular piece of land. • Martin also talks about how his grad students at the University of Georgia are using new technology to make significant strides in our understanding of quail population dynamics.

Dec 14, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Nate Akey, PF & QF’s first-ever employee to hold the title of “Social Media Strategist” for a discussion about his new job and his relatively newfound passion for mountain quail. Episode Highlights: • Holding a master’s degree in aquatic biology, Nate tells his compelling story about how a love for photographing his bird dog changed the trajectory of his career. • Nate also talks about his move from Michigan to Oregon and what he’s learned about mountain quail habitat, hunting, and cooking along the journey. • The guys finish up with a lightning round conversation about strengths, weaknesses, and audiences currently following Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Dec 6, 2022

This is the fifth and final episode from Rooster Road Trip XIII. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Graphic Design Manager Logan Hinners, and Video Production Specialist Aaron Black-Schmidt to recap this year’s trip to Montana. The group tackles a wide array of crowd-sourced questions sent our way through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We laughed and we cried (literally) during this super fun conversation putting a bow on this year’s Rooster Road Trip. Episode Highlights: • Vavra kicks off the conversation with controversy by asking everyone to name THE SINGLE BEST BIRD DOG BREED for the uplands . . . chaos ensues. • Can a bird dog smell the difference between a rooster and a hen? You may be surprised by the group’s answer. • And there were lots of questions about preferences in gear, guns, and states to hunt. We tackled them all, including our favorite memories from this year’s Rooster Road Trip. Check out all of our Rooster Road Trip videos, podcasts and photo galleries at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2022 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Auto

Dec 1, 2022

This is the fourth episode from Rooster Road Trip XIII. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Senior Regional Representative Renee Tomala, Corporate Partnerships & Product Development Coordinator Erica Hill, and Montana Regional Representative Chad Harvey to recap the trip’s final day in Montana. A mixed bag of pheasants, sharpies, and Huns were all in the air, but was the group finally able to complete the full Montana mixed bag during one walk? Episode Highlights: • With temperatures touching 80 degrees just three days earlier, the group is greeted by the first snowstorm of the season making for challenging conditions for hunters and bird dogs alike. • St.Pierre blames a missed rooster over a point on wearing too many layers of clothes and Vavra compares him to Ralphie from “The Christmas Story.” Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2022 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Auto

Nov 24, 2022

This is the third episode from Rooster Road Trip XIII. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Senior Regional Representative Renee Tomala, and Graphic Design Manager Logan Hinners to recap the third and fourth days of the group’s Montana hunt. Day 3 was spent battling strong winds on the picturesque Wolf Creek Block Management Area, while rain-soaked roosters highlighted Day 4’s hunt across the stunning Coffee Creek Block Management Area. Episode Highlights: • Vavra recounts the hilarious story of finding an impressive, but stinky, pair of pronghorn sheds. How bad did they smell? So bad that Tomala wouldn’t approach a dog on point that was downwind from Vavra. • Tomala takes us through a rooster-filled sequence during a rainstorm at Coffee Creek where her shooting skills and her bird dog Quill’s pointing prowess were both put on display. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2022 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Auto

Nov 17, 2022

This is the second episode from Rooster Road Trip XIII. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Corporate Partnerships & Product Development Coordinator Erica Hill, and Montana Regional Representative Chad Harvey to recap the group’s hunt at the Teton River Wildlife Area. The Teton project was created through PF & QF’s Build a Wildlife Area program and is a wonderful illustration for Vavra’s selection of the “mixed bag” theme for this year’s Rooster Road Trip as the area provides critical habitat to a wide array of wildlife species, ranging from pheasants and Huns to moose and grizzly bears. Episode Highlights: • The crew discuss gathering for the morning’s hunt started with bear spray distribution and overall safety precautions to take on a bird hunt in grizzly bear country. • Hill also shares the thrilling story of her Lab, Oak, making his first water retrieve on a rooster dropping into the Teton River during the day’s hunt. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2022 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Auto

Nov 10, 2022

This is the first episode from Rooster Road Trip XIII. True to the Rooster Road Trip’s ethos, this year’s event takes place all on publicly-accessible lands in search of an upland mixed bag of pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, and Hungarian partridge in Montana. To kick off this year’s trip, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra, Montana State Coordinator Hunter VanDonsel, and the organization’s new Social Media Strategist Nate Akey for a conversation about the intersection between upland birds, pronghorns, water quality, and public access in Montana. Episode Highlights: • VanDonsel explains Montana’s “Hydration for Migration” initiative to help address inadequate water for livestock, which also produces critical grassland habitat for pronghorns, sharp-tailed grouse, and a wide array of other upland wildlife species. Thanks to participating landowners, this approach has resulted in 29,681 acres of grasslands enrolled in long-term protection agreements with thousands of these acres also enrolled in Montana’s Block Management program providing public access to hunters. • The crew recount the first day’s hunt producing fast and furious sharp-tailed grouse action; including, St.Pierre’s own two-mile sharpie retrieve. Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 725 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2022 sponsors: • Browning • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • Apple Auto

Nov 2, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever employees to chat about last weekend’s upland bird hunting openers in Nebraska and Texas, while also previewing the November 12th opener in Kansas. Episode Highlights: • PF & QF Nebraska State Coordinator Kelsi Wehrman kicks off the conversation with a recap of her opening weekend in which she completed the state’s “Upland Slam” by bagging a bobwhite quail and a ring-necked pheasant to go with a sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chicken taken earlier this autumn. Wehrman also talks about the need to pre-scout for quality habitat this season as the on-going drought has had a dramatic impact on some of the state’s traditional upland destinations. • Texas Regional Representative Dustin McNabb echoes Wehrman’s thoughts about the impact of the drought on habitat conditions and upland bird numbers. He also offers an entertaining story of a unique bobwhite quail and sandhill crane mixed bag and closes with a reminder that Texas is home to some big rattlesnakes . . . so come prepared. • Michael Coleman, PF & QF’s conservation coordinator in Kansas’ Red Hills, rounds out the episode with a preview of the Kansas pheasant and quail season set to open on Saturday, November 12th. Coleman joins Wehrman and McNabb with concerns about the on-going drought but offers a few tips where bird numbers may be stronger based upon better habitat conditions. There are many PF & QF chapter banquets being held around the country in conjunction with upland hunting seasons. Find a calendar of all PF & QF chapter banquets and events at www.PheasantsForeverEvents.org

Oct 19, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is fresh off the Minnesota pheasant hunting opener with a recap of his weekend at KFAN’s “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand’s family cabin in Sauk Centre where the group focused on federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs). In this quick-hitter episode, St.Pierre throws out a few tips to help other bird hunters find early season success. Episode Highlights: • Echoing Renee Tomala’s recap of the North Dakota opener during last episode of the podcast, St.Pierre’s hunting group also found lots of young roosters in the field during the Minnesota opener. • With the corn harvest ramping up, St.Pierre predicts this coming weekend will be a banner opportunity for bird hunters across the upper Midwest. • And, of course, Bob has a story about following the dog when the line of hunters wanted to walk a different direction . . . did Bob listen to his own advice?

Oct 12, 2022

We’ve finally reached the best time of the year – opening day! Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Renee Tomala, PF’s regional representative for North Dakota; Matt Morlock, PF’s state coordinator for South Dakota & North Dakota; and Eric Sytsma, PF & QF’s regional representative for Iowa; to provide opening weekend forecasts from three big pheasant hunting destinations. The conversation also includes tips for opening weekend success and highlights PF’s banquet calendar of events being held in conjunction with opening weekend celebrations. Episode Highlights: • North Dakota’s season opened last weekend, so Tomala provides the first in-field report for 2022. Spoiler Alert: she talks about how hunting this year’s lush habitat SLOWLY is a key ingredient to success. • Morlock reports on this weekend’s upcoming “traditional” pheasant hunting opener for South Dakota and why this year looks to be the best in a decade for the nation’s “Pheasant Capital.” • Sytsma rounds out the conversation highlighting the upland hunting prospects for Iowa that includes pheasants, quail, and Huns. Find a calendar of all PF & QF chapter banquets and events at www.PheasantsForeverEvents.org

Oct 5, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Logan Hinners, PF & QF’s lead graphic designer, for a conversation with Joel Pilcher about taking a leap of faith to chase his childhood dream of becoming a wildlife artist. The guys also talk about Hinners’ vision for the rooster and bobwhite quail that Pilcher created using charcoal, and became the images embodying PF & QF’s monumental Call of the Uplands campaign to improve 9 million acres of wildlife habitat. Episode Highlights: • In a fascinating portion of the conversation, Pilcher talks about the major differences in his process and mental focus as he works on fine art projects versus digital graphic design artwork. • Pilcher’s stunning crowing rooster and whistling bobwhite artwork are now available on t-shirts through our partners in conservation at Orvis. And thanks to Orvis’ generosity, all proceeds from these shirt sales will go directly to PF & QF’s Call of the Uplands campaign.

Sep 28, 2022

When Douglas Spale, a Black man adopted into a mixed-race family from Nebraska, heard a request for more diverse role models in the upland hunting world during episode #86 of this very podcast, he answered the call. That’s the premise of the recently released Pheasants Forever film “Ripples,” produced by Erik Petersen, father of an adopted Black son who made that original request for more diverse role models in the uplands. Host Bob St.Pierre chats with Spale and Petersen about their personal stories leading up to the film and how their families are now forever connected through a shared love of the uplands, bird dogs, and hunting. Episode Highlights: • Spale’s black Labrador retrievers are featured prominently in the film, so it’s a startling surprise for Bob to learn Spale is picking up an English Setter puppy next month. • Petersen and Spale talk about the portions of their story not seen on camera, the feelings of trepidation making the film, and the feedback they’ve each received since “Ripples” was released to the public on September 1, 2022. Thanks to Thorogood Boots for sponsoring Ripples.

Sep 21, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s education & outreach program manager and Women on the Wing initiative leader, for a conversation with Maia Larson, PF & QF’s first-ever fire and public lands program manager. In this newly created role, Larson will deliver strategic focus to the organization’s prescribed fire programs to improve habitat, while also providing direction to the organization’s habitat improvement efforts on private lands across the country. Episode Highlights: • Larson talks about the drip torch tattoo covering her right forearm, and why prescribed fire is so important to wildlife habitat that it has become a part of her identity. • Jensen provides an overview of the organization’s Women on the Wing initiative and points listeners to https://pheasantsforever.org/wotw for the latest news and calendar of events. • Larson also talks about living next to a public Wildlife Management Area in Arkansas and the value public lands mean to her personally. Thanks to Irish Setter Boots for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast.

Sep 7, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Chad Love to break down his Upland Bird Hunting SUPER issue article titled “7 Traits of the Successful Public Land Quail Hunter.” While a “listical” article in format, the conversation brings forth valuable quail hunting nuggets. Episode Highlights: • Love coins the term “upland familiarity bias” and explains how that tendency is handicapping traveling bird hunters from finding quail in new terrains. • The pair of Gen Xers lament their slowing metabolisms and the need to run, bike, and cross-country ski as a means of staying in bird hunting-shape during the off season. They also daydream about a pharmaceutical company being able to synthesize the adrenaline rush of a quail covey rise into an injectable narcotic. • Love also explains his phrase “baby-bear porridge weather,” and its application to quail hunting pressure. This is a companion to episode #179 with Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter breaking down public land tips for pheasant hunters.

Aug 31, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre returns to Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels where pro dog trainer Mike Wieben has been training St.Pierre’s three-year-old German shorthaired pointer, Gitche, to be a better retriever. The guys talk about Gitche’s progress as a retriever and focus on St.Pierre’s role in maintaining Gitche’s training after her return home and throughout the hunting season ahead. Listen back to episode 165 for the first portion of this conversation about Bob’s hopes for Gitche and Wieben’s training plans. Episode Highlights: Wieben talks through the three areas he’s been working on to improve Gitche’s performance; 1) strengthening her retrieve, 2) steadying her point, and 3) teaching her “place,” so she can go for a cast & blast canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this September. Wieben also explains how water retrieving helped Gitche focus her retrieving skills even though St.Pierre doesn’t intend for her to do much waterfowl hunting. The guys also talk about how technological innovations like eCollars, GPS, and even drones have improved dog training and bird hunting. Special thanks to SportDOG® Brand for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast.

Aug 24, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jordan Martincich, PF & QF’s director of development, for a conversation with Jim Millensifer, a long-time PF & QF volunteer and donor who is also president of the Kansas Governor’s Ringneck Classic. The guys chat about the organization’s 9-million-acre Call of the Uplands campaign and how the Kansas Ringneck Classic has contributed acres, access, and dollars to the campaign. Long-time hunting buddies, Martincich and Millensifer also debate the prowess between pretty dogs (Setters) and ugly dogs (wirehairs). Episode Highlights: • Martincich and Millensifer explain the origins of the Kansas Ringneck Classic, how it’s become a cherished event for the community of Colby, Kansas, and how it’s become a critical fundraiser for PF & QF’s habitat mission. • Millensifer also talks about his passion for hunting upland birds from his native Colorado to his current home in western Kansas, and to destinations as far south as Arizona up to the northern ruffed grouse woods of Minnesota. In the process, he explains what scares him to death about the future of the uplands. This week at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, we’re celebrating our Build a Wildlife Area efforts to create more public habitat for you and your bird dog to enjoy. Donate $50 or more to our Build a Wildlife Area program this week and our podcasting partner OnX will reward you with an Elite Membership worth $99.99. Thank you OnX!

Aug 17, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter to break down Carp’s Upland Bird Hunting SUPER issue article titled “7 Traits of the Successful Public Land Pheasant Hunter.” To kick off the conversation, Carp offers his theory that the way a person approaches a hunt – spirit, attitude, mindset, effort, energy, heart, outlook – are qualities as important to bagging birds as being a smart upland hunting tactician. Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about people’s ability to generate excuses not to hunt early season, mid-season, and late season, while breaking down all the positive reasons to chase longtails all season long. • The duo discusses the most productive days to take off from work for the birds to have settled down after the weekend and to best escape pressure from other hunters. • Carp explains why he uses the onX Hunt app all year long before falling asleep in bed each night. Use the code PHEASANTS or QUAIL during checkout at onXhunt.com for 20% off your onXmaps subscription.

Aug 10, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined in KFAN’s Twin Cities studios for a conversation with Birds, Booze, and Buds podcaster Tyler Webster and his buddy Bruce Potter as they kick off a bird hunting adventure that will take them to Alaska in search of ptarmigan for the country’s earliest upland opener. The duo then plans to drive south to Oregon in pursuit of mountain quail and valley quail before swinging east toward Montana where they’ll hunt dusky, ruffed, sage, and sharp-tailed grouse. Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about Webster’s donation of an Arizona Mearns’ quail hunt to the organization’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic banquet fundraising in 2022 and he commits a follow-up adventure for the organization’s 2023 event. • A North Dakota native, Webster also provides a first-hand report about the state’s habitat conditions and the upland bird broods he’s observed so far this summer. • Bob asks the guys to share the single experience they are most-excited about occurring during their upcoming adventure, along with the single element that causes them trepidation.

Aug 3, 2022

This spring, longtime Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President & CEO Howard Vincent announced his retirement following the conclusion of National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2023 coming up this February. That announcement kicked off the search for only the third person to ever lead “The Habitat Organization” during its’ 40-year history. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined for this episode by PF & QF’s Board Chair Matt Kucharski for a conversation about the process to find, interview, and hire that next PF & QF president and chief executive officer. Episode Highlights: • Kucharski explains the role of the organization’s national board of directors and reports on the overall health of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever during the pandemic. • Bob also asks Matt to explain a statement he’s frequently made over the last few months: “The board is not hiring Howard’s replacement - we’re hiring Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s next president & CEO.” Learn more about PF & QF’s President & CEO Job Posting through Cohen Taylor, an executive search firm retained for this effort.

Jul 27, 2022

Noppadol Paothong is a nature photographer with the Missouri Department of Conservation and an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, which is an elite group of the world’s top wildlife, nature, and culture photographers. For two decades, Paothong has been documenting America’s grassland grouse species and their fragile habitat. He’s published two large-format national award-winning books, Save the Last Dance about America’s grassland grouse and Sage Grouse, Icon of the West. He also has a large photo spread coming up in PF & QF’s Upland Bird Hunting Super issue next month. Host Bob St.Pierre connected with Paothong while he was on a family vacation in Minnesota. Episode Highlights: • Paothong explains how photographing three Missouri prairie chickens dancing on a lek 20 years ago changed the trajectory of his life. • The guys also talk about Jim Brandenburg’s photography and how his work inspires Paothong’s philosophy of really knowing the wildlife he photographs to the point of wanting to “capture their souls, capture their spirits.” Find Noppadol’s stunning photography on Instagram at @npprairiegrouse

Jul 20, 2022

Earlier this month, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever began our 17th year partnering with Ron Schara Productions to bring our love for upland bird hunting and our habitat mission to television. In this episode, Host Bob St.Pierre swings over to the offices of Ron Schara Productions to visit with two of The Flush’s hosts, Travis Frank and Bill Schreck. This, however, isn’t your ordinary television series preview show. On the contrary, the fellas talk about some of their favorite bird hunting and bird dog stories . . . and laughter ensues. Episode Highlights: • In the spirit of the NFL Draft, the guys name the single best bird dogs they’ve ever hunted behind. • Bob tells the story of how he taught his first shorthair, Trammell, to actually say, “I love you.” • And the guys talk about being trolled in social media by commenters who say things like “those aren’t wild birds,” “you’re a terrible wingshooter,” and “your bird dog is awful.”

Jul 13, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by the trio of PF & QF Western biologists Al Eiden, Kellie Dobrescue, and Connor White to talk about the organization’s expanding habitat work focused on sage brush habitat in the Western United States. Episode Highlights: • Dobrescue talks about her role in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to improve sage brush habitat through tree removal. Those efforts are creating better habitat for a wide array of wildlife from sage grouse to elk, as well as helping protect water quantity. • White also discusses his job working as the project coordinator for Idaho’s Bruneau Owhyee Sage Grouse Habitat Project. That work is focused on removing invasive juniper trees across a wide landscape of Southwest Idaho for the benefit of sage grouse, mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and water resources. • Eiden wraps up the conversation with a powerful statement about the 20 different upland bird species in the West and how PF & QF is improving upland habitat in a wide array of settings, including grasslands, deserts, sage steppe, alpine forests, and agricultural lands.

Jul 6, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF’s Emily Spolyar and Marissa Jensen for a conversation with Jamie Carmody who became both an artist and a hunter over the last two years. Carmody, who lives in Australia, explains how she grew up as a vegan and was motivated to become a hunter to source sustainable meats for her young family. Episode Highlights: • Carmody talks about feeling “caged up” as a youngster growing up indoors and how getting outdoors to experience nature has led her to a feeling of freedom as an adult. She also talks about finding “beauty in death” through her artwork as a way of better representing our true connection nature. • Carmody explains her creative process for drawing bird dogs with a stunning description about envisioning landscapes and dog’s love for their owner through a reflection in the pup’s eyes. Check out Jamie Carmody’s artwork at www.jamiewildart.com or by following her on Instagram @jamie_wildart

Jun 29, 2022

Once upon a time, Northwest Ohio’s Wood County produced the highest density of pheasants on record. That was 1940. There is a lot less wildlife habitat and a lot more people in Ohio today. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Kent Adams, PF & QF’s director of conservation delivery in the Northeastern U.S., Cody Grasser, PF & QF’s state coordinator for Ohio, and James Harris, PF & QF’s regional representative in Ohio, for a discussion about the innovate private and public land programs producing new habitat success stories in Ohio. While those success stories may never darken the sky with pheasants and quail, the habitat efforts are producing more birds, cleaner water, and greater public access in the state. Episode Highlights: • Bob talks about the passion volunteers have for the organization with stories of people tattooing PF or QF logos on their bodies and requesting usage of the logos in conjunction with funerals. • It may come as a surprise that there are 27 chapters of Pheasants Forever and 3 chapters of Quail Forever in Ohio. Combined, there are 5,000 members in the state putting Ohio ahead of bird-rich states like Kansas and North Dakota. • The guys also talk about the collaborative efforts producing a new 415-acre expansion to the state’s Big Island Wildlife Area.

Jun 22, 2022

At Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, our mission is focused on creating high-quality habitat for upland gamebirds. As you undoubtedly know by now, that very same upland habitat needed for pheasant and quail chicks – a diverse mix of grasses and forbs - is also critical habitat for pollinators. In this week’s episode, we celebrate Pollinator Week 2022 with PF & QF’s Anna Swerczek and Jake Swafford, along with Public Land Tee’s Sam & Josh Soholt. Episode Highlights: • Swerzcek, PF & QF’s habitat education program manager and Pollinator Week quarterback, unveils the compelling PF & QF membership offer celebrating this year’s Pollinator Week that includes three pollinator plants, a special pollinator-themed t-shirt & sticker from Public Land Tees, a subscription to the PF or QF Journal, and a PF & QF pollinator habitat sign. Only 300 of these special packages are available at www.PheasantsForever.org/PollinatorWeek or www.QuailForever.org/PollinatorWeek • Jake Swafford, a PF & QF coordinating wildlife biologist in Missouri, talks about each specific pollinator plant included in the membership kits and how they each plant provides unique habitat benefits for birds and the bees throughout the spring, summer, and autumn bloom periods. • The Soholt brothers explain their rationale for donating the t-shirts to PF & QF’s Pollinator Week efforts and how they conceptualized the shirt’s fun design.

Jun 15, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ted Koch, the executive director of the North American Grouse Partnership and a former U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service endangered species biologist, along with Ron Leathers, PF & QF’s chief conservation officer, for a discussion about lesser prairie chickens and their likely listing as an endangered species. As a former endangered species biologist, Koch brings a depth of knowledge about the mechanics of an endangered species listing, as well as the conservation initiatives already underway to work with landowners around voluntary habitat programs for the birds. Episode Highlights: • Koch explains what ideal grassland habitat looks like for the lesser prairie chicken using a volleyball that’s 80% covered in grass visualization, while Leathers talks about how using cattle on a grasslands landscape can help keep that volleyball 20% exposed and free from being overgrown by grass that’s too tall or encroached upon by trees. • Koch also addresses the “shoot, shovel, and shut up” mentality often associated with an endangered species listing and how voluntary conservation programs, especially CRP, can be a major opportunity for landowners in the lesser prairie chicken’s footprint. • Leathers also delivers a powerful message about how we often hear that quail are an “edge” species, but the fact they’re considered an edge species is because the edge is all we leave them. Wide open grassland habitat created for lessers will also be terrific habitat for bobwhite quail.

Jun 8, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF biologists Al Eiden, Haley Lockard, and Andy Edwards for a conversation focused on the $1.4 billion federal legislation known as Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). If passed, RAWA would create dedicated state-based funding for wildlife habitat projects across the country targeting more than 12,000 “at risk” species, including bobwhite quail, sage grouse, lesser prairie chickens, bumble bees, and monarch butterflies. And for only the second time in our podcast’s history, watch the conversation on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/YX3DUwiiwJc Episode Highlights: • Quail Forever Program Manager Andy Edwards kicks off the conversation focusing on how the legislation would empower state agencies across the Southeastern United States to better manage early successional habitat for bobwhite quail. • PF & QF Senior Farm Bill Biologist Haley Lockard adds her perspective to RAWA’s ability to fund grassland habitat management for quail and lesser prairie chickens in the Great Plains. • PF & QF’s Western Regional Director Al Eiden also explains how Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would kickstart a 25,000-acre scaled quail project in Arizona, while also helping fund sage grouse habitat work across the West and mountain quail habitat efforts in the Pacific Northwest.

Jun 1, 2022

Fresh off his keynote address to PF & QF’s 208 new employees at the organization’s in-person new employee orientation, Sam Lawry joins Host Bob St.Pierre to talk about his “conservation warrior” message and to recap his 40-year career in wildlife conservation, which included a six year stint as PF & QF’s western regional director. The guys are joined by Sam’s two closest PF & QF friends in Tom Fuller, director of field services, and Chris McLeland, vice president of conservation delivery, for this episode filled with a little hyperbole and a lot of laughter. Episode Highlights: • Sam also talks about his debut book, Stories of the Past, An Arizona Game Ranger Remembering the Outlaws, and how its publication resulted in Sam’s appearance on a MeatEater podcast with Steven Rinella. • The guys also call BS on Sam’s claim to have written the book during the evenings of the organization’s out-of-town meetings when the rest of the crew was “at the watering hole.” Learn more about Sam Lawry and his book by following him on Instagram @Sam.Lawry

May 25, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mike Neiduski, who reached his dream job at the beginning of 2022 when he was hired to be a PF & QF development officer. Neiduski’s journey to that position started more than a decade ago with his first bird dog and an introduction to conservation through the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about Neiduski’s career stops at Maryville University in Missouri, Concordia University in Wisconsin, and Elon University in North Carolina before making a career shift to the Ruffed Grouse Society. • Neiduski talks about his recently passed German wirehaired pointer, Plexi, and how her memory will live on through a Quail Forever Dog Life Membership as part of the Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. Special thanks to NAVHDA for sponsoring PF & QF’s annual Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. This campaign is a friendly competition that challenges you to cast a vote and donate or become a member on behalf of your favorite bird dog breed. Every dollar donated equals a vote, and every week during the month of May our generous sponsors will be giving away fantastic prizes to those who participate. Vote today at www.BirdDogsforHabitat.org – THANKS!

May 18, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jonathon Tremblay from Walton’s Inc. to talk about smoking pheasants, quail, and grouse. Tremblay discusses the advantages of charcoal, wood, and pellet grills, and the benefits of prepping game bird meat with brines, marinades, and flavor injectors. He also answers the question, “skin on or skin off for the smoker?” Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about using an expensive whiskey or bourbon during the brining process. • Tremblay talks about a variety of wood options for smoking birds before explaining why pecan is the sweet spot of flavor and affordability. Thanks to Walton’s Inc. for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast and for being a national sponsor of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Photo by Lukas Leaf

May 11, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre’s two-year-old German shorthaired pointer, Gitche, needs a little finishing work this off-season. Consequently, Bob is dropping her off at Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels for “summer camp” with professional dog trainer Mike Wieben. The guys take Gitche out for a couple of runs on birds, then talk through Gitche’s performance and the training plan ahead. Episode Highlights: • Bob talks about his feelings of trepidation and intimidation that come naturally with dropping a beloved pup off with a professional trainer. • Bob details three specific areas he’d like help improving Gitche’s performance; 1) strengthening her retrieve, 2) steadying her point, and 3) teaching her “place,” so she can go for a cast & blast canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this September. Special thanks to SportDOG® Brand for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast and for being a partner in PF & QF’s annual Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. This campaign is a friendly competition that challenges you to cast a vote and donate or become a member on behalf of your favorite bird dog breed. Every dollar donated equals a vote, and every week during the month of May our generous sponsors will be giving away fantastic prizes to those who participate. Vote today at www.BirdDogsforHabitat.org – THANKS!

May 4, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre chats bird dogs with Kali Parmley, the editor of Gun Dog Magazine and owner of both a Labrador retriever and an English setter. Kali talks about the decision to start with a Lab, then her move to a pointing breed for her second bird dog. Episode Highlights: • Kali and Bob stumble upon the fact they both used llamas last season to get deeper into the backcountry to hunt birds. • Kali also shares a terrific story of her young setter’s unexpectedly magnificent chukar retrieve down the side of a mountain last season. This bird dog-oriented episode helps us kick off PF & QF’s annual Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. Do you have a favorite breed of bird dog and love high quality habitat? Join us by becoming a member or making a donation at www.BirdDogsforHabitat.org – THANKS!

Apr 27, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre talks with Dr. Susan Felege, an associate professor at the University of North Dakota, the newest member of PF & QF’s National Board of Directors, and a hardcore waterfowl & upland bird hunter. Dr. Felege shares her story growing up as an avid bird hunter in Pennsylvania and knowing at an early age that she was going to grow up to be a wildlife biologist. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Felege also talks about her PhD research while at the University of Georgia in which she spent five years studying bobwhite quail, predator, and habitat relationships at Tall Timbers Research Station. • The conversation then moves to North Dakota where Dr. Felege and her students are working in partnership with North Dakota Game and Fish Department to study the state’s greater prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse. It seems each prairie grouse species is responding differently to changing grassland habitat in the eastern portion of the state and the two species are even crossbreeding to create odd sharpie/chicken hybrids. • Bob also asks Dr. Felege for insight into the emerging concerns around avian influenza. • The conversation wraps with Dr. Felege’s perspective of her new role on PF & QF’s National Board and the unique talents she brings to the group.

Apr 20, 2022

Last summer, Pheasants Forever Precision Ag & Conservation Specialist Emily Spolyar joined Host Bob St.Pierre for a terrific On the Wing podcast conversation with Jennifer Riley about being a new bird hunter in Alaska. That episode served as the catalyst for Emily’s own bird hunting trip to Alaska this past March. In this episode, Emily recaps her experience that included Anchorage couple Jessie Janowski and Peter Wadsworth. Throughout the conversation, Jessie and Peter offer tips to the traveling bird hunter looking to create their own Alaskan adventure during a bird hunting season that starts in August and doesn’t end until March. Episode Highlights: • The conversation begins with Emily’s impressions of hunting for ptarmigan and grouse off skis and snowshoes for the first time. • Natives of Vermont and New York, Jessie and Peter talk about their decision to move to Alaska and how they became adult on-set hunters to procure their own meat rather than buying chickens shipped 2,000 miles to The Last Frontier. • Peter explains the couple’s backcountry skiing gear and how they prepare for bird hunts in rugged and dangerous terrain that includes avalanches, wolves, and grizzly bears. • The couple also extoll the virtues of being involved with the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association and how NAVHDA has helped accelerate their dog training and bird hunting learning curve. Photo by Peter Wadsworth on Instagram @phwadsworth

Apr 13, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Adam Janke, an assistant professor and extension wildlife specialist at Iowa State University, to talk about pheasant and quail research helping determine “where birds live on farms.” PF & QF’s Director of Government Affairs Jim Inglis is also part of the conversation to explain how he uses Adam’s scientific research in Washington, D.C. to create and improve agricultural policy for wildlife and natural resources. Episode Highlights: • The guys start the conversation with Dr. Janke drawing an analogy from the “Moneyball” concept used in baseball to habitat quality and wildlife population health evaluation. • Dr. Janke recounts his undergraduate project while studying at Ohio State University in which he lived with bobwhite quail over the course of two winters to learn about the bird’s response to winter weather and habitat. • The group also talk about cover crops, using drones to capture & radio collar birds, and roadside surveying upland birds.

Apr 6, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by MeatEater’s Ryan “Cal” Callaghan for an entertaining conversation that took place during National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2022 in Omaha. Known for his big game adventures on MeatEater, the host of Cal’s Week in Review dives deep into his love for Labrador retrievers, bird hunting, and wild upland places. Episode Highlights: • Throughout the episode, Cal marks his journey in the outdoors through the lives of four female yellow Labrador retrievers. • Cal also talks about the harrowing experience to save his new pup, Snort’s, life after a rattlesnake bite in the deep Idaho wilderness last September. Every bird dog owner who hunts “Snake Country” should listen and learn from this one. • The guys close the episode with thoughts on the Grasslands Act and the panel Cal moderated during Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic devoted to the legislative #ActForGrasslands concept. This is the final installment of three episodes recorded live from the show floor at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Omaha. Be sure to check out our previous two episodes with Doug Duren and Christine Peterson.

Mar 30, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Christine Peterson, president & board chair for the Outdoor Writer’s Association of America. A professional journalist, Peterson has written and reported for Outdoor Life, National Geographic and Outside magazines. She also served as a speaker on the Public Lands Stage at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2022 in Omaha. Episode Highlights: • Peterson shares her journey of becoming a hunter as an adult and the funny story of bagging her first rooster pheasant. • St.Pierre talks about his appreciation for Peterson’s Instagram account @she.will.roam, and Peterson explains her goal of portraying an outdoor lifestyle as the parent of a young child through the social media channel. Peterson also talks about her family’s excitement around the arrival of a new puppy to follow immediately after returning from Omaha. • Peterson was born and raised in Wyoming and talks about the state’s under-rated stature as a bird hunting destination along with the state’s controversial “Corner Crossing” public lands court case. This is the second installment of three episodes recorded live from the show floor at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Omaha. Look for next week’s episode with MeatEater’s Ryan “Cal” Callaghan.

Mar 23, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by MeatEater’s Doug Duren and PF biologist Matt Morlock for a conversation recorded at Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Omaha. Duren talks about his personal conservation ethic, “It’s not ours, it’s just our turn,” as well as his new endeavor linking private landowners with people willing to work on habitat improvements to gain public access known as “Sharing the Land.” Episode Highlights: • Known for hosting whitetail, turkey, and rabbit hunts on Meateater episodes, Duren explains his passion for “The Habitat Organization” and why he’s been a speaker on the Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic’s Habitat Stage the last five consecutive events. • Having appeared on plenty of podcasts with Steven Rinella and Joe Rogan, St.Pierre asks Duren what question those famous interviewers should have ask but didn’t. That leads to a conversation ranging from the Grateful Dead to Duren’s family connection to the character Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn from the famous baseball movie, Major League. • Morlock, PF’s state coordinator for both North Dakota and South Dakota, provides a late winter review of how each state’s pheasant populations are surviving dramatically different winter weather conditions. This is the first installment of three episodes recorded live from the show floor at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Omaha. Look for episodes with public lands advocate and journalist Christine Peterson and Meateater’s Ryan “Cal” Callaghan in the coming weeks.

Mar 9, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre and PF & QF’s Hunting Heritage Program Manager Colby Kerber are joined by Dennis and Adam Brune, family members and owners of ALPS OutdoorZ, for a conversation about the organization’s Path to the Uplands stage at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. The group also talks about ALPS OutdoorZ evolution as an outdoors retailer, conservation supporter, and PF & QF national partner. Episode Highlights: • The father & son duo of Dennis and Adam Brune discuss ALPS OutdoorZ’s philanthropic commitment to wildlife habitat conservation, as well as their passion for sharing the hunting lifestyle through their corporate philosophies. • Kerber previews the lineup of speakers on the Path to the Uplands stage covering the topics of hunting heritage, shooting sports, R3, and the organization’s Women on the Wing initiative. See the full Path to the Uplands stage lineup at https://bit.ly/35dauYG. National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic will take place in Omaha, Nebraska on March 11-13. Tickets are on sale at www.PheasantFest.org.

Mar 2, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Hank Shaw, a chef, food writer, and outdoorsman who runs the wild foods website “Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.” Shaw is also the author of the cookbook, Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail and will be the keynote speaker at the Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic National Banquet on Saturday, March 12th in Omaha, Nebraska. Episode Highlights: • Shaw talks about becoming an adult-onset hunter and how his views on hunting, habitat, and wild foods have changed over time. It’s this journey through the stages of being a hunter that will serve as the foundation for his keynote address, which he has titled “Drumstick Diplomacy.” • Shaw also discloses work on his next book focused on the cuisine of Northern Mexico, which will include some quail hunting, fishing, and foraging. National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic tickets are on sale at www.PheasantFest.org

Feb 23, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Cristin Weber, a precision agriculture & conservation specialist and farmer from South Dakota and Jeff Lakner, a South Dakota farmer and rancher. The group talks about the current Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup going on right now and how CRP benefits a farm’s soil health and profitability, while also delivering wildlife habitat, water quality, and carbon benefits. Episode Highlights: • Cristin Weber explains how she puts CRP and other USDA conservation programs to work on her farm, while also assisting other South Dakota producers examine their operation’s input & yield data while exploring conservation options to make their farms more profitable. • Jeff Lackner discusses how CRP is a piece of his farm’s larger puzzle and how important leaving a farming, ranching, and conservation legacy is to him as his son and daughter-in-law join the operation. • Weber also talks about how quickly wildlife populations can respond to new CRP acres by retelling of an epic South Dakota pheasant flush on her property. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever biologists are available to talk over conservation options with landowners. Find a biologist close to you by visiting www.PheasantsForever.org/CRP

Feb 9, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF & QF National Board Chair Matt Kucharski and Western Regional Director Al Eiden for a recap of the first day’s hunt in Mearns’ quail country. The hunting party broke into two different groups and found themselves following opposite hunting strategies in search of birds. NOTE: This episode was recorded LIVE from quail camp around a campfire. Episode Highlights: • Eiden talks about the economic and cultural importance of quail hunting to the communities of Sonoita, Patagonia, and Nogales, Arizona. • Kucharski leads the conversation of the day’s quail hunt and recaps his pup’s enthusiasm for hunting an unfamiliar landscape in search of a new species of upland bird. Special thanks to Arizona Backcountry Llamas for making this hunt possible. And thanks to ALPS OutdoorZ and Thorogood Boots for sponsoring this content. Be sure to listen to episode 1 of this two-part backcountry quail hunting and camping trip

Feb 2, 2022

After a 26-hour drive from Minnesota to southern Arizona, Host Bob St.Pierre and PF & QF Chairman of the National Board Matt Kucharski are joined around the campfire by veteran quail hunting buddy Wade Zarlingo for a Mearns’ quail hunt. As a means of getting deeper into the backcountry, Chris Dunn, the owner of Arizona Backcountry Llamas, has brought five llamas to the adventure to haul in camping gear, food, and water for the crew’s three-day hunt. NOTE: This episode was recorded LIVE from quail camp around a campfire. Episode Highlights: • St.Pierre and Kucharski start the conversation talking about their previous Mearns’ hunt in Arizona, and why they felt compelled to drive (rather than fly) all the way from Minnesota. HINT: They wanted to hunt over their own bird dogs! • Zarlingo and Dunn explain how they both got started raising llamas and explain the advantages of using llamas on hunting and camping trips. Special thanks to Arizona Backcountry Llamas for making this hunt possible. Thanks to ALPS OutdoorZ and Thorogood Boots for sponsoring this content.

Jan 26, 2022

As part of our ongoing Path to the Uplands content series, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Chad Love, Quail Forever Journal editor; Marissa Jensen, our organization’s Women on the Wing and Path to the Uplands leader; and Andy Edwards, Quail Forever’s Quail Program Manager to discuss and debate late season quail hunting tips. Episode Highlights: • Referencing his new Path to the Uplands article titled “The Path to Late Season Quail Hunting Success,” Chad Love leads the conversation by outlining the food and cover attributes he’s looking for when chasing a variety of late-season quail species. • The group also banters about tactics for locating birds that have been pressured all season and the challenges in picking out a single bird on the covey rise. Thanks to our Path to the Uplands sponsors SoundGear, Federal Ammunition, SportDOG BRAND, and ALPS OutdoorZ.

Jan 19, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever biologists Kent Adams, Jim Inglis, Cody Grasser, and Ben Beaman for a conversation focused on the connection between the organization’s wildlife habitat mission and clean water. Episode Highlights: • Adams starts the episode explaining how the organization’s wildlife habitat efforts improve water quality in streams, rivers, lakes, and even oceans. Ultimately, Adams explains, it’s the organization’s ability to deliver water quality benefits that has made our wildlife habitat efforts relevant across the eastern United States. • Inglis, a PF employee for more than two decades, explains how Pheasants Forever chapters in Ohio linked the organization’s wildlife habitat efforts to improved water quality in Lake Erie benefiting the walleye fishery during the late 1990s. • Grasser talks about the brand new 415-acre Mallett project in Ohio that will now be providing critical habitat for wildlife, water quality benefits to the public, and access to hunters. • St.Pierre and Beaman have fun reigniting their Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula jabs as fellow Michiganders.

Jan 12, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever’s Dr. Jess McGuire and Andy Edwards for a discussion with Dr. James Martin, a hardcore quail hunter, bird dog owner, and associate professor at University of Georgia. During the conversation, Dr. Martin breaks down four bobwhite quail research projects he’s currently working on, while dropping a few quail hunting gems he’s learned from his studies over the years. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Martin and his students are studying how many bobwhites can be shot in one area and still maintain a sustainable wild population. The group also chat about whether or not season length and bag limits influence the long-term health of a wild population. • The group takes on the ultimate quail “moneyball” question: Is there a magic acre number or a key percentage of habitat for a wild, sustainable population of bobwhite quail? • Dr. Martin also talks about studying the behavior of bobwhites in response to hunting. As part of this project, researchers are investigating what non-productive points mean relative to a bird’s location. Some fun bird dog breed jabs ensue among the crew.

Jan 5, 2022

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tom “Carp” Carpenter, Pheasants Forever Journal editor, and Marissa Jensen, our organization’s Women on the Wing and Path to the Uplands leader, to offer tips for FINDING and HUNTING late season roosters. Episode Highlights: • The crew’s conversation riffs off Carp’s recent blog, “The Path to Late Season Pheasant Hunting Success” starting with tips first focused on where to FIND late season birds that have survived the hunting pressure over the last few months. • The discussion then transitions to both the mindset and mechanics for HUNTING late season roosters, including Carp and Marissa sharing stories about working cover and finding tight-holding birds on the second pass. Thanks to our Path to the Uplands sponsors SoundGear, Federal Ammunition, SportDOG BRAND, and ALPS OutdoorZ.

Dec 22, 2021

While gamebird research isn’t a part of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s mission statement, the organization often collaborates with research scientists from the most acclaimed universities in the country to inform the organization’s habitat creation and restoration efforts. In this episode, Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mississippi State University’s Dr. Mark McConnell as well as Quail Forever’s Dr. Jess McGuire and Andy Edwards, for a discussion focused on five different research projects Dr. McConnell and his students are currently working on related to bobwhite quail, habitat management, and precision agriculture. Episode Highlights: • Dr. McConnell talks about his love of quail hunting and how that passion for hunting influences his research science. He also talks about hunting with his standard poodle and coins the phrase “it’s cool to like quail again.” • Through Dr. McConnell’s “Scale of Effect” project, he explains that the research is attempting to understand how habitat management on public WMAs in Mississippi influences bobwhite populations on those public lands. As importantly, he’s also trying to gauge how that management influences bobwhite populations beyond the boundaries into the surrounding private property. • Singing from the same scripture as every other quail biologist we’ve ever had on our podcast, Dr. McConnell speaks passionately about the critical importance of prescribed fire to bobwhite quail habitat management for population health and growth. • The crew also talk about the theory that vocal bobwhites are the ones that get eaten by predators first in a population. Do silent bobwhites live longer or is that mythology?

Dec 15, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Michigan State Coordinator Ben Beaman for a conversation about hunting pheasants, ruffed grouse, and woodcock in the duo’s home state. The guys also discuss Michigan’s Adopt-a-Game-Area Program and the importance of intensive habitat management in preventing grasslands from becoming woodlands void of pheasants, especially in states east of the Mississippi River. Episode Highlights: • Beaman starts the conversation talking about his college years in Wyoming which leads to an interesting tangential discussion asserting that Wyoming may be one of the most underappreciated destinations for upland and waterfowl hunters. • St.Pierre also explains why he is a “Yooper” and Beaman is a “troll” in Michigan parlance. • The discussion also covers the “Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative” and how it produced the Adopt-a-Game-Area program. Likewise, Beaman explains the different types of habitat work occurring on these public areas, their importance for the state’s wild pheasant populations, and how people can help.

Dec 8, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jonathon Tremblay from Walton’s Inc. to talk about caring for game bird meat from the moment it leaves your bird dog’s mouth to the time it hits your plate as a delicious meal. Tremblay also discusses Walton’s deep connections to hunting and conservation as a company, and how the pandemic changed the way Americans approach meat. Episode Highlights: • Jonathon talks about the two seasonings Walton’s developed specifically for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever: Roasted Ringneck Rub and Bold Barbecue Quail. • Bob reminisces about the comical old days of freezing birds in a block of ice, which resulted in a full freezer early into the hunting season. Check out Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s “A Bird in the Bag” video series with Walton’s Inc. • Crispy Half-Roasted Pheasant • Quail Meatballs

Dec 3, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Andrew Vavra, Logan Hinners, and Aaron Black-Schmidt for a lively discussion answering questions submitted by the organization’s social media followers about this year’s Rooster Road Trip. And for the first time in our podcast’s history, watch the conversation on our YouTube channel. (LINK) Episode Highlights: • The crew tackle questions about bird dogs, public lands etiquette, hunting forecasts, upland gear, and road tripping soundtracks. • Watch, listen, and read all about this year’s Rooster Road Trip through North Dakota and South Dakota at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

Nov 25, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Andrew Vavra, Ben Lardy, and Hunter Buth for the final leg of the 2021 Rooster Road Trip in South Dakota’s Glacial Lakes Region. The crew talks about finding birds around cattail edges in this beautiful landscape filled with lakes, hills, and public land habitat. Episode Highlights: • Buth, the newest and youngest member of the Pheasants Forever employee team, provides some interesting thoughts on viewing the uplands through the eyes of a hardcore waterfowler. • Lardy, the organization’s soil health & habitat specialist and one of the funniest employees on the Pheasants Forever team, talks about his love for the region and some fun local trivia involving vinegar and polka. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

Nov 18, 2021

The Rooster Road Trip crew moves to South Dakota where they ride a major weather swing from cold and rainy to beautiful and sunny as they hunt Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition walk-in lands and state-owned Game Production Areas. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra and the organization’s new South Dakota Regional Representative Jake Hanson. Episode Highlights: • The crew talk about the innovative community-based conservation collaboration that started with the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition and has now grown to Mitchell and Chamberlain. • Hanson talks about his personal journey as an adult-onset pheasant hunter to On the Wing Podcast listener to PF chapter volunteer to becoming a new PF employee. • Andrew provides the birdy play-by-play for all the hits, misses, and retrieves with a tailgate pheasant dinner to close out the episode. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

Nov 12, 2021

In this installment to the organization’s popular Rooster Road Trip adventure, Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Andrew Vavra, Renee Tomala, and Emily Spolyar to recap the crew’s second pheasant-filled day in North Dakota. The team starts the day on a fresh PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) parcel with NDSU biologist and PF Chapter President Ben Geaumont leading the hunt. Episode Highlights: • Vavra provides the play-by-play of the crew’s hunt through another birdy PLOTS tract filled with kochia and wild flushing roosters all leading to a field edge monster flush. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

Nov 5, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Andrew Vavra, Renee Tomala, and Emily Spolyar to recap the first day of the organization’s annual Rooster Road Trip. Recorded live from Emily Spolyar’s home on the prairie, which was once a North Dakota pheasant hunting lodge. The crew details a very birdy start to the 2021 Rooster Road Trip on the state’s publicly accessible lands. Episode Highlights: • Emily and Renee talk about relocating to North Dakota for their roles with Pheasants Forever, resulting in a deep appreciation for the state’s hunting, fishing, and outdoors opportunities. They also talk specifically about the state’s PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) program and how Emily identified the parcel filled with birds for the crew’s golden hour hunt. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

Oct 29, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Andrew Vavra, Marissa Jensen, and Renee Tomala from the field. In fact, this episode was literally recorded live on a gravel road next to a North Dakota PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) parcel as the crew prepared to kick off the twelfth annual installment of the organization’s popular Rooster Road Trip. Episode Highlights: • As with all previous Rooster Road Trip events, the Pheasants Forever team of employees, biologists, and chapter leaders will only hunt public lands during the six-day trip through North Dakota and South Dakota. Along the way, the crew will highlight the organization’s efforts to improve habitat and public access. • Andrew Vavra, the organization’s director of marketing and Rooster Road Trip quarterback, talks about this year’s shift to an episode-oriented format. Watch this year’s preview video at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. • Check out the terrific Rooster Road Trip membership offer featuring a Browning field knife and enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

Oct 19, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Douglas Spale, a hardcore bird hunter and newest member of the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever National Board of Directors. The guys talk about Douglas’ Nebraska roots, his “Bird Dog in the City” blog series, and how our podcast episode with Erik Petersen changed his life’s trajectory. Episode Highlights: • The guys kick off the conversation with Spale’s impressions upon returning from his first ruffed grouse and woodcock hunt in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, a stark contrast to the Great Plains where Spale is accustomed to bird hunting. • Spale shares the poignant stories of his adoption, the important role hunting plays in his connection to family, and the tremendous bond formed with his first young Lab pup upon returning to the city following his father’s recovery from cancer. • Douglas also talks about the absence of Black role models in bird hunting throughout his childhood and how he’s hoping to help fill that niche with Erik Petersen’s son, Kasa.

Oct 14, 2021

Tom “Carp” Carpenter, editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, joins host Bob St.Pierre to add color to his recent PF Journal story “Hunting With the Wind.” In the podcast, as in the printed story, Carp offers eleven tips for handling wind during a bird hunt. Episode Highlights: • Bob admits to historically not paying very close attention to wind conditions in favor of assessing habitat and following the dog, while Carp breaks down the error of Bob’s old ways. • Carp talks about his journaling habits and how that informs his hunting strategy during different times of the year and under different conditions. Thanks to SportDOG BRAND, a national sponsor of PF & QF’s habitat efforts, for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast.

Oct 6, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Reid Bryant, host of the Orvis Hunting and Shooting Podcast, and Chad Love, Quail Forever Journal’s editor, for a free-flowing conversation covering strong opinions about bird hunting influencers on Instagram and great bird hunting literature. Episode Highlights: • There is clear chemistry between Bryant and Love who share a mutual passion for literature featuring bird hunting themes and settings from icons the likes of Jim Fergus, Annie Proulx, Harry Middleton, Guy de la Valdene, Steve Bodio, Norman Maclean, David Guterson, and Rick Bass to name a few. • The guys also talk about the new collaboration between Orvis and Quail Forever centered around some fresh artwork from Jay Dowd (AKA @upland_lowlife on Instagram). You can purchase the limited-edition Orvis and Quail Forever collaborative Covey Call Tee featuring artwork from Jay Dowd here: https://www.orvis.com/orvis-and-quail-forever-covey-call-tee/3EAF.html

Sep 29, 2021

Tom Carpenter, editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, joins host Bob St.Pierre to break down his recent article about identifying quality pheasant habitat by focusing on grass, grain, and winter cover. Episode Highlights: • Bob and Tom talk about the importance of grass and forb identification as part of a hunter’s ability to locate birds. They also spend some time discussing how grass density plays into recognizing a good place to bird hunt. • The guys also chat about finding pheasants, quail, and sharp-tailed grouse around different agricultural crops like corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, and sunflowers. Thanks to SportDOG BRAND and ALPS OutdoorZ for being partners in our Path to the Uplands content series. #PathToTheUplands

Sep 22, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Government Affairs Jim Inglis for a conversation with Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s Chris Horton and Kent Keene. Chris and Kent explain how CSF works on three different government levels (federal, state, and gubernatorial) to advance habitat, hunting, and angling legislation across the country. Episode Highlights: The crew goes around the horn on a variety of legislative issues, including: o Right to hunt & fish amendments at the state level o Dedicated funding for natural resources at the state level o Funding for conservation through sports betting and lottery funds o The history and facts around the 30X30 concept AND why hunters & anglers should embrace this initiative o Plans for the 2023 federal Farm Bill o The guys even have some fun banter focused on an Oklahoma proposal to create a bigfoot hunting season.

Sep 15, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with David Nolt and filmmaker Erik Petersen about the production Long Way Home released by Pheasants Forever earlier this month. Long Way Home is a film about loss, second chances, identity, bird dogs and the power of hunting to connect people to places all through the eyes of Nolt and captured through Petersen’s camera. Episode Highlights: • Bob compares Long Way Home to Field of Dreams and shares his perspective on the parallels between “having a catch” and “going bird hunting” with one’s father. • Nolt puts into words how bird hunting opened up his ability to write the film, which ultimately served as a cathartic release during the grieving process following his father’s death. • Nolt also updates listeners on the furry star of the film, his veteran Lab, Leroy, and English Setter, Lucy. • But perhaps the most fascinating component of the discussion is Erik Petersen’s insight into the artistic process going into creating the film. From scripting to shot selection to editing, it’s a real treat to listen to the podcast right after watching the film and then hearing Erik’s artistic decision-making process. Thanks to Purina Pro Plan, Orvis, and South Dakota Tourism for bringing Long Way Home to our members and supporters. If you haven’t yet watched it, check it out at www.PheasantsForever.org/LongWayHome

Sep 8, 2021

This week, ten organizations have joined forces to unveil a vision for new grasslands conservation legislation modeled upon the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). Host Bob St.Pierre leads a discussion with the presidents & chief executive officers of three of those partner groups. Through this important conversation, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Howard Vincent, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Land Tawney, and National Wildlife Federation’s Collin O’Mara demonstrate an obvious chemistry that has created a bond of friendship resulting in a powerful collaborative vision for grasslands conservation. Episode Highlights: • NWF’s O’Mara details the history behind the concept and provides an “inside the beltway” sneak peek for how the idea will move into actual legislation. • PF & QF’s Vincent explains how this voluntary private lands grasslands and sagebrush tool would complement the Farm Bill, CRP, and the conservation efforts of USDA by living at the Department of the Interior under the NAWCA model. • BHA’s Tawney extolls the virtues of polite persistence in his call upon hunters and anglers to take action in support of this important grasslands conservation concept. Learn more about the North American Grasslands Conservation Act at www.ActForGrasslands.org Partners include:  Pheasants Forever  Quail Forever  National Wildlife Federation  Backcountry Hunters & Anglers  The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership  North American Grouse Partnership  World Wildlife Fund  National Deer Association  Izaak Walton League of America  Land Trust Alliance  Wildlife Mississippi

Sep 1, 2021

Oklahoma State Professor Dwayne Elmore returns to the podcast with his better half Leslie Elmore, Quail Forever’s coordinating biologist for Oklahoma. Whistle along as the couple share their love for quail, habitat, cooking, and of course bird dogs with host Bob St. Pierre. Episode Highlights: • The pair share their path to the uplands and how they became Oklahoma’s leaders for quail research and habitat restoration. • Leslie shares her expertise on the connection between bats and quality quail habitat. • Dwayne and Leslie give Bob tips on the hot spots for the 2021 quail season based on habitat and monsoon seasons this year across the southwest.

Aug 25, 2021

Larisa Harding, Arizona Game & Fish Department’s small game program manager, and Jim Heffelfinger, Arizona Game & Fish Department’s wildlife science coordinator, join host Bob St.Pierre for a conversation about Arizona’s Gambel’s, scaled, and Mearns’ quail. Larisa and Jim tag-team a fascinating discussion about how each of these three quail species reproduce at different times and gravitate to different habitats, making this year’s wild weather conditions a boon for some and a bust for others. Episode Highlights: • Arizona has endured an extreme drought for more than a year, so the conversation starts with an overview of how drought in a desert impacts habitat and subsequently each quail species. • The late summer has brought a much-needed reprieve to the dry conditions. Larissa and Jim break down how that rain is going to help the three different species of Arizona quail, especially Mearns’. They also provide an early forecast for the quail hunting season ahead. • The group closes out the episode with an overview of habitat projects Quail Forever chapters are working on in Arizona to help improve conditions for each of the quail species.

Aug 19, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre and Precision Agriculture & Conservation Specialist, Emily Spolyar, talk with new upland bird hunter Jennifer Reilly about chasing challenging species right out of the gates. Reilly started her upland journey in pursuit of chukar, progressed to mountain quail, and now lives in Alaska where she is figuring out ptarmigan. Episode Highlights: • The episode kicks off with Spolyar (@ecspolyar), who is based in North Dakota, providing an August pheasant report as the drought persists across the Dakotas. • Reilly (@nuclear.flower) explains becoming addicted to chukar hunting with her English setter, as well as why she’s drawn to the rugged mountain terrain over more wide-open fields of grass. • After a move from California to Alaska, Reilly tackles another new upland bird in the ptarmigan. Only this time she attempts wingshooting from snowshoes and cross-country skis.

Aug 12, 2021

August marks the annual roadside surveying of pheasants and quail by state natural resource agencies. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Iowa DNR’s Todd Bogenschutz, the state’s upland wildlife research biologist, and PF & QF’s Jared Wiklund, the organization’s public relations manager, for a conversation about the logistics and science of counting game birds along roadsides in late summer. Episode Highlights: • Bogenschutz talks about his New York roots and the South Dakota schooling that resulted in his role as Iowa’s upland bird biologist the last 27 years. He also discusses being a Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer in Boone County, Iowa. • Iowa’s statewide survey is conducted by Iowa DNR staff who drive 218, 30-mile routes on gravel roads at dawn on mornings with heavy dew. Pheasants and quail typically move their broods to the gravel roads to dry off during these dewy mornings, which makes them easier to count. Bogenschutz explains how he uses the data from these counts to steer the state’s habitat and management decisions for upland game birds. • The guys close out the conversation with a “state-of-the-state” for pheasants and quail in Iowa with Bogenschutz providing an overview of current habitat conditions, bird numbers, and public hunting access. It’s about time to start planning an upland adventure in the Hawkeye state!

Jul 28, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mike Retterer, the organization’s National Rights of Way & Energy Coordinator, for a thought-provoking conversation about the organization’s efforts to create wildlife habitat along roads, railroads, solar fields, pipelines, and powerlines. While obviously not the pinnacle of opportunities to create habitat for upland game birds or hunters, these marginal acres serve multiple purposes in creating connectivity between habitat “hubs,” while also introducing the organization’s habitat tools to new audiences and in generating new partnerships for the organization to develop larger habitat opportunities. Episode Highlights: • Retterer starts with a fascinating story of his career journey from an aspiring Navy diver to a Texas hunting guide to a biologist for the Ohio DNR to his multiple roles with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. • In the purest business sense, Retterer is in a “new business development” role with the non-profit conservation organization. Not only is that position a surprise for some folks, but his success stories about where habitat is being created will certainly turn heads.

Jul 21, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by television personality Travis Frank for a conversation previewing the new season of The Flush, airing on Outdoor Channel during the months of July through December. The conversation starts with a few entertaining stories of Travis’ new bird dog pup Daisy before diving into what to expect from the new season. Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about the increase in episodes this season that include a camping element to the hunt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how that created a more enjoyable experience in many ways. • Bob and Travis also chat about Wyoming as an under-appreciated destination for the traveling bird hunter. Along those lines, Travis gives some insightful advice about hunting a brand-new state for upland birds. • Finally, the duo compare patterning fish as an angler with patterning wildlife as a hunter. The Flush 2021 AIR TIMES on Outdoor Channel Mondays @ 10:30am Wednesdays @ 6:30am Fridays @ 5:30pm Saturdays @ 8:30am (all times eastern)

Jul 14, 2021

David Gutierrez, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s new regional representative for the southwestern United States, spent 2005 through 2015 as a Green Beret in South America and Afghanistan. After returning to the United States from war, David struggled to find peace until he got a bird dog and started upland hunting. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, our Path to the Uplands content leader, for a thought-provoking conversation with David on finding solace in the outdoors. Episode Highlights: • David explains how he struggled after returning from his final Afghanistan deployment, and how he found peace in an Iowa deer stand while bow hunting. He also talks about his transition from deer stands to the uplands through the addition of his first bird dog, a Vizsla named Murphy. • This hard-charging veteran also explains why the mid-hunt break is his favorite component of any hunt. • Marissa leads a lightning round of questions for David about his favorite birds, hunts, and destinations. Read David’s blog, “Finding Solace in the Outdoors,” as part of this month’s Path to the Uplands content series presented by ALPS OutdoorZ

Jul 8, 2021

Hundreds of thousands of bird hunters travel to South Dakota and North Dakota each autumn to hunt roosters. With bird populations on the rise the last few years, coupled with a very mild winter in 2020, anticipation for the season ahead was skyrocketing . . . until a dry spring turned into a summer drought. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Rachel Bush, Pheasants Forever’s state coordinator for North Dakota, and Matt Morlock, PF’s state coordinator for South Dakota, to get an on-the-ground assessment of the drought hitting both states and its impact on pheasant nesting season. SPOILER ALERT: They are both optimistic for the hunting season to come! Episode Highlights: • Rachel and Matt, both biologists, provide some scientific perspective on a hen pheasant’s nesting and reproduction “strategies,” and how rain over the 4th of July holiday weekend came just in the nick of time. • The group also discuss the likelihood of CRP acres being opened for emergency haying and grazing, and how that is important for farmers, ranchers, habitat managers, and hunters. They also provide some advice for preventing any unwelcomed surprises when hunters pull up to their favorite walk-in property on opening morning this season. • Finally, Rachel and Matt discuss the current CRP general signup that is set to close on July 23rd.

Jul 1, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Scott Taylor, a biologist and the National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan Coordinator. The conversation includes how the National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan was created to provide a blueprint for restoring and maintaining pheasant populations across the country. Written by biologists from 24 state wildlife agencies, the plan details the habitat needed to support a national pheasant harvest goal of at least 5.9 million roosters based on a multi-state habitat model. PLUS, Dr. Taylor gives his take on what this year’s drought might mean for pheasant reproduction. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Taylor explains the National Pheasant Plan’s origin story and how bobwhite quail factored into the development of a landscape-level approach to pheasants. • The guys also discuss how the recent decline in hunter numbers has become an unforeseen variable in determining the best number of habitat acres and targeted pheasant harvest within the national plan. • A biologist by training, Dr. Taylor compares the biological approach to reproduction between quail and pheasants, then explains why bobwhites have an advantage. • And the guys close out this episode with a conversation on every bird hunter’s mind right now: “How is a drought going to influence pheasant numbers this season?” Check out Dr. Taylor’s Pheasants Forever blog series at “National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan Being Revised for the Times” https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/National-Wild-Pheasant-Conservation-Plan-Being-Revised-for-the-Times.aspx

Jun 21, 2021

Did you know healthy pollinator habitat is great upland gamebird habitat? The plants that bees and butterflies rely on are the exact same insect-producing flowers that help pheasant and quail broods thrive. Pollinators also impact 75% of the global food supply, which is scary because our pollinator populations are in a steep decline. Enter bird hunting conservationists to the rescue! Host Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Anna Swerczek and Drew Larsen discuss the organization’s innovative habitat initiatives connecting pheasants and quail to pollinators. Episode Highlights: • DYK that not only is South Dakota the country’s top pheasant state, but it’s also one of the very top pollinator states? The crew discuss the connection between the state’s high ranking in both categories. Here’s a hint . . . it’s upland HABITAT! • Anna details why she selected each plant comprising the special pollinator habitat kit featuring yarrow, butterfly milkweed, and New England aster. Check out all our Pollinator Week content with special thanks to our event partners at Corteva, Bayer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. https://pheasantsforever.org/Special-Events/Pollinator-Week.aspx

Jun 16, 2021

Working Lands for Wildlife is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s premier approach for conserving America’s working lands to benefit people, wildlife, and rural communities. This innovative approach is expanding into America’s Great Plains to restore and protect the critical grasslands there. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tim Griffiths, NRCS’s Western Regional Coordinator; Dean Krehbiel, NRCS’s State Resources Conservationist for Kansas; and Chris McLeland, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Midwest Director of Conservation Delivery for this conversation about landscape-level grasslands conservation. Episode Highlights: • Griffiths is as enthusiastic and knowledgeable conservationist as there is out there in the United States. He’s leading this innovative approach to restoring grasslands in collaboration with America’s farmers and ranchers across the Great Plains. • McLeland offers a unique perspective throughout the conversation as a biologist for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever who also ranches cattle for beef. • Kansas is the first state to kick off the Great Plains Grasslands Initiative and Krehbiel offers insight into the state’s thought process and progress. Learn more about the Great Plains Grasslands Initiative at wlfw.rangelands.app

Jun 9, 2021

Thanks to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s social media audience, we crowdsourced questions on bird dog health and nutrition for this special “Ask the Experts” episode featuring veterinarian Dr. Seth Bynum and Purina’s Karl Gunzer. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra joins host Bob St.Pierre for this entertaining and extremely informative conversation. Episode Highlights: • We received a lot of questions about bloat, twisted stomach, and stomach torsion (all known medically as gastric dilatation volvulus). Dr. Bynum talked about the bird dog breeds most susceptible to this potentially deadly issue and how to avoid it occurring in your bird dog. • Gunzer answered a wide array of questions about dog food; including when to switch a puppy to adult dog food, as well as answering the best time to feed a bird dog – before, during, or after a hunt – for peak performance and health. • Vavra throws our experts a curveball with a question about CBD for bird dogs that Dr. Bynum was ready for with some very insightful thoughts. We’re thrilled to welcome South Dakota Tourism as an official partner of On the Wing Podcast. Plan your next South Dakota pheasant hunt at HuntTheGreatestSD.com

Jun 2, 2021

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Public Relations Manager and habitat junkie Jared Wiklund for a conversation with Jim Wooley, the first biologist Pheasants Forever ever hired. Wooley talks about leaving a great job as the Iowa DNR’s upland bird biologist to join the fledgling habitat non-profit in 1985. Wooley is also credited as one of the biologists who helped create Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Signature Series seed program and is an expert on habitat management, including the establishment of food plots for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. Episode Highlights: • Wooley reminisces about his 31 years with “The Habitat Organization” through stories of chapters, volunteers, habitat projects, and notable land acquisitions. • Jim talks about his passion for the organization’s unique model and how that approach has always been the organization’s magical component fueling volunteers. • With spring turning into summer, Wooley also offers some planting expertise for the landowner focused on establishing a food plot on their own property. Thanks to Polaris, the “Official ORV” of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, for being the presenting partner of this episode of On the Wing podcast. http://bit.ly/OfficialORV

May 26, 2021

Our story starts on a school bus in Tennessee with two childhood friends and ends with a vision for healthy quail habitat spanning from southern Pennsylvania all the way to central Texas. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined for this episode by Dr. Dwayne Estes, known as the “Prairie Preacher,” Quail Forever biologist Brittney Viers, and new QF Program Manager Andy Edwards for a conversation about Quail Forever’s partnership with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative and how the groups are working together to create better habitat for bobwhite quail. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Estes talks about the hundreds of different types of southern grasslands– savannas, woodlands, bogs, prairies, glades, etc. –and explains their uniqueness in plant and wildlife species diversity. • The group also discuss how important these grasslands are to uncovering elements of American history in the South. • Dr. Estes also talks about the 17 National Grasslands covering nearly 4 million acres across the Great Plains and western U.S., then daydreams about the perfect location for the southeast’s first National Grassland.

May 19, 2021

Brothers Sam & Josh Soholt, owners of Public Land Tees, take a break from turkey camp to join host Bob St.Pierre for a chat about their love of hunting and their commitment to conservation. Highlighted during the discussion is the brother’s “Conservation Crossing” effort, which is helping Pheasants Forever, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Mule Deer Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, and National Wild Turkey Federation generate members through a creative t-shirt promotion. Episode Highlights: • The brothers talk about their motivations for donating $5 from every Public Land Tees product they sell toward conservation efforts. They also tell the story of developing the “Stamp it Forward” promotion that has helped generate thousands of Duck Stamp sales, and in turn, funding for upland and wetland habitat. • The Soholt’s also participated in the Public Lands Pavilion at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2020 in Minneapolis that helped create the new Cupido Wildlife Management Area which will be formally dedicated on August 6th in western Minnesota as a new public property open to all. • The guys have a funny discussion about the Conservation Crossing t-shirt design and how it riffs off the Beatle’s Abbey Road album cover design. Learn more about the Conservation Crossing effort at https://publiclandtees.com/conservationcrossing

May 12, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Brad Bortner, a bird biologist and the recently retired chief of migratory bird management at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for a conversation about the federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) for migratory birds. All bird hunters are asked about HIP certification when they purchase a small game license, and this is a discussion to explore what those questions mean and how the data is used. Episode Highlights: • Bortner talks about how his career brought him to every state in the U.S. and most other continents to evaluate wildlife, habitat, hunting regulations, and different country’s approaches to conservation. • Bortner explains the genesis of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s HIP program that all bird hunters answer questions about each year when they buy a license and how the US. Fish & Wildlife Service uses that data to monitor the harvest of migratory birds like ducks and geese, but also doves, woodcock, rails, and snipe. • The guys also talk about how that migratory harvest data influences the Department of Interior’s purchase of Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) so beneficial to upland game birds like pheasants, quail, and prairie grouse in addition to migratory species. Check out all the data available through the National Migratory Bird Harvest Survey: https://bit.ly/2QGVLxM

May 5, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Chad Harvey, the organization’s regional representative for Montana, the Pacific Norwest, Canada, and Alaska, for a conversation with brothers Tyler and Brad Heine. The Heine brothers are Pheasants Forever volunteers in Montana with jobs that are slow in the winter which has allowed them to hunt wild bobwhite, Mearns, Gambel’s, scaled, valley, and mountain quail across the West. Episode Highlights: • The brothers share tips for finding and hunting the “Quail Slam” with their German wirehaired pointers from Oregon to Arizona to Nebraska. They also talk about playing phone call roulette to gain access to private lands for quail hunting. • Tyler explains how he became President of Pheasants Forever’s Flathead Valley Chapter in Montana and the gratification he feels about being a volunteer with “The Habitat Organization.” • Brad, a professional hunting and fishing guide, shares some hilarious stories about guiding hunters and anglers in Montana, including a thrilling story of his first guided big horn sheep hunt and searching for Coues deer in Arizona. Check out Brad’s terrific hunting photos on Instagram at his handle @heinemaster.

Apr 29, 2021

Our Women on the Wing Program Manager Marissa Jensen leads this episode’s fun conversation with MeatEater’s Danielle Prewett for a conversation about the organization’s upcoming virtual event on May 6th. Episode Highlights: • Danielle talks about her Deutsch-Drahthaar named “Zissou” as a nod to both the movie “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and the oceanographer. There are some good laughs about “Z” stealing the show during last year’s virtual event. • Danielle discusses her plans for preparing the virtual event’s quail appetizer and provides some advice on wine pairings for the evening’s festivities. For more details and to register for the Women on the Wing event coming up on May 6th, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3neMB7q

Apr 26, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Amanda & Andy Doak for the story about how they fell in love through a mutual affiliation with the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Hunting Heritage Program Manager Colby Kerber also joins the conversation to talk about Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s partnership with NAVHDA. Episode Highlights: • Amanda talks about how welcoming NAVHDA is to women, her affinity for Pudelpointers, and her personal story of falling in love with Andy at first sight as he worked his shorthair during a NAVHDA event. • Colby talks about NAVHDA’s support of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s “Learn to Hunt” events with chapters across the country and the organization’s Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. • With Andy’s affinity for shorthairs and Amanda’s affection for Pudelpointers, the couple struggle to come to a consensus on a singular bird dog breed they’d embrace if they had to select only one breed to love together. • Learn more about the partnership between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and NAVHDA at https://bit.ly/3xd9Z9T

Apr 21, 2021

Nicole Qualtieri tuned in to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s recent Call of the Uplands campaign video launch at the same time she was studying America’s massive decline in bird numbers resulting from habitat loss. Our campaign’s bold effort to improve 9 million acres of habitat resonated deep within Nicole and she’s emerged as a vocal advocate for wildlife habitat conservation. During this episode, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra for a conversation with Nicole covering her journey as a hunter, her career path that included a stop at MeatEater, and her menagerie of pets. Episode Highlights: • Qualtieri articulates her view of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s habitat mission as “restoring the soul of our landscape.” • Nicole tells the guys about her new Boykin spaniel named “Bob” and some obvious hilarity ensues. • Qualtieri also puts voice to the guy’s favorite story of hers, “An Open Letter of Solidarity to a 9,000-year-old hunter.” - https://gearjunkie.com/outdoor/hunt-fish/9000-year-old-female-hunter

Apr 13, 2021

We crowdsourced bird dog training questions from the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter channels for this special “Ask the Experts” episode featuring professional dog trainers Tom Dokken and Josh Miller. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra joins host Bob St.Pierre for this entertaining conversation covering flushers, pointers, and retrievers. Episode Highlights: • Josh and Tom discuss whether playing around with a “wing on a string” is helpful or harmful to a young pointing dog’s development. • The guys discuss how to properly introduce a dog to an e-collar and the steps building toward that introduction. • The group debates the merits of hunting pointers with flushers. • And the conversation ends with a fun discussion about training bird dogs to avoid skunks. Thanks to SportDOG BRAND for sponsoring this episode and for their support of this month’s Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. SportDOG BRAND is the official tracking and training collar partner of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, as well as a long-time national sponsor of the organization’s wildlife habitat mission.

Mar 31, 2021

Biologist Monty Gregg closes out our western quail species series with a deep dive into California valley quail. A passionate bird hunter, Gregg talks about habitat, hunting, and the life cycle of valley quail. He also explains how the U.S. Forest Service is connected to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and America’s National Grasslands. Episode Highlights: • Gregg talks about growing up as a big game hunter then falling in love with bird hunting through friendships, bird dogs, and his passion for running. • The guys talk about Oregon’s public land bird hunting opportunities and how to find valley quail on the Crooked River National Grassland. Check out the entire western quail podcast series: • Gambel’s quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Wade Zarlingo • Mearns quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Kirby Bristow • Scaled quail podcast with New Mexico Biologist John Sherman • Mountain quail podcast with Oregon Biologist Mikal Cline

Mar 24, 2021

Grasslands are inherently dynamic in space and time, evolving with frequent disturbance from fire and herbivores (bison, cattle, etc.). As a consequence of human actions, many remaining grasslands have become homogenous, which has led to biodiversity loss and decreased ecological services. Enter the concept of grassland heterogeneity. Host Bob St.Pierre is in over his head for a fun master’s level conversation about grassland diversity and the concept of “heterogeneity” with Luke Zilverberg, a Pheasants Forever biologist. And it all leads back to better habitat and more birds to chase with a good dog. Episode Highlights: • Zilverberg talks about hunting and fishing during his college years at South Dakota State University, while squeezing in his master’s in biology which focused on this concept of heterogeneity. • The guys talk about the biological importance of grassland diversity for pheasants and quail, then detail how prescribed fire and livestock grazing can be used to maximize the benefits for wildlife, soil, and water quality.

Mar 17, 2021

We continue our series of western quail species with this episode’s focus on the mountain quail. Mikal Cline, an upland biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, joins host Bob St.Pierre and PF & QF’s Western Regional Director Al Eiden for a conversation about mountain quail biology, habitat, and hunting tactics. Episode Highlights: • The group discuss the mountain quail’s geographic range from northern Washington to southern California and some of the bird’s interesting attributes, including being the largest quail species in the United States, it’s elevational migration during the seasons, and it’s showy two feathers making up its head plume. • Cline talks about her fascinating career path which has included stops studying the endangered Atwater’s prairie chickens at the Houston Zoo, tracking bobwhite quail at the Ames Plantation in Tennessee, studying Canada geese in urban Chicago, and working on wild turkey projects for the National Wild Turkey Federation. • Cline also gives some tips on how and where to find mountain quail across Oregon’s vast public land hunting acres. Also check out our Gambel’s quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Wade Zarlingo, our Mearns quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Kirby Bristow, and our scaled quail podcast with New Mexico Biologist John Sherman for more great quail content.

Mar 10, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Western Regional Director Al Eiden for a conversation about scaled quail with John Sherman, a wildlife biologist with the Bureau of Land Management in New Mexico. A lifelong New Mexican, Sherman talks about his passion for scaled quail and the thrill of hunting them. Episode Highlights: • The trio talk about scaled quail being notorious “track stars” and the only bird you need tennis shoes to hunt. • Sherman details the geographic range of scaled quail, explains their biology, and discusses the habitat needs for scaled quail, which are also known as blue quail or cottontops. • A recurring theme of the episode is that New Mexico is underappreciated as a bird hunting destination although it is a state where a traveling bird hunter could earn a “Grand Slam of Quail” all in a day’s hunt (bobwhites, Gambel’s, Mearns, and scaled). Also check out our Gambel’s quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Wade Zarlingo or our Mearns quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Kirby Bristow for more great quail content.

Mar 3, 2021

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Western Regional Director Al Eiden for a conversation with Arizona Game & Fish Department’s Biologist Wade Zarlingo focused on Gambel’s quail. Zarlingo, a lifelong Arizonan, talks about how to hunt these fabulous desert birds and their habitat needs. Episode Highlights: • Zarlingo talks about the upswing in Arizona’s Gambel’s quail numbers and the optimism he holds for a boom next hunting season if weather conditions align to close out this winter. • A hardcore bird hunter, Zarlingo discusses how to hunt Gambel’s quail, his fondness for Pudelpointers, avoiding snakes, and being ready to chase these wily desert game birds. • The guys close out the episode with a good laugh as Zarlingo explains why a Google search of his last name produces YouTube hunting videos with Wade on top of a llama. Also check out our Mearns quail podcast with Arizona Game & Fish Biologist Kirby Bristow for more great quail content.

Feb 26, 2021

On February 25th, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announced the Call of the Uplands comprehensive campaign to raise $500 million to improve 9 million acres of upland habitat, introduce 1.5 million new people to the uplands, and permanently protect 75,000 acres of land FOREVER. It’s the boldest, most important initiative in the organization’s history. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by volunteer Steve Shafer, Government Affairs Representative Bethany Erb, and Chief Development Officer David Bue to add color to the campaign and the organization’s vision for the future. Episode Highlights: • The group talks about the 53 million acres of grasslands have been lost since 2009 – an area the size of Kansas – and how the Call of the Uplands campaign will help to replace 9 million acres of that habitat through conservation initiatives and legislative advocacy efforts. • Bethany Erb explains the 30 X 30 initiative for conservation, the North American Grasslands Act concept, and the organization’s goals for improving the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for landowners and hunters. • “Don’t let this die,” are the words used by Steve Shafer, the campaign’s volunteer campaign chair, to inspire upland hunters everywhere to get involved in the campaign. Learn more about Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s nationwide call to action, the Call of the Uplands campaign.

Feb 23, 2021

Upland hunting is an experience like no other. For those who may be new to the uplands but seek the serenity of the prairies, the rugged desert uplands of Southwest, or the fall colors of the Northwoods, we bring you our new content series, “Path to the Uplands” to help you embark on a lifetime of new adventures. The Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever crew of Marissa Jensen, Colby Kerber, Tom “Carp” Carpenter, and Bob St.Pierre discuss this brand new content series to engage anyone interested in exploring the uplands. Episode Highlights: • As an adult-onset bird hunter herself, Marissa Jensen talks about the genesis of the Path to the Uplands concept and the vision for this content to help anyone interested in the uplands find their path into our cherished community. • While everyone in this group loves bird dogs, Colby Kerber dispels the myth that you have to jump into the deep end of the pool by taking on dog ownership to find a starting point on the path to becoming an upland bird hunter. • The group’s conversation riffs off Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter’s companion article “7 Reasons to Become an Upland Bird Hunter . . . and One ‘Path to the Uplands’ Promise to Help you Make the Journey.” • Follow the content series using the hashtag #PathToTheUplands Thanks to our Path to the Uplands sponsors Federal Ammunition, OnXMaps, SoundGear, SportDOG BRAND, and ALPS OutdoorZ.

Feb 17, 2021

SPECIAL MIXED BAG MASHUP EPISODE: In the second installment of this series, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ron Boehme of The Hunting Dog Podcast, Travis Frank of The Flush, and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s very own Marissa Jensen for an entertaining conversation recapping their 2020 bird hunting seasons. Episode Highlights: • Travis Frank talks about how his new bird dog created joy and chaos during this season’s filming of Outdoor Channel’s The Flush. He’s also holding out hope for one more trip THIS season with Alaska ptarmigan hunting still open until early spring. • Ron Boehme’s terrific sense of humor steals the show when he connects this season’s added bird hunting pressure to the popularity of Harry Potter movies. • Marissa Jensen shares her love of Nebraska’s Sandhills as her most cherished annual tradition while also detailing her new love for Wyoming’s sage grouse country. If you missed the first edition of our Mixed Bag Mashup, check out our conversation with Durrell Smith, Nick Larson, and Tyler Webster.

Feb 10, 2021

SPECIAL MIXED BAG MASHUP EPISODE: In the first of two special episodes, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by fellow podcasting hosts Nick Larson of Project Upland Podcast, Durrell Smith of The Gun Dog Notebook, and Tyler Webster of Birds, Booze, and Buds Podcast for an entertaining conversation recapping their 2020 bird hunting seasons. Episode Highlights: • Tyler Webster, henceforth to be known as “Mr. Mixed Bag,” kicks the conversation into gear with the story of his September grouse slam in Montana followed by stories from travels to Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Arizona, Kansas, and his home state of North Dakota. • Nick Larson gives an overview of his ruffed grouse season around the Great Lakes states and tells the story of bagging his very first wild rooster in South Dakota. • Durrell talks about the over-looked public lands quail hunting opportunities in Georgia’s piney woods along with his excitement for the 2021 season behind a young dog. Don’t miss next week’s second special Mixed Bag Mashup episode as we’ll be joined by Travis Frank of The Flush, Ron Boehme of The Hunting Dog Podcast, and Marissa Jensen of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Women on the Wing program and a frequent podcast contributor.

Jan 29, 2021

BONUS EPISODE: It’s our 9th inning, two-minute warning, buzzer beater episode to close out the pheasant hunting season. Host Bob St.Pierre connects with Pheasants Forever’s Public Relations Manager Jared Wiklund who is fresh off a late season pheasant hunting trip where he found public land rooster success. Episode Highlights: • Listen for a few great tips to find roosters during the last weekend of the pheasant hunting season in South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. • In this quick-hitting episode, Jared describes the late January hunting conditions and provides some insight into where he found public lands roosters in South Dakota. Get involved with your local Pheasants Forever chapter. If you don’t see a chapter in your area, please contact one of our regional field representatives to learn how to start a chapter of Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever in your community.

Jan 26, 2021

With seemingly every bird hunting Instagrammer chasing Mearns’ quail to start 2021, host Bob St.Pierre dives deep into this fascinating bird with Arizona Game & Fish’s Quail Biologist Kirby Bristow. The guys talk about the biology, life cycle, and habitat needs of Mearns’ quail with hunting tips and tactics interwoven throughout the discussion. Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about how unique the landscape is where Mearns’ quail live in Arizona, New Mexico, a small portion of west Texas, and Mexico. In fact, Bristow tells a story of one hunter who said if he had been blindfolded and dropped into Mearns’ country that he’d think he was in Montana. • Bristow explains the Mearns’ “cryptic” feather pattern, their propensity to hold tighter than any other game bird, and how both characteristics serve the bird so well as camouflage against avian predators. • The guys also deliver a wide array of tips for planning your own Mearns’ quail adventure. Get involved with your local Quail Forever chapter. If you don’t see a chapter in your area, please contact one of our regional field representatives to learn how to start a chapter of Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever in your community.

Jan 22, 2021

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Aaron Kuehl, a long-time biologist with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever who runs the organization’s national seed program. It may be the heart of winter, but right now is the perfect time to start planning your spring habitat projects with a focus on understanding the organization’s various seed mixes to produce more birds, bucks, and pollinators. Episode Highlights: • Kuehl explains his background in biological science and how his work studying pheasants, quail, predators, and habitat prepared him to lead the organization’s national seed program. • The guys talk through the steps a landowner needs to think about when planning a habitat planting project. • Kuehl also runs through some of the specific Signature Series Seed mixes designed to help deliver habitat benefits for pheasants, quail, doves, pollinators, ducks, deer, gobblers, and ruffed grouse. Check out Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wide array of native seed, pollinator seed, and food plot seed at www.PFHabitatStore.com

Jan 12, 2021

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Ron Leathers who was recently named Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s first-ever Chief Conservation Officer. In the new role, the organization’s conservation delivery functions will align under Leather’s vision. Those conservation delivery functions include habitat delivery, legislative advocacy, and education & outreach. Get to know Ron through this fun conversation. Episode Highlights: • Ron talks about growing up in Wyoming and his career steps with the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Nebraska Game & Parks, and as a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist in South Dakota. • The guys talk about the fact that Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever employ 268 biologists which is more than almost every state natural resource agency in the country and only second to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the federal level. • Leathers explains how he’ll lead the organization’s conservation team with the cowboy philosophy of “riding for the brand.” • The duo talk pheasants, quail, sage grouse, lesser prairie chickens, public land access, and private land conservation through this wide-ranging conversation about the organization’s past successes and future direction.

Dec 15, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Editor Tom Carpenter to bring “Carp’s” story “It Ain’t Over Yet” from the Winter edition of the Pheasants Forever Journal to life. The duo explores misconceptions about late season pheasant hunting and tactics for finding success when the temperatures plummet and the snow piles up. Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about all the hunting pressure on public lands during a worldwide pandemic, while breaking down a few tips for finding roosters that other hunters miss. • Carp explains how he brings binoculars into play for late season ringnecks, while also detailing the importance of hunting slow and quiet. • The guys also talk specifically about Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas as four states with pheasant hunting seasons that extend into January.

Dec 14, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by frequent podcast contributor Marissa Jensen for a conversation with Emily Spolyar. While Emily is a precision agriculture & conservation specialist with Pheasants Forever, the focus of this episode is on her social media pledge to introduce ten people to hunting during 2020. Episode Highlights: • The conversation gets started with Emily’s story of how a substitute teacher introduced her to bird hunting through the gift of an English setter puppy. • Emily talks about the catalyst for her Instagram and Twitter offer to introduce people she’s never met before to the uplands with her bird dogs. • This episode will make you bust out in laughter and tear up in joy as Emily recounts the experiences she’s had and the new friends she’s made over the last two years by mentoring people into the uplands she loves. • Take the Hunter Mentor Pledge at https://pheasantsforever.org/Hunting/Hunter-Mentor-Pledge.aspx with ALPS OutdoorZ

Dec 7, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Kira Everhart-Valentin, the sustainability director for the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, for a conversation with Eric Johannsen and Garrett Love, two farmers and ranchers who also own upland bird hunting operations. The group discuss sorghum’s role at the center of a Venn diagram where wild pheasant and quail populations intersect with farm profitability and environmental sustainability. Episode Highlights: • Johannsen, a 5th generation South Dakota farmer who also owns a wild pheasant hunting operation, talks about how a focus on soil health has had a positive influence on his farm’s profitability and booming pheasant numbers. • Love, who is featured in a new collaborative video between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and the Sorghum Checkoff Program, talks about sorghum’s role on his Kansas farm. In addition to his farming business, Love also owns a pheasant and quail hunting operation in Kansas, and he explains the importance of sorghum as a habitat component and food source for wild birds. • To close out the episode, Johannsen gives a mid-season rooster report from South Dakota and Love provides an early season pheasant and quail forecast from Kansas.

Nov 16, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre and Quail Forever Journal Editor Chad Love are joined by the organization’s Education & Outreach Program Manager Marissa Jensen for a conversation focused on the trio’s love of quail, upland hunting, covey rises, and the places quail live. Episode Highlights: • Marissa and Chad share their early season hunting adventures with young bird dogs in pursuit of prairie grouse in Nebraska’s Sandhills and sage grouse in Wyoming. • Chad talks about bird hunting only with women so far this season and how that resulted in a story about “independent female badass hunters” in the Winter edition of the Quail Forever Journal. • Responsible for the organization’s state-by-state quail hunting forecast, Chad gives his prospectus for the 2020 & 2021 quail hunting season ahead, and talks about the QF Journal stories he’s chasing this season.

Oct 19, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom (Carp) Carpenter explore common mistakes pheasant hunters make and the remedies that will put more “roostery sags in your gamebag with long tailfeathers streaming out the side” this season. Episode Highlights: • Drawing on Carp’s feature in the Fall Issue, Bob St. Pierre and the author explore 11 mistakes, missteps, and misconceptions that can leave a pheasant hunter’s gamebag empty. • The duo breaks down early season, mid-season, and late season tactics. • The author brings the host around to some of the advantages of midday hunting. • Did you know that “toodling” and “scouring” are good pheasant hunting strategies? • Why pheasant hunting should be more like big game hunting than a casual hike. • Sometimes no plan (other than trust your dog) can be the best plan of all.

Oct 17, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre and Rooster Road Trip co-host Andrew Vavra are joined by Pheasants Forever Graphic Design Manager Logan Hinners and Video Production Specialist Aaron Black-Schmidt to break down the final day of the 2020 event. The crew also deliver their own highlights and lowlights of the adventure while providing a behind-the-scenes view of the process leading to the creation of the daily written, video, photo, and audio content. Episode Highlights: • Black-Schmidt talks about how his filming and editing process evolved through the course of the trip to deliver compelling videos recapping each day’s events. • Vavra and Hinners discuss how much they learned about habitat in the last week during hunts with Pheasants Forever biologists Megan Howell, Matt Christensen, Tanner Bruse, Becca Kludt, and Sabin Adams. • And Bob finds his shooting eye on the final walk. Follow along all this week at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org

Oct 16, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre and Rooster Road Trip co-host Andrew Vavra are joined by Pheasants Forever Habitat Restoration Specialist Becca Kludt and lead singer of Trampled by Turtles, Dave Simonett, to recap a beautiful day in west central Minnesota. The wide-ranging conversation covers everything from the impact of changing climate on upland birds to exploring birdy cover before a concert. Episode Highlights: • In addition to bagging the day’s first rooster, Kludt is a wealth of knowledge on public lands habitat restoration for pheasants, prairie chickens, and sharp-tailed grouse. • Simonett explains how bird hunting has deepened his connection with nature. He also shared an inspiringly fun story of transforming his rescued mixed breed pup, “Hrbek,” into a bird dog. • As is the Rooster Road Trip tradition, Andrew delivers today’s Instagram questions for an entertaining lighting round. Follow along all this week at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org

Oct 15, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre and Rooster Road Trip co-host Andrew Vavra are joined by Pheasants Forever biologist Tanner Bruse and PF chapter volunteer Jeff Davis to recap a very windy day afield. The crew spent the day primarily on federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) in southwest Minnesota’s “Buffalo Ridge” region where the wind on an average day is 17mph. Today’s sustained winds easily doubled that speed making for fast-flying and hard-to-hit roosters. Episode Highlights: • Davis, who works in the agriculture industry and volunteers as the chapter president in Lincoln County, estimates that more than 90% of the soybean crop has been harvested and likely 80% of the corn will be out by this Saturday for the second weekend of Minnesota’s pheasant hunting season. • Bruse and Davis talk about the connection between the farming and hunting cultures that exists across rural southwest Minnesota. • The crew also talks about the etiquette of going back to a public hunting spot that a friend has shared during a previous day’s hunt. • As is the Rooster Road Trip tradition, Andrew delivers today’s Instagram questions for a lighting round. Follow along all this week at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org

Oct 14, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra and Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist Megan Howell to recap Day 2 of the Rooster Road Trip featuring a golden hour filled with hits, misses, and . . . Bob’s water retrieve. Throughout the episode, Howell explains how her love of bird hunting lead her to become a biologist. Episode Highlights: • Howell talks about her bird dog, “Biscuit,” who is a Braque du Bourbonnais, and Andrew chimes in with his previously unspoken affection for rare the breed. • The lively and fun conversation covers a lot of ground from morel mushrooms and Bloody Mary asparagus to identifying birdy habitat from the road and strategies for pheasant hunting on very windy days. • As is the Rooster Road Trip tradition, Andrew delivers today’s Instagram questions for a lighting round. Follow along all this week at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org

Oct 13, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra and conservation legend Joe Duggan to recap the first day of this year’s Rooster Road Trip spent hunting the Minnesota public wildlife area named in honor of Duggan. Episode Highlights: • A Sunday night thunderstorm added much-needed moisture to Monday morning’s landscape, which helped the team’s dogs get this year’s Rooster Road Trip off to a birdy start. • Duggan reminisces about his career in conservation and explains how someone garners the recognition of having both a state Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and a federal Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) named in his honor. • In what has become a Rooster Road Trip tradition, the crew answers questions from Pheasants Forever’s Instagram audience to round out the episode. Follow along all this week at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org

Oct 9, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by fellow Pheasants Forever co-workers, Andrew Vavra and Logan Hinners, as the trio previews this year’s Rooster Road Trip. The year 2020 has brought change throughout our entire country, and the Rooster Road Trip is not immune to these adjustments. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the crew discusses staying close to home and focusing on the state where the organization was founded in 1982: Minnesota. Episode Highlights: • The Road Trippers start the conversation with a recap of their early season prairie grouse, ruffed grouse, woodcock, and whitetail bow hunting adventures with reports from public lands trips to North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. • Andrew explains this year’s #ResponsibleRecreation theme, then shares his excitement for the forecasted mild weather and bumper crop of pheasants. • Logan reasserts the “F-8 and Be There” motto of the digital event, while Bob talks about his hopes for a young bird dog set to experience her first pheasant hunt. Follow along all this week at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org

Oct 6, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre and Quail Forever Journal Editor Chad Love head west to chat with Ruben Mata, vice president of the Ventura California Chapter of Quail Forever. Mata and his son are featured in the new Project Upland film “This Exists” about valley quail hunting and passing on hunting traditions. Episode Highlights: • Ruben’s connection to Quail Forever began with a completely random 5a.m. meeting with QF chapter volunteers and an impromptu valley quail hunt together. After that serendipitous day and the conversations had along the way, Ruben researched Quail Forever and quickly became a chapter volunteer. • Ruben talks about the popularity of hunting within southern California’s Latino community and provides advice for how Quail Forever “can make more Ruben’s.” • The trio also talk about the mythical 100-bird valley quail covey flush. Ruben says you can feel the “rumble” of that flush! Check out Ruben in Project Upland’s film “This Exists – A California Quail Hunting Video”

Oct 2, 2020

In this episode, host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Logan Hinners, PF & QF’s graphic design manager, and professional photographer Erik Petersen. The trio begin the discussion focused on taking better bird hunting photos. The conversation transitions to Erik’s very personal journey of raising two boys – one biological son and one adopted son from Ethiopia – as bird hunters in Montana. Episode Highlights: • Erik shares tips on how to improve bird hunter’s Instagram feeds and maybe even take a photo worthy of framing. The trio discuss the importance of moving past the tailgate shot and the grip & grin pose. • The group unveil the backstory of a photo Erik sent to Logan and how it launched Erik’s effort to improve inclusivity through his work photographing and filming the uplands. • Erik also provides a teaser for the film he’s partnering with Pheasants Forever on this hunting season called “A Long Way Home” which will premiere at the 2021 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. Read Erik Petersen’s story from the Fall issue of the Pheasants Forever Journal titled “To Make a Pheasant Hunter.” www.pheasantsforever.org/tomakeahunter

Sep 29, 2020

Host Bob St.Pierre takes the co-pilot seat as the organization’s Education & Outreach Program Manager Marissa Jensen takes the lead on a conversation with Carla Gibson and Jenny O’Brien on fly fishing, bird dogs, and chukar hunting in the West. Episode Highlights: • Jenny and Carla share their personal stories about how fly fishing and bird hunting strengthened their friendship. • Marissa and Carla discuss their experiences as volunteers with The Mayfly Project, whose mission is to connect with foster children through fishing. • Jenny talks about tying flies during the COVID-19 pandemic using the birds bagged by the duo while upland hunting. • Marissa discusses her love for the names of flies. She also references Nick Simonson’s Pheasants Forever blog 12 Flies you can Tie from Rooster Feathers. • Carla explains her love for “devil birds” and how hunting chukars is more difficult than training for Ironman Triathlons. • Jenny and Carla jointly paint the picture of just how beautiful the Western landscape is where chukars and trout live, and how these beautiful places inspire conservation. • The group discuss the benefits of social media as an outdoors recruitment tool and as a way to convert folks into hunters and anglers. Follow Carla on Instagram at @OregonOutdoorGirl and Jenny on Instagram at @Sea2Sage to check out photos of their fly fishing and bird hunting adventures. • Marissa talks about the habitat connection between healthy upland birds, abundant trout populations, and clean cold water. • As the episode closes, Jenny and Carla share their tips for the guys out there listening who want the women in their lives to come along into their outdoors adventures . . . to coach or not to coach?

Sep 21, 2020

In conjunction with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s celebration of National Hunting & Fishing week, host Bob St. Pierre and the organization’s Hunting Heritage Program Manger Colby Kerber take a deep dive into the hunting community’s R3 initiative with Matt Dunfee. Dunfee is the Wildlife Management Institute’s Director of Special Programs and one of the principle architects behind the R3 movement to address America’s precipitous decline in hunters. Colby also announces the organization’s launch of the Mentor Pledge being sponsored by ALPS OutdoorZ. Episode highlights: • Colby shares his experience as a first-generation hunter and the memorable duck hunt in college that hooked him. • Matt explains the Wildlife Management Institute’s role as a “think tank” for natural resources. He also discusses how that work led to a deep dive into the loss of hunters and potential ramifications for the rapid decline in license sales. • Matt also details the struggles of the hunting community as its efforts successfully cloned middle aged white males but didn’t adapt to reflect America’s changing demographics. • Bob and Matt also debate the comparison of hunting as a sport or a lifestyle and the ways to change the conversation to make it more inclusive. • The group also discusses the importance of mentorship. As Matt says, “become a mentor, and your circle of friends will grow exponentially”. • In the end, they review tips for mentors and how Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever can help hunters be mentors. Take Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Hunter Mentor Challenge this hunting season!

Sep 15, 2020

Host Bob St. Pierre heads across the airways to Iowa to hear all about the first ever drive-thru banquet hosted by the DubuqueLand chapter of Pheasants Forever. He’s joined by Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever Field Services Director Tom Fuller and DubuqueLand chapter President Tim Fiedler. Listen and learn about the innovative solution these chapter volunteers put together to make sure they continued to deliver the organization’s habitat mission in their local area during a worldwide pandemic. Episode Highlights: • Tim Fiedler explains how he got involved with Pheasants Forever and how he came to be president of the DubuqueLand chapter for the last 16 years. • Tim talks about the chapter’s habitat work, veteran and youth hunts, and their unique partnerships with other outdoor volunteer groups. A passionate man, Tim vividly describes the pride he feels in creating permanent public lands for hunters. With the real “Field of Dreams” only 12 miles from his house, Tim references the famous line from the movie “if you build it, they will come,” but references it to future generations of hunters. • Tom and Bob dig into the details of the first ever drive-thru banquet and Tim shares how the chapter came together to put the event on at their local fair grounds while abiding by COVID-19 safety guidelines. In the end, Tim called the event “easy” to put together and reports the chapter raised more than $35,000 for habitat projects during the evening. • The trio goes on to discuss the positive pheasant forecast recently released by the Iowa DNR, where there’s over a 100% increase in pheasant counts in three parts of the state. As Tim said, we’ve hit a home run for habitat; Iowa is seeing the results of habitat work. • The conversation ends with a big thank you to the sea of blaze orange Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever volunteers doing the work across the country. It is the chapter volunteers who make the locally-driven mission of “The Habitat Organization” possible. If you’re a chapter officer interested in learning more about hosting a drive-thru, contact your Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever Regional Representative. If you’d like to get involved with your local Pheasants Forever & Quail Chapter banquet, check out our chapter map.

Sep 10, 2020

Quail Forever Journal Editor Chad Love joins host Bob St.Pierre for a quail-centric conversation with Oklahoma State University Professor Dwayne Elmore. The trio talk about quail from coast-to-coast with Oklahoma serving as the geographic center of the conversation. Listen to learn about the importance of shrubby cover in the quail habitat mix, and how Elmore’s quail research influences how he hunts the birds in the autumn and winter months. Episode highlights: • Dwayne tells the story of the Tennessee quail covey that hooked him at age 14. He fondly remembers the distinct habitat, the miles of walking to find the birds, and the flush off the nose of his pointing dog. • The conversation continues as Chad and Dwayne educate Bob on why Oklahoma is such a cool state boasting diverse wildlife species from alligators to big horn sheep. • Dwayne explains the critical importance of shrub habitat to quail across their range and explains that not all shrub habitats are created equal. He describes the importance of being able to shuffle your feet freely but be attacked by briars at your thighs as an illustration of quality quail habitat. • Dwayne also discusses the factors affecting quail nesting success from extreme weather patterns of heat and rain to predation and solar radiation. • In the end, Dwayne provides quail hunting tips from the perspective as a quail biologist, and you’d be surprised to learn, he trusts his bird dog above all else.

Sep 1, 2020

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, Tom Carpenter and Chad Love, authors of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s annual Prairie Grouse Primer, for a state-by-state forecast of the 2020 prairie grouse hunting season. The group breaks down prospects and hunting tips for Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Idaho. Episode highlights: • The crew shares their enthusiasm for the first upland opener of the year on September 1st with prairie grouse hunting seasons getting started in Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming. • Carpenter, editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, talks about how prairie grouse hunting provides the first barometer for the health of the landscape during the autumn bird seasons. He also shares his love for the freedom prairie grouse hunting provides. • Love, editor of Quail Forever Journal, describes how prairie grouse are potent symbols of the places where they live. • Jensen teases a fantastic peach whiskey cream sauce recipe for prairie grouse on the plate. • Each participant highlights how Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s habitat mission benefits all the prairie grouse species.

Aug 19, 2020

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Matt Kucharski, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s newly elected Chairman of the National Board of Directors for a conversation that starts with bird dogs and closes with Kucharski’s vision for the organization’s future. In between the duo talk about Kucharski’s role in Quail Forever’s formation, his personal habitat projects, and the bird hunt he is most excited for in the season ahead. Episode highlights: • The guys talk about the four generations of bird dogs they’ve owned, trained, and hunted together. They chat about the quirks, hilarious stories, and the heartbreak that accompany every bird dog and hunter relationship. • Kucharski talks about LeRoy Neiman’s famous black Lab painting and how much it reminds him of his Labrador “Lucy.” He also explains how he comes up with symbols representing each of his bird dogs that end up as tattoos on the back of his right calf. • Bob and Matt discuss hunting flushing and pointing breeds together and how silent GPS collars saved their hunting friendship. • Kucharski describes the National Board’s role to manage risk and plan for opportunity, while explaining the makeup of the Board of Directors and the group’s desire to add gender and racial diversity to the group. • The pair also talk about how diversity and inclusion is critical to the future of hunting and wildlife habitat. • The conversation closes with an update on the organization’s financial health as the COVID-19 pandemic persists and what’s on the horizon for the organization’s future.

Aug 11, 2020

Marilyn Vetter and Nancy Anisfield, members of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s National Board of Directors and longtime hunters, talk about their first-hand experiences during the growth of women in bird hunting over the last thirty years. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, the organization’s leader of the Women on the Wing initiative, as the group explore a wide-range of topics stretching from gender-biases to hunting pheasants in Hawaii and women’s field pants to beloved bird dogs. Episode highlights: • Bob starts off the episode explaining how important his mom was in passing on the St.Pierre family’s hunting heritage. • Marilyn and Nancy, both devoted members of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, talk about the role bird dogs play in their love of hunting. • Nancy talks about the importance of choosing the right words to give an authentic voice to women, while Marilyn explains how important the illustration of female role models is to the future of hunting and conservation. • Marilyn hilariously details how she finds her favorite bird hunting gear in the women’s golf and hiking clothing aisles. • Nancy takes us on a dream upland hunting trip to the big island of Hawaii and follows up that story with an adventure to Alaska’s tundra in search of ptarmigan. • In the most memorable sequence of the episode, Marilyn explains how she wishes her dad – who died when Marilyn was a teenager – would have seen her grow up to become a bird hunter.

Aug 4, 2020

In this episode, host Bob St. Pierre takes a back seat as co-host Marissa Jensen drives the conversation with Danielle Prewett. The podcast centers around the upcoming Women on the Wing virtual event coming up on August 20th. You’ll want to listen to hear Danielle’s tips for easily preparing pheasant meat, but you’ll also want to listen to the stories of her first hunts, first birds, beloved bird dogs, and wine pairings for other wild upland game meats. Episode highlights: • The conversation starts where all good hunting conversations should begin, talking about how Danielle got her start hunting and the memories along the way from pheasant hunting on the family farm in South Dakota, doves in Texas, and really getting in to the swing of it while living in North Dakota. • Like Marissa, Danielle shares that it was the wild and tasty meat that first drew her into the uplands with a shotgun in her hands. Danielle adds, “Once you get into wild game, grocery store meat is just so boring.” • The trio then discusses how social media can tell the story of hunting and introduce the lifestyle to new people from locavores to women wanting to get into the field. • Of course, no podcast episode could pass for Bob without a good bird dog conversation and the group doesn’t miss the chance to talk about the lessons learned in the field behind a dog. • The conversation ends with tips and tricks for preparing pheasant meat and gives a strong preview to the virtual cooking event on August 20th (everyone is invited to attend this virtual event!).

Jul 28, 2020

Our host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever Education & Outreach Program Manager Marissa Jensen for a conversation with Jorge Ramirez about quail hunting in California and Arizona. Jorge is a passionate quail hunter who operates the website www.UplandJitsu.com which is focused on hunting Western quail on public land without a bird dog. Episode Highlights Include: • Jorge talks about becoming an upland bird hunter as an adult and his passion for California valley quail, Gambel’s quail, Mearns’ quail, and mountain quail. • Part of Jorge’s story is that he’s never owned a bird dog. As a result, he uses some different strategies to set himself up for hunting success without a canine to find, flush, or retrieve birds. To that end, Jorge explains how he tracks quail, utilizes a quail call, and employs binoculars to hunt Western quail. • A Quail Forever member since 2010, Jorge talks about why he got involved in conservation and later became a hunting mentor. • The trio also talk about the organization’s efforts to be more inclusive to diverse ethnicities and Jorge offers his thoughts on how to recruit more people of Hispanic heritage to bird hunting. • Marissa also previews the upcoming virtual Women, Wine, and Wild Game event featuring MeatEater’s Danielle Prewett that is coming up on August 20th.

Jul 22, 2020

In this episode host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever public relations manager Jared Wiklund to chat with Travis Frank, host of The Flush on Outdoor Channel. The trio discuss highlights from past seasons of The Flush, the anticipation of the 2020 season, and the adventures afield telling stories about the people who cherish the uplands. Episode Highlights Include: • Travis tells the guys about the adventure of flying through hurricane-strength winds to hunt ruffed grouse on islands in Lake Michigan and boating in below zero weather to hunt in North Dakota. • Jared and Travis talk about the hunt of a lifetime in Iowa last year which will be featured this season on The Flush. The pair talk about the importance of the Iowa’s Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) and the tremendous pheasant rebound it has produced over the last couple of years. • Travis speaks to the balance needed in each episode about getting a bird in the hand while also telling a compelling human-interest story. To that end, Travis talks about the season premier featuring his wife’s first bird hunting adventure . . . “The best date of my life was a day in the field with my wife.” • A true highlight of the episode could also be a highlight of your own life in the uplands with a television show to prove it. To that end, the trio discuss the unique opportunity to bid on the hunt of a lifetime to be part of a future episode of The Flush that’s featured in the organization’s first ever online upland auction right now. You and a friend could hunt alongside four Pheasants Forever biologists and Travis in South Dakota this December that will be aired as part of the 2021 season of The Flush. Visit www.PheasantsForever.org for details and to make your bid. Auction ends July 28 at 7 p.m. CST. • The podcast ends with thoughts on the future of hunting and importance to show patience afield as new hunters join us outdoors. This trio is also extremely optimistic about the 2020 season and excited to tell the stories that unfold within it.

Jul 15, 2020

In this episode, host Bob St. Pierre sits down with Dave Nomsen, retiring vice president of government affairs for Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. The pair goes over a lifetime of conservation work, from growing up the son of the Iowa state pheasant biologist to watching the sunrise over the National Mall in Washington D.C. with the organization’s National Youth Leadership Council. Dave’s career covers federal Farm Bill conservation policy dating back to the early 1990’s and his name has been synonymous with the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) over the last three decades. You’ll want to tune in for these stories and the lessons learned for bird hunters and habitat stewards along the way. Episode Highlights Include: • “Davey the Crane Man” talks about the connection to Pheasants Forever created in a hunting blind in a North Dakota field and why he only lasted a few weeks in his first role with Pheasants Forever as a regional representative. • The pair discuss why the pen is mightier than the shovel for habitat conservation. Dave also explains the promise he made to his dad to not let CRP go the way of the Soil Bank program. • The duo wade through the alphabet soup of conservation acronyms that put habitat on the ground and the important role Farm Bill conservation policy continues to have for America’s wildlife legacy. • Bob also quizzes Nomsen on the variety of people he’s worked with in D.C. under four U.S. president’s and his science-based approach to politics. • Nomsen also talks about how he likes working with elected officials, but more importantly, how he loves working with the organization’s chapter leaders and members. • In the end, Dave leaves Bob with a few final thoughts about conservation opportunities in the next Farm Bill, the Transportation Bill, and climate policy. • And there is a final call to action: get engaged and it will make a difference for hunting opportunities and quality habitat.

Jun 23, 2020

In this special Pollinator Week edition, host Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Director of Habitat Education Programs, Drew Larson, chat with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s AnnMarie Krmpotich and Sergio Pierluissi. The group discusses the state of pollinators and monarchs in the U.S. and the many opportunities on both public lands and private lands to improve the habitat for the birds, the bees, butterflies, and human beings. Episode Highlights Include: · The conversation starts with an entertaining detour as AnnMarie explains her background and career path studying avian influenza and black-footed ferrets. She even unveils here nickname . . . the duck-swabber! · The conversation continues with an overview of the decade’s long partnership between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever that’s always taken a holistic approach for all wildlife through the lens of habitat. · The group goes around the horn talking about the types of habitat projects that stop them in their tracks (or makes them pull over their vehicle and knock on a landowner’s door), and the joy of listening to diversity’s buzz through nature. · The foursome discusses how the pollinator partnership is an all hands-on-deck endeavor and the many ways to get involved from the classroom to a large landscape-level habitat initiative. In the end, everyone has a pathway to make a difference for pollinators. · The conversation finishes with a soliloquy about how the The Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold can change a person’s life

Jun 12, 2020

Dr. Bill Clark, a renowned predator researcher, biologist, and retired professor from Iowa State University, joins host Bob St.Pierre and PF’s Jared Wiklund to talk about predators. The guys have a wide-ranging discussion about all the animals that eat pheasants, from coyotes to feral cats and humans to raptors, with the goal of determining what predator is “Public Enemy #1” to pheasants. The answer is going to surprise you, but the solution should be obvious. Here’s a hint . . . it’s quality habitat! Episode Highlights Include: · Dr. Clark talks about the age-old debate about influencing pheasant populations from the top down (predators) versus the bottom up (habitat). · The trio talk about the perceived impact coyotes have on pheasant populations and what’s fact and what’s fiction about their impact. · You’ll also be shocked to learn of the impact weasels have on young pheasant chicks during summer brood time. · Dr. Clark talks about the times during a pheasant’s life cycle when the population is most influenced by predators. · DYK: There are only two predators of skunks? Great horned owls and “stupid dogs!” · Pheasants do not live forever. In fact, only 15 to 20% of the females survive to nest one time in their life. · And time and time again, the answer to creating more pheasants and mitigating the impact of predators is habitat.

Jun 1, 2020

In this episode, host Bob St. Pierre visits with Covey Rise magazine Editor Matt Soberg about bird hunting, bird dogs, shotguns, and the upland lifestyle. The guys also unveil a new Covey Rise promotion that generates a donation back to Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s habitat mission with each subscription sold. Episode Highlights Include: · Soberg admits to being an attorney by education and explains how he ended up as an outdoors writer. · Matt also recounts starting the Minnesota Sporting Journal and reminisces about his time commuting between Minnesota and Pennsylvania as editor of the Ruffed Grouse Society’s publication. · The duo expresses their love for the under-appreciated timberdoodle both in the field and on the plate. · Bob and Matt also talk about buying teardrop-style trailers during the COVID era in preparation for a socially distant autumn hunting season. If you subscribe to Covey Rise through this link https://coveyrisemagazine.com/cpfqf20/ using keycode CPFQF1, Covey Rise will donate 50% of the subscription total to Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever.

May 14, 2020

In this episode, host Bob St. Pierre and Quail Forever’s Director of Field Operations Tim Caughran visit with Michael Hook, quail biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The trio discuss the great work being done in the state to improve quail habitat and wild bird populations, along with the many ways Quail Forever and its volunteers are making an impact. In the end, they make a deal to eat oysters and ice fish, listen in and enjoy the conversation. Episode Highlights Include: · The joys of riding in a truck and finding quality shows to listen to, including Northwoods outdoor radio shows based miles away to learn about ice fishing. · We learn the Boykin Spaniel is the state dog of South Carolina, and the history of their role in quail hunting in the South. · The group discusses the partnership model working in South Carolina between multiple agencies, making all the pieces come together to restore quail habitat across the state. · Michael shares his love/hate relationship with sweet gum trees (mostly hate). · The guys discuss the great work done by the Quail Forever chapters in the state, and the unique partnership the Low Country QF Chapter has created with the U.S. Forest Service. · The trio also talk about new hunters who are jacked up about bobwhites and the many ways they’ve been introduced to hunting via family, friends, and of course, bird dogs in the South. · Finally, the group discusses how to improve habitat in South Carolina, which not only benefits quail, but other ground nesting birds. The first target on the list – recreational mowing – is defined as well. If you’re interested in learning more about the work Quail Forever is doing in the Southeast, listen to our previous episode, Quail Forever on the Rise in the Southeast at https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/Podcast-Quail-Forever-on-the-Rise-in-the-Southeast.aspx.

May 6, 2020

In this episode recorded prior to COVID-19, host Bob St. Pierre visited with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever President and CEO, Howard Vincent. The two discuss how Howard moved from volunteer accountant to the organization’s director of finance, and eventually became the second CEO of Pheasants Forever. During the episode, the pair discuss the many “touchpoints” throughout Howard’s career and his joy of leading a team of people passionate about the organization’s wildlife habitat mission. Episode Highlights Include: · Bob and Howard start talking about their baseball backgrounds. From there, baseball symbolism, metaphors, and analogies abound. Bob even likens Howard’s leadership style to Johnny Bench. · Insights into Howard’s vision for the organization and how its’ habitat mission is always more important than the brand behind it. · We learn the importance of handshake deal for Howard, from a bar in Kansas to the creation of the Sage Grouse Initiative. · Bob and Howard also discuss the lessons learned from introducing wildlife to the Farm Bill in the 90’s that has led to new legislative language just last year in the Transportation Bill. · We learn the origin story of Quail Forever and the effort to engage a new community of volunteers in local habitat restoration and engagement. · Howard also talks about the agriculture community’s sustainability movement and how water quality is the key to the future for all of humankind. · Finally, the duo discusses the future of the organization and the need to foster a conservation ethic in future generations. · Along the way, Howard tells stories about some of the amazing people he’s met through his career and even cuts open a few veins giving a look inside his heart.

Apr 29, 2020

From COVID-19 to digital tools for at-home upland scouting, this special episode of On The Wing podcast is our first listener-generated session that focuses questions collected from our online audience. Host Bob St.Pierre has grouped them into categories and poses them to Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s President & CEO Howard Vincent and V.P. of Government Affairs Dave Nomsen. Episode highlights include: · Biology: Nomsen, a wildlife biologist, talks about last winter’s impact on the birds and the early spring’s conditions for nesting pheasants and quail. Nomsen also discusses similarities and differences between pheasants and quail in nesting, re-nesting, and dietary needs. · The Organization: Vincent challenges upland bird hunters to take the hunter-mentor pledge to help introduce new people to the joys of upland bird hunting, while Nomsen asks conservationists to contact elected officials when the organization issues an action alert. And of course, the crew discuss the ramifications of COVID-19 on the organization. · Habitat: Mother Nature hasn’t stopped and neither has the organization’s drive to accomplish our wildlife habitat mission. From prescribed burning to land acquisitions, the trio talk about what the organization has been doing to create more habitat even during the pandemic. · Legislative Issues: Nomsen has been working conservation policy for the organization through every Farm Bill since 1992 and throughout this episode he talks about the importance of federal conservation programs to pheasants and quail, as well as public land hunters. · How You Can Help: Bob introduces the upcoming Give to the Uplands Day slated to happen on May 5th and the variety of ways supporters can help contribute to the organization’s wildlife habitat mission. · Hunting: The largest category of questions covers pheasants, quail, Huns, and prairie grouse tips and advice for where to find them and how to identify them in the air. The crew talk public land and private land, as well as how to use digital tools for pre-trip scouting. Howard also talks about the coming 2020 bird hunting season with a pandemic backdrop. · Dogs: In the most controversial segment of the episode, the guys debate flushers versus pointers, then talk about some of the great pups they’ve hunted behind over the years.

Apr 21, 2020

In this very special episode, host Bob St.Pierre talks with three folks critical to helping create the brand new Cupido Wildlife Management Area as a public property. The players include Brian Winter from the Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society, Rob Baden from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Eran Sandquist from Pheasants Forever. The name “Cupido” references the greater prairie chicken’s Latin name – Tympanuchus cupido – as this 955-acre property adds on to a sprawling 5,450-acre complex protecting some of the best remaining critical habitat for the bird in Minnesota’s northwest corner. Episode highlights include: · This parcel was identified on the original Minnesota DNR project map in the 1970s as an important tract to protect as critical habitat. Baden talks about how the DNR and partners have tried four different times over the years to secure the property for the public. · Brian Winter gives a fascinating overview of Minnesota’s prairie chicken history, the bird’s biology, their spring booming ritual, and an explanation for how critical this land acquisition is to the prairie chicken population in Minnesota. · The land sits in the bed of ancient Lake Agassiz, includes 300 acres of native prairie, and is home to some of the state’s largest remaining populations of greater prairie chickens. · Sandquist discusses how the landowner approached Pheasants Forever about a land transaction after years of unsuccessful farming and how a partnership formed to bring a grant application in front of Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Council for Legacy Amendment funding. · St.Pierre then explains how this $2 million acre acquisition crossed the finish line with a roster of partners contributing through Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area campaign while at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic last February in Minneapolis.

Apr 15, 2020

As spring aspirations turn to autumn days in the field behind new hunting partners, the danger, warns pro dog trainer Josh Miller, is that folks rush through important steps properly introducing young pups to birds, guns, and e-Collars. In this episode, host Bob St.Pierre and Josh Miller focus on properly introducing young bird dog pups to the e-Collar as a training tool that ultimately helps you ensure their safety when their running free in the field, forest, or your neighborhood. This episode is brought to our listeners in conjunction with the 2020 Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign and sponsored by SportDOG BRAND. Episode highlights include: · The guys start with an introduction of Josh’s background as a bird dog trainer for both flushing and pointing breeds, his love of field trialing, and his early success as a shed hunting champion. · Miller also talks about his business, River Stone Kennels, which focuses on breeding British Labrador retrievers. He compares some of the attributes of American Labs to their British relatives as well. · Josh explains how a dog owner must first ensure the pup understands the expectations being asked using a leash or check cord before introducing the e-Collar. · The guys also talk about the different features associated with e-Collars from beepers to GPS, and which styles of collars are the best fits for waterfowl, ruffed grouse, pheasant and quail hunters.

Apr 8, 2020

Spring is usually the peak season for adding a puppy to the family. COVID-19 also has a lot of folks working from home right now which has people thinking about an easier path to potty training. The combination has led people in the Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever community to reach out to our host Bob St.Pierre with questions about adding a second bird dog puppy this spring. To help navigate the decisions in that thought process, Bob catches up with pro dog trainer Tom Dokken. This episode is brought to our listeners in conjunction with the 2020 Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign and sponsored by SportDOG brand. Episode highlights include: · The guys talk about how the age of your veteran bird dog should play into your thought process for adding a second puppy to your pack. · Bob and Tom discuss the best way to pick a puppy out of a litter that will fit your family and hunting style. · Dokken talks through the process of introducing a puppy to an adult dog, as well as what to look for in avoiding a dangerous confrontation. · The guys also discuss the fact versus fiction associated with an old dog teaching a young dog how to hunt. · And the guys dream about the magical scenario of working a pointing dog with a flushing breed in the field.

Apr 1, 2020

In the spirit of kicking off Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s annual Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tony Peterson, host of Sporting Dog Talk podcast. Peterson is also the host of Hunt for Real podcast and frequent contributor to MeatEater, Outdoor News, Outdoor Life, Gun Dog, and Petersen’s Hunting. Known as one of the country’s foremost public lands whitetail bowhunters, Peterson talks about his equal love for public land bird hunting and his fascination with bird dogs. Episode highlights include: · Peterson compares and contrasts bow hunting whitetails to bird hunting, especially the role of scouting in both. · The pair talk about how some spots elicit the “Spidey sense” more than others. · Peterson discusses interviewing hundreds of dog trainers over the years and how the really good dog folks think differently compared to the average bird dog owner. · The conversation also expands into how bird dogs need and want a job, and how those jobs go beyond searching for feathers all the way to sniffing drugs, diseases, and endangered species. · Peterson also explains his vision for connecting the outdoor adventure with the hunting audience through a mutual love of dogs. Dogs are the natural bridge to bring two different audiences together around shared goals for wildlife, habitat and public lands. · St.Pierre also gives an update on his new German shorthair puppy, Gitche Gumee, and her comical introduction to birds.

Feb 21, 2020

While at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic last weekend, host Bob St.Pierre snuck away from the show floor to talk about the uplands with Ruffed Grouse Society’s President & CEO Ben Jones. Joining the conversation were Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s director of government affairs and Andy Edwards, Quail Forever’s regional representative, who also happen to have spent their college years with Jones. This is an incredibly fun episode that starts with college memories then dives into grouse and woodcock habitat management. Episode highlights include: · Jim Inglis talks about Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s letter to USDA Secretary Perdue requesting a CRP extension which occurred at the start of National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic · Andy Edwards talks about how a radio-collared turkey, mistaken as a dead radio-collared bear, led to meeting Jim Inglis, then ultimately resulted in Andy meeting Ben Jones playing a mandolin in the back of a bus. Chris Farley was not involved. · The Public Lands Pavilion at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic and the partnership with Ruffed Grouse Society and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. · The difference between ruffed grouse drumming counts and pheasant/quail roadside counts. · The groups explore the biology of the woodcock migration and how Lake Superior influences the bird’s travels around the Great Lakes. · Jones provides an update on the impact of the West Nile Virus on ruffed grouse. · The crew discusses the regional nomenclature for the bird and where grouse, partridge and pats are the most common name.

Feb 12, 2020

Quail Forever is part of a collaborative called Missourians for Monarch which is focused on creating pollinator habitat for a wide range of wildlife species. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Kelly Srigley-Werner, U.S. Fish & Wildlife private land coordinator in Missouri; Donnamarie Duffin, Missourians for Monarchs coordinator, and Kim Cole, Quail Forever education & outreach program coordinator to talk about the habitat connections and conservation efforts linking bobwhite quail and monarch butterflies. Episode highlights include: · The monarch butterfly’s fascinating life cycle spanning a multi-generational migration from Canada across the United States to Mexico. · The importance of Missouri as the geographic center of the monarch’s migration. · The 45-member Missourians for Monarchs partnership work to improve almost 400,000 acres for monarchs, and in turn quail, in just five years. · How drones are being developed to count the critically important milkweed stem-by-stem to ensure healthy monarch populatons. · And speed-dating for conservation . . .

Feb 4, 2020

The precipitous decline of America’s bobwhite quail populations has been well-documented over the years. However, the state of Missouri has a few shining examples of reversing that quail decline with landowner enthusiasm for conservation aided by the expertise of local biologists. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Chris McLeland, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s southern regional director along with Lee Metcalf and Tim Kavan, private lands conservationists with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Quail Forever chapter volunteers, to explain what’s bringing back bobwhites in Missouri. Episode highlights include: · An explanation of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) and how Missouri fits into the national plan for quail management. · How adding more forbs and more shrubs to northern Missouri private lands projects has produced three times more quail. · The benefits of edge-feathering and the disadvantages of brush piles for bobwhite

Jan 29, 2020

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Land Tawney, President & CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to talk about BHA’s origin story and the partnership around the new Public Lands Pavilion at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2020 in Minneapolis this February. Episode highlights include: · The son of a family with deep roots in conservation, Tawney recounts his dad’s role in the early days of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and his own career steps toward his leadership role with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. · Tawney also talks about how Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was started over an Oregon campfire in 2004 and the three areas of focus for the organization’s mission · The duo gives an overview of the new Public Lands Pavilion and Public Lands Stage making its debut at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Minneapolis this February with BHA, Ruffed Grouse Society, and Minnesota DNR as sponsors. · St.Pierre also talks about how Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area concept was created and how Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Ruffed Grouse Society, Minnesota DNR and a handful of other partners are going to help create a new public wildlife management area during the three days of National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic.

Jan 22, 2020

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever President & CEO Howard Vincent for a conversation with Randy Newberg, a renowned public lands advocate, television host, and hunter. Newberg is slated to keynote this year’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic banquet on Saturday, February 15th in Minneapolis. Episode highlights include: · Vincent and Newberg share startling similarities as two guys who grew up in northern Minnesota and became public accountants. Incongruently, at least in Bob’s mind, they also developed into terrific public speakers and two of the most respected people in conservation. · Newberg talks about his outdoors roots hunting partridge in Minnesota, desert quail in Arizona, and pheasants in Montana. · Newberg also recounts how he got into the outdoor television world to save his failing health and how his son was the catalyst for the initial show concept.

Jan 7, 2020

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Kate Kaufman, veterinarian with Blue Pearl Pet Hospital; Jeff Zajac, regional wildlife manager for the Minnesota DNR; and Jared Wiklund, PF & QF public relations manager for a conversation about native grasses featuring large awns. The group discusses both the biological side of grass awns and the potential health ramifications for bird dogs. Show highlights include: -Zajac talks about the species of grasses featuring large awns, their ecological role, and their historic use in CRP mixes. -Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever eliminated species of grass featuring large awns from the organization’s seed mixes, where applicable, to help mitigate risk to bird dogs. -Most of these grass species, particularly Canada wild rye, occurs naturally on the landscape, so Dr. Kaufman provides important tailgate tips for preventing awn problems in your bird dog. -Dr. Kaufman also talks about other important field injuries and diseases, and best practices for keeping your pup safe and healthy all year.

Dec 21, 2019

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever chapter volunteers Scott Rall, Scott Roemhildt, and Kenny Reed for a conversation about how their volunteer efforts brought them together as close friends and traveling hunting buddies. Show highlights include: · Scott Rall was a Field & Stream Hero of Conservation finalist, known as “The Protector of the Prairie.” · Rall was also part of Pheasants Forever’s very first land acquisition, Pheasant Run One in Minnesota’s Noble’s County, now a public Wildlife Management Area. · The group talks about their motivations for volunteering, interests in wildlife habitat, and passion for permanent land acquisitions to create new public lands for hunters. · There’s also an interesting debate between the group, who all own land they manage as pheasant habitat for hunting, about what’s more of a trophy: a public lands rooster or a rooster they “created” on habitat they nurtured

Dec 11, 2019

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Andrew Vavra, PF’s director of marketing; Logan Hinners, PF’s graphic design manager and trip photographer; and Jake Schiller, PF’s video production specialist for a recap of the final day of this year’s Late Season Longtails themed online event. Show highlights include: · Pheasants Forever’s distinction as a Public Land Creator accounting for more than 200,000 acres of new permanent public lands. · Tips and tricks for filming an upland bird hunt. · Commemorating a bird dog’s 100th rooster retrieve. · Waterfowl Production Areas are great for pheasants and quail too! · Highlights of the 2019 Rooster Road Trip.

Dec 6, 2019

We start this episode with major news for the uplands – the USDA will hold a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General Signup beginning on December 9th for the first time since 2016. This news brings more than 8 million acres of habitat opportunity! Following the CRP update, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Andrew Vavra, PF’s director of marketing; Laura McIver, Quail Forever’s regional representative for Oklahoma, and Chad Love, editor of the Quail Forever Journal for a spirited conversation about our Rooster Road Trip turned Quail Quest. Recapping the day’s hunt leads to a wide-ranging conversation comparing pheasants to quail. We cover habitat, hunting, bird dogs, cooking, and every other debate between the two birds.

Dec 5, 2019

Nebraska never disappoints! Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Andrew Vavra, PF’s director of marketing; Marissa Jensen, PF’s education & outreach program manager; and Jerrod Burke, a member of the Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever National Board of Directors, a native Nebraskan, and a three-time Rooster Road Trip participant to recap the crew’s first day in Nebraska. The conversation starts with a focus on Marissa’s role as the organization’s quarterback for the new Women on the Wing initiative and the overwhelming social media feedback to her Rooster Road Trip blog about her vision for the position. We then turned to Jerrod as he explains his opinion about the importance of Rooster Road Trip from one National Board member’s point of view. And once again, Andrew closed the episode out with a fun round of questions from our Instagram followers.

Dec 4, 2019

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Andrew Vavra, PF’s director of marketing; Laura McIver, Quail Forever’s regional representative for Oklahoma; and Logan Hinners, PF & QF’s graphic design manager & photographer to recap the second day of the 2019 Rooster Road Trip. In addition to a play-by-play from the crew’s second day in Kansas, Laura tells her story about becoming a bird hunter as an adult, and Logan delivers tips for making every uplander’s birds, dogs, and landscape photography more dramatic and tasteful. We wrap the show with a lightning round of fun questions from Pheasants Forever’s Instagram audience.

Dec 3, 2019

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Andrew Vavra, PF’s director of marketing; Marissa Jensen, PF’s education & outreach program manager; and Chad Love, editor of Quail Forever Journal to recap the first day of the 2019 Rooster Road Trip. Since Chad Love frequently hunts the Cimarron National Grassland for scaled and bobwhite quail, he was our de facto guide for the first day of this year’s Rooster Road Trip . . . and he felt the pressure. With some good-natured ribbing at Chad’s expense, the crew recounts the morning search for quail and the afternoon pheasant bonanza that included Marissa Jensen’s first Kansas rooster. And did you know a group of porcupines is called a “prickle?” We’ll explain how that fits in too.

Dec 2, 2019

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Andrew Vavra, PF’s director of marketing; Marissa Jensen, PF’s education & outreach manager; and Chad Love, editor of Quail Forever Journal on the eve of the organization’s 10th annual Rooster Road Trip. Although the hunters, bird dogs, and states hunted have changed over the years, the mission of this road trip remains the same. Our goal is to show the connection between Pheasants Forever membership, quality habitat and public land birds. This year’s trip will start on Monday, December 2nd in the Cimarron National Grasslands of southwest Kansas, one of twenty National Grasslands in the country and the largest tract of public land in the state of Kansas.

Nov 20, 2019

There are 8.3 million acres of saline soils in South Dakota which aren’t productive for agriculture but provide a massive habitat opportunity for the Pheasant Capital. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Matt Morlock, Pheasants Forever’s South Dakota State Coordinator, Ben Lardy, Pheasants Forever’s Soil Health Specialist, and Jim Ristau, South Dakota Corn’s Director of Sustainability for a conversation about how planting grass on these salty soils can create habitat for wildlife and improve a farmer’s financial operation.

Nov 9, 2019

Host Bob St. Pierre is in St. Louis at Purina’s national headquarters to talk with Jack Scott, Purina's VP of Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing, and Karl Gunzer, Purina's Director of Sporting Dog Groups, about the company's $1 million-dollar contribution to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s conservation mission. While Purina has been the Official Dog Food partner of “The Habitat Organization” since the late 1980’s, this new commitment takes the relationship directly into the organization's habitat mission with two specific focal points targeting environmental sustainability. The first is a new Soil Health and Habitat program that Jack explains is focused in the Prairie Pothole region and the heart of Pheasant Country. The second focal point described by Gunzer, is the successful Build a Wildlife Area campaign, where quality habitat and public lands are critical to Purina's vision for a healthy environment. The episode concludes with a discussion about Purina’s new Calming Care probiotic supplement for dogs with anxiety issues.

Oct 21, 2019

Based on Editor Tom Carpenter’s excellent article in the Fall edition of the Pheasants Forever Journal, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Carpenter and Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever’s PR manager, to count down the top eleven public land pheasant hunting tips. This fun episode also includes discussions about the effectiveness of pheasant calls for locating roosters, using waders in the uplands, and the magic of pheasant hunting on the season’s first snow day.

Oct 17, 2019

Recording from The Terry Redlin Art Center in Watertown, South Dakota, Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by the Redlin Art Center’s Executive Director Julie Ranum for a conversation about Redlin’s legacy as a wildlife artist and his substantial impact on wildlife habitat. They also discuss the unveiling of “Country Road,” a recently acquired Redlin original that will be the featured exhibit during the state’s 2019 pheasant hunting season. Pheasants Forever biologists Matt Morlock and Erica Yost also join the conversation to forecast the pheasant hunting season and provide a few tips for non-resident hunters traveling to “The Pheasant Capital.” To round out the episode, PF volunteer Jake Hanson talks about the motivations for helping Pheasants Forever start a brand-new Watertown chapter.

Oct 8, 2019

Ron Boehme, host of The Hunting Dog Podcast, stops by the Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever headquarters to chat with Bob St.Pierre, host of On the Wing, and Jared Wiklund, the organization’s manager of public relations, about bird dogs and getting more bird hunters involved in conservation organizations. In classic form, Ron cracks a beer within the first minute of the episode and the laughter is followed by terrific hunting and dog stories.

Oct 2, 2019

Following a couple of days bird hunting the 116,000 acres of the Fort Pierre National Grasslands, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three of his prairie grouse hunting partners for a conversation about the beauty of the public grasslands and being able to watch your bird dog work big ground. The group includes Matt Kucharski, vice chair of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s National Board of Directors along with Marilyn Vetter, chair of the National Board’s Strategic Planning Committee and her husband Clyde Vetter, a professional bird dog trainer. There’s also a little Lab vs. shorthair bird dog rivalry banter to go with glowing reviews for the hunter-friendly community of Pierre, South Dakota.

Sep 16, 2019

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, Julia Schrenkler, and Eric Sterner, who all fell in love with bird hunting as adults. The group talks about how dogs, wild food, and outdoor adventure pulled them into hunting. They also dive into how they overcame the struggles of taking an animal’s life for the first time, learning gun safety, and understanding hunting regulation laws as adult-onset hunters. The conversation runs a diverse gauntlet of topics from a hunter’s role in habitat funding, to finding the right upland gear, to the introspective nature of hunting alone. The group also finds common ground in saving feathers to tie trout flies.

Sep 10, 2019

Prior to a Pint Night collaboration in the heart of the Northwoods, our host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Nick Larson of Project Upland, Jason Meekhof of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and Jon Steigerwaldt of the Ruffed Grouse Society to forecast the Great Lakes ruffed grouse hunting season kicking off in mid-September. This group of avid bird hunters talk about young forest habitat, forested public lands, grouse recipes, and grouse hunting tips. The conversation also includes a fun discussion about the wide array of nicknames for the American woodcock; including mud bat, worm burglar, and timberdoodle.

Aug 30, 2019

Bob is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter and wildlife biologist Sabin Adams to forecast the sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chicken, and sage grouse hunting seasons kicking off as early as September 1st in Montana and Nebraska. The trio of enthusiastic prairie rats talk about the habitat needs for America’s native prairie grouse and how hunting these birds differs from pheasants and quail. The conversation is filled with tips on where to find these birds in vast open grasslands, gear and gun recommendations, and even some cooking tips for the birds’ dark meat.

Aug 25, 2019

Bob visits with Ryan Bronson and Jon Zinnel, members of Federal Ammunition’s conservation team, to talk about the company’s distinction as Pheasants Forever’s longest-tenured corporate partner. The trio reminisces about the history of the relationship, the origin story of the on-the-box royalty program benefiting Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s habitat mission, and the product names that finished as runners-up to the winning Prairie Storm load. To round out the episode, the group breaks news on 16 and 28-gauge loads on the horizon and explains details of a new Federal ammunition rebate program launching on September 1st incentivizing bird hunters to become members of Pheasants Forever.

Aug 13, 2019

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever have always worked to be collaborative with farmers to find the sweet spot for habitat as farmers try to make a living in harmony with the land. Through this unique episode, Bob hosts a conversation with Zach Johnson, a guy known as MN Millennial Farmer on YouTube with 300,000 followers and the host of Minnesota Public Radio’s Field Work Podcast; Jan “The Embodiment” Payne, who is a farmer, longtime Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer and avid traveling bird hunter; and Tanner Bruse, Pheasants Forever’s Ag & Conservation Program Manager. The wide-ranging conversation covers soil health, water quality, wildlife habitat, and hunting traditions on the family farm. The group also provides guidance on how NOT to be a “citiot” when you go bird hunting this season.

Aug 6, 2019

If you’ve always dreamed of hunting upland birds in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, then this episode is your ticket to valhalla. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Al Eiden, Matt Hardinge and Chad Harvey, a trio of “The Habitat Organization’s” leaders in the western United States, for a conversation about epic western mixed bags, DIY public land bird hunts, and the nine different upland birds within a five-hour drive of Nevada’s neon lights. The group also talks about some impressive Pheasants Forever projects opening thousands of prime habitat acres to public land upland bird hunters.

Jul 29, 2019

In this episode, our host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer for a quick conversation about his 160-acre farm in Kentucky and how his habitat work on the farm earned him the distinction as Kentucky’s 2017 Landowner Conservationist of the Year. A Quail Forever member, Coach Zimmer also talked about growing up as a pheasant hunter in Illinois and getting hooked on quail hunting during his time in Texas where he quail hunted the King Ranch with Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones. Coach Zimmer also talks about the process he’s going through to learn how to shoot a shotgun left-handed after suffering a detached retina injury in 2016.

Jul 23, 2019

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Chris McLeland, the organization’s southern US regional director, a wildlife biologist, a cattle rancher and reigning “Most Valuable Employee” with “The Habitat Organization.” Frequent podcast contributors Tom Carpenter and Tim Caughran also participate in a conversation focused on the benefits of cattle to creating early successional grassland habitat for quail, prairie grouse, pheasants, and bird hunters. The group also explains the importance of befriending the mail carrier in your favorite wingshooting zip code.

Jul 16, 2019

Consider this your guide for planning a DIY public lands bird hunt with some thoughtful tips, tricks and hacks from a pair of budget-conscious bird hunting biologists Sabin Adams and Will Clayton. Bob St.Pierre drives the conversation with Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever’s PR Manager riding shotgun, for a conversation that covers gas, lodging, licenses and beer money. The group also talks about reading the hunting prospects of public wildlife areas from the road and answers the odd trivia question, “do pheasants eat acorns?”

Jul 8, 2019

Ep. 36 Upland Bird Hunting SUPER Issue Previewed by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever

Jun 25, 2019

On this episode, Bob St. Pierre leads a fascinating conversation about the USDA’s Working Lands for Wildlife program and how sage habitat conservation is improving ranchers’ lives and bird populations. In fact, the 7 million acres of sage grouse habitat improved through the group’s efforts over the last decade can now be seen from space. The roundtable includes NRCS’s Western Regional Coordinator Tim Griffiths, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Director of Finance and biologist Ron Leathers, and Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Sage Grouse Initiative Field Coordinator Michael Brown.

Jun 14, 2019

On this episode Bob St. Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Director of Field Ops. Tim Caughran, and biologists Jessica McGuire and Ryan Diener for a discussion about the organization’s habitat work in the southeast’s pine savannas and grasslands. McGuire leads a fun conversation about the connection between gopher tortoises and bobwhite quail. Then Diener explains the explosion of interest around quail in Arkansas. The group finishes with a discussion about the massive habitat and public hunting opportunities on U.S. Forest Service lands and National Park Service lands in quail country.

Jun 4, 2019

Bob is joined by Matt Hardinge, The Habitat Organization’s western U.S. regional rep for a conversation with Jeff Knetter and Sal Palazzolo, biologists with the Idaho Department of Game & Fish. The group discusses the habitat needs and hunting opportunities for nine upland birds in the state of Idaho – pheasants, California quail, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, spruce grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, Hungarian partridge, and chukars add up to a jaw-dropping upland opportunity. So, when your bird dog goes on point in Idaho, you better be prepared for nine different possible flushes.

May 15, 2019

On this episode, we continue our spring pollinator habitat discussion with biologist Drew Larsen who leads the organization’s pollinator habitat programs for chapters and schools. Along with Drew, Bob is joined by Tom Carpenter, Editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, and Anthony Hauck for a discussion about the short-game and long-game for working with schools on pollinator habitat projects, the fact one-in-three bites of food require pollination, and Pearl Jam - yes, THAT Pearl Jam.

Apr 30, 2019

In this very special episode, Bob and Andrew Vavra, PF’s Director of Marketing, are joined by Dave Simonett, lead singer of the band Trampled by Turtles and “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand, host of KFAN Outdoors radio. During this fun conversation, the group relives Simonett’s first pheasant hunting adventure as an adult-onset hunter. The guys also talk about bird hunting as the bond cementing friendships, the importance of public lands, and hunting’s PR problems.

Apr 23, 2019

On this episode, Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing, Andrew Vavra, visit with veterinarian and owner of White Bear Animal Hospital, Dr. Stuart Dalton. Located down the street from the Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever headquarters, Dr. Dalton has become the primary vet for many of the organization’s bird dog owners, so this isn’t a stuffy antiseptic doctor visit. On the contrary, the trio starts with a funny story about Rainy, a young food-motivated German wirehaired pointer and continues with a conversation about Andrew’s coprophagia Lab (that’s vet-speak for “turd burglar”). In between, Dr. Dalton drops a wealth of knowledge for the hunting dog owner ranging from tick diseases, toxins, ACL injuries, and arthritis.

Apr 15, 2019

In March of 1982, Dennis Anderson, then the outdoors editor for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press & Dispatch, wrote an article that served as the catalyst launching Pheasants Forever. On April 15, 1983, the very first banquet in Pheasants Forever’s history took place in Saint Paul, Minnesota. To celebrate that anniversary, Dennis was joined by Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever’s PR Manager, Jared Wiklund, and Director of PR, Anthony Hauck as he reminisces about the circumstances leading to the creation of Pheasants Forever from the perspective of someone who served as the organization’s first chairman of the board, president and first publication editor. Dennis also tells the story of how the organization’s unique locally-empowering model came to him as an idea in the shower and offers a few thoughts about the future of the organization.

Apr 10, 2019

Just in time for your spring habitat planning, Bob is joined by Jared Wiklund and Matt O’Connor, a long-time PF biologist, to talk about the importance of pollinator habitat for pheasants and quail. O’Connor also provides step-by-step guidance for preparing, planting, and maintaining your own pollinator habitat project with the payoff coming in the form of lots more birds . . . and a beautiful place for wedding and homecoming photos. Jared even makes a play to invite himself to your pollinator project for a hunt to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary this October.

Apr 3, 2019

In this episode, Bob visits with Keith Crowley, author of the new book Pheasant Dogs. The duo is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Rachel Hoveland and Jared Wiklund, whose dogs are both featured in the book, for a conversation that covers the laughter and tears of loving a bird dog. There is also a fun conversation about owners looking like their bird dogs, improving your own bird dog photography skills, and finally the organization’s 2019 Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign is unveiled.

Mar 22, 2019

Bob is joined by Logan Hinners, Pheasants Forever’s Graphic Design Manager and resident shed hunting fanatic, for a fun conversation with Tom Dokken, expert dog trainer and President of the North American Shed Hunting Dog Association. During this episode, Dokken breaks down the steps for training your bird dog pup to find antler sheds with both their nose and their eyes. He also tackles common concerns about training a bird dog to hunt sheds, like inadvertently teaching your pup to chase deer. There’s even a story about the friendship between “The Crush’s” Lee & Tiffany Lakosky and Tom & Tina Dokken around a bird dog.

Mar 14, 2019

While attending the Southeastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, South Carolina, Bob chats with Tim Caughran, Quail Forever’s Director of Field Operations, and Kenny Barker, QF’s Southeastern Regional Rep, about the organization’s rapid growth across the quail range. The trio also discuss bobwhite quail as the indicator species of healthy ecosystems, DIY public lands quail hunting, and Charleston’s incredible food scene; including an oyster eating throw-down at a Ducks Unlimited banquet.

Mar 2, 2019

Bob talks with Browning’s Brian Hobert and Russ Jones to unveil the new line of upland bird hunting clothing for men AND women. The trio breaks down the three-year journey gathering input from members and crafting the new innovative and more technical clothing items for the hardcore upland bird hunter. There’s also a fun story comparing Brian’s first bobwhite quail with the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team’s “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Russians in 1980. You’ll have to listen to laugh.

Feb 19, 2019

From pheasants and quail to pollinators and Pudelpointers, our signature national event has a wide array of attractions to encourage everyone to take a trip to Schaumburg this February 22nd through 24th. During this episode, Bob is joined by the PR duo of Anthony Hauck and Jared Wiklund for a preview of the organization’s signature event with Chris Kalis, the man behind the event’s curtain. We also hear from Anna Van Nostrand, the keynote speaker of our first-ever Women on the Wing Luncheon. Where’s Schaumburg? We’ll answer that question too!

Feb 13, 2019

In this episode Bob St. Pierre and Jared Wiklund talk with biologist Matt O’Connor about how to design food plots for bringing birds through a tough winter. O’Connor, who has been a biologist with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever for almost 30 years, explains how to pick the best location for a food plot on your property, how to prepare your site, what equipment to use, and what to plant in your food plot.

Jan 31, 2019

Have you ever dreamed of taking a spring break hunting trip to quail country? Dr. Bill Palmer of Tall Timbers Research Station gives a few pointers on DIY public land quail hunts and describes the magic of a covey rise. The guys also discuss the creation of Quail Forever, the Mr. Mom bobwhite quail advantage, and the critical importance of prescribed fire to bobwhite quail habitat management.

Jan 22, 2019

If the Labrador retriever is the quintessential duck dog and the English setter is the ideal grouse dog, then what’s America’s pheasant dog? Recorded in August, Bob St. Pierre and Anthony Hauck talked with Karl Gunzer, Purina’s Sporting Dog Group Director, to answer this bird dog riddle. The trio also chats about Karl’s conservation career working with most of the conservation groups, his dog training acumen and some important nutrition guidance for the bird dog owner and traveling wingshooter.

Jan 11, 2019

Bob St. Pierre and PF/QF’s public relations manager, Jared Wiklund, catch up with Johnathan O’Dell, gamebird biologist for the Arizona Game & Fish Department, to talk about Arizona’s three species of quail (Gambel’s, scaled, and Mearns’). The trio discuss the habitat needs and optimum weather conditions for each species, along with tips for targeting them for the first-time desert quail hunter. The discussion even includes O’Dell’s journey to accomplish “The Tree Squirrel Slam” . . . and yes, that’s a real thing.

Jan 3, 2019

After a successful morning pheasant hunt on lands enrolled in Iowa’s Habitat & Access Program (IHAP), Bob and Jared talk with Terry Haindfield and Tom Fuller about Iowa’s habitat conditions, bird populations, and hunting prospects. Haindfield provides a unique perspective as a biologist with the Iowa DNR as well as a longtime Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer. Fuller adds additional perspective as a lifelong Iowa resident and as Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Field Services Director leading the organization’s field team who services the 750 chapters across the country.

Dec 27, 2018

This week’s episode of On The Wing features Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever’s Editor, Tom “Carp” Carpenter catching up with the host of The Flush, Travis Frank. Presented by Pheasants Forever and Federal Ammunition, The Flush seeks out North America's top upland bird hunting destinations and brings the wild action to viewers across the country. Topics include musky fishing vs. pheasant hunting, the reason Travis doesn’t own a dog, the stress and struggles of filming while hunting wild birds, favorite memories from the field, and more.

Dec 22, 2018

On this episode of On the Wing, Bob catches up with Patrick Flanagan of Border to Border Outfitters during Flanagan’s last few days guiding ruffed grouse hunters in northern Minnesota. From Minnesota, Flanagan moves to Kansas to chase roosters before heading to Arizona in December for quail. The guys chat about the differences in hunting ruffed grouse versus pheasants versus quail. Also, if you’re a current member of Quail Forever, you’ll soon see Patrick on the cover of the Quail Forever Journal’s winter edition as our “Man in the Moon” hunter.

Dec 14, 2018

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever government affairs duo Jim Inglis and Bethany Erb join us and recap our journey to create upland habitat in the 2018 Farm Bill. The group also debates the prevalence of acronyms in the conservation world, the symptoms of Potomac Fever, and how our policy work in D.C. is also creating public access for bird hunters.

Dec 11, 2018

North Dakota has experienced massive habitat loss in the last decade largely due to CRP loss. In this episode, we catch up with the Pheasants Forever employee team in North Dakota to learn about the innovative ways their working to return some of those acres back to habitat for the birds. We also take advantage of the opportunity to talk with five avid female bird hunters about how they are helping introduce more women to the joys of following a bird dog into a pheasant field.

Nov 30, 2018

Hank Shaw, author of the new Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail cookbook (and Quail Forever Life Member), joins Bob St.Pierre at a ruffed grouse hunting camp in northern Wisconsin. The duo discuss the amazing diversity of upland game across the country’s different regions, while also chatting bird hunting, foraging and cooking quail, grouse, pheasants and woodcock during this episode.

Nov 16, 2018

Pheasants Forever editor Tom Carpenter talks about the six tricks roosters use, and how pheasant hunters can combat them. And can the discussion group come up with a better term than "hardcore"?

Nov 1, 2018

With the pheasant hunting on publicly-accessible habitat and land finishing on a strong note, the Rooster Road Trip crew looks back on a week in pheasant country’s epicenter. We also take listener questions on bird dog feeding and care, storing birds on the road and dealing with hunting buddies who burn the midnight oil.

Oct 26, 2018

Aberdeen area walk-in hunting areas that are part of the James River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program produce the type of South Dakota pheasant hunt you dream about. The corn just came out, there's a triple rooster flush and we close with advice for novice upland hunters to keep developing their upland skills.

Oct 25, 2018

It's a tale of two days as a tough day of hunting is followed by a bountiful day in the field. Pheasants Forever's Rooster Road Trip public habitat and public access ambassadors are dealing with a plethora of bird dog injuries. Despite the challenges, the trip's new addition, Emy Marier, and her bird dog combine for their first South Dakota rooster during a magical Golden Hour hunt.

Oct 23, 2018

When Plan A fails, Plan B turns into an upland dreamscape walk-in area in West River South Dakota. And the "Golden Hour" hunt on a Pierre Game Production Area turns into a track meet with racing roosters. Speaking of rooster, why aren't we yelling "Rooster!"?

Oct 22, 2018

Pheasants Forever's Rooster Road Trip, South Dakota's gigantic pheasant hunting season opener, 100 years of South Dakota pheasant hunting, how to plan a South Dakota bucket list bird hunt and unraveling the mystery meat that is chislic. Featuring South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks wildlife biologists Tom Kirschenmann and Mark Norton, and the department's communications specialist, Chris Hull.

Oct 19, 2018

We preview Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip and talk about the origins of “The Habitat Organization’s” signature digital event. The 2018 Rooster Road Trip is an all-South Dakota affair, as the undisputed Pheasant Capital celebrates a Pheasantennial, its 100th pheasant hunting season. And like all Rooster Road Trips prior, this year’s will highlight publicly-accessible lands and habitat projects which Pheasants Forever has played a significant role in creating through land purchases, local habitat projects or legislative action.

Oct 12, 2018

Opening with an impromptu visit to the Terry Redlin Art Center in Watertown, we dive into a “State-of-the-State” discussion about pheasants in South Dakota with Pheasants Forever biologists Matt Morlock and Erica Yost. The wide-ranging conversation covers the current habitat conditions in the state and this year’s 47 percent jump in SoDak bird numbers. We also chat about some innovative new PF initiatives to add habitat to the South Dakota landscape before we close the show with a few insider tips for nonresident pheasant hunters to put more birds in their vest this season.

Oct 1, 2018

It’s opening weekend for sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge in Montana and we’re chasing these prairie birds from horseback behind big-running pointing dogs. This episode comes at you from a public hunting parcel in Montana at the back of a horse trailer. During the episode, we chat with John Zeman and Dan Voss, Pheasants Forever members, dog trainers and horseback hunters. During the conversation we talk about the process for bird hunting from horses and how horses present a different perspective to a bird hunt. Along for the hunt are a trio of veteran bird dogs closing in on their final hunts and we chat about our hopes for those final trips afield with these beloved bird dog. Episode Host: Bob St.Pierre

Sep 26, 2018

On this episode of On The Wing Podcast we breakdown the highly anticipated Pheasant Hunting Forecast state-by-state. Editor; Tom Carpenter, and Public Relations Manager; Jared Wiklund, dive into detail on locations and states that you should plan your next upland hunt!

Sep 7, 2018

The “Dokken” name has become synonymous with dog training. In this episode, we learn about Tom’s evolution as one of the most recognized dog trainers in the country. We also chat with Tina Dokken about the role bird dogs played while dating Tom. Tina also tells us about the challenges to becoming a female bird hunter as an adult and the clothing, gear and shotgun advances being made for women. We finish the conversation with a discussion about the use of drones in dog training and finally get to the bottom of whether or not your bird dog can tell the difference between a rooster and a hen by scent. Episode Host: Bob St.Pierre & Co-Host: Anthony Hauck

Sep 7, 2018

During our inaugural podcast, we chat with Eran Sandquist, Pheasants Forever’s Minnesota state coordinator and a wildlife biologist, about the organization’s efforts to create public hunting access through land acquisitions. We also discuss Minnesota’s ground-breaking Legacy Amendment passed by voters in 2008 and is now creating permanently protected habitat and public hunting access across the state. In fact, the Legacy Amendment has accelerated Pheasants Forever’s land acquisition efforts and helped the organization acquire 55,000 acres in the last ten years; all of those acres are open to public hunting. We close the show with Eran’s pheasant hunting forecast for Minnesota. Episode Host: Bob St.Pierre & Co-Host: Anthony Hauck