On The Wing Podcast

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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”

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

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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!).

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.