On The Wing Podcast

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!

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.

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)

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.