Episodes
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Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever biologists Ciera Garner and Heather Francis to talk about the intersection between pollinator habitat for pollinating insects and brood habitat for upland birds. Garner is the organization’s pollinator coordinator in Tennessee and Francis is a farm bill biologist III and on-boarding coordinator in Nebraska. In fact, pollinators are so important to them both that Garner’s wedding earlier this spring included a variety of native wildflower components as did Francis’ youngest son’s wedding that happened on the very same day as Garner’s nuptials.Episode Highlights:• The group focuses their conversation on a Top 10 list of wildflowers as voted on by a sampling of PF & QF’s team of biologists. • The criteria for the Top 10 list of wildflowers included each plant’s a) value in creating habitat structure; b) value as a food resource – both in seed produced as food, as well as the plant’s ability to attract soft-bodied insects as chick food; and c) as the wildcard value of the flower’s blooming beauty. • Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are currently offering a special Pollinator Week package including a PF or QF membership, six wildflower plants, a “Habitat Creator” sticker, and a “Pollinator Habitat” sign. Check out the offer at: www.PheasantsForever.org/PollinatorWeek www.QuailForever.org/PollinatorWeekThanks to our Pollinator Week partners: • Corteva Agriscience• Bayer U.S. Crop Science• Syngenta US• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Monarch Joint Venture• Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
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Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a conversation with Jesse Griffiths, a restauranteur, chef, cooking instructor, MeatEater contributor, and James Beard award-winning food writer. Griffiths wrote an article in the new summer edition of the Quail Forever Journal titled, “The Three Quail I’ve Known,” about wild, stocked, and farm-raised quail.
Episode Highlights:
• The conversation starts with a focus on quail hunting opportunities in Texas and how a love for eating quail can lead to a passion for quail habitat conservation.
• Sparks equates being a capable wild game cook at home to being able to read quality habitat for bird hunting. Both are equally important, but not always viewed as equals.
• Griffiths closes the conversation with a lightning round of his favorite way to prepare quail, favorite quail side dishes, and favorite quail libations.
Learn more about Jesse Griffiths by visiting the following sites:
- His restaurant Dai Due at https://www.daidue.com/home
- His books at https://www.thewildbooks.com/
- Follow Jesse on Instagram @sac.a.lait -
Missing episodes?
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Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mike Amman and Ashly Steinke, both volunteers with the Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society, for a conversation about prairie grouse, barrens habitat, and dog training. When most folks think about sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chickens, they automatically think about the large expanses of prairie grasslands across the Dakotas or Montana or Nebraska. There is, however, a somewhat “secret” population of sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin’s brushland habitat.
Episode Highlights:
• Steinke, an ecologist with Audubon Society, shares his personal passion and professional knowledge focused on growing Wisconsin’s sharp-tailed grouse population through habitat management and brushland connectivity.
• Amman, a forester for Wisconsin’s Bayfield County, discusses his perspective on the importance of the state’s brushland habitat and the wildlife dependent upon this unique form of grasslands habitat, even though he’s also passionate about the state’s Northwoods forests.
• The guys also discuss the value Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society find in having a booth to recruit new members from all over the country at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic.
Learn more about sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin by visiting www.WiSharptails.org -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Irene Liu, Wenfei Tong, and Tom Swartwout, along with web developer and software engineer Ben Cooley for a “behind the scenes” conversation about the creation of the Map for Grasslands. The map is the output of a partnership spanning two years between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and more than two dozen conservation organizations working toward the creation of the North American Grasslands Conservation Act.
Episode Highlights:
• As a producer, editor, and director with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Conservation Media, Swartwout explains his organization’s interest in grasslands conservation and his team’s role in turning data into a visual tool for the public.
• Liu and Tong discuss the data sources behind the map’s focus on bobwhite quail, pheasants, monarch butterflies, elk, and northern pintails as five of the fifteen different wildlife species highlighted within the www.MapForGrasslands.org.
• Cooley then explains how he turned the tremendous volume of data sources into a heart-breaking AND compelling story of the need for grasslands habitat conservation by utilizing the “martini glass” principle. -
Continuing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s special Women on the Wing podcast series, host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen for a conversation with Dr. Jess McGuire who is the Senior Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Bobwhite Program Manager. Jess shares stories about working on a variety of research projects, the ups and downs of conservation on private lands and why quail can save the uplands.
Episode Highlights:
• Why Jess has multiple unusual species in her freezer…. Cicadas anyone?
• Hear about Jess’s experience as a biologist climbing trees with a chainsaw to build red cockaded woodpecker habitat.
• How gopher tortoise conservation is quail conservation and why working with private landowners is extremely rewarding.
• The crew discusses how sharing their enthusiasm for the natural world with kids, neighbors, former teammates, and private landowners will save the world.
• Quail conservation at large and how creating and restoring habitat will produce more healthy and resilient quail populations.
To learn more about the Bobscapes app referenced in the podcast, visit: https://bobscapes.org/
Suddenly curious about gopher tortoises? Visit: https://gophergamesfilm.com/ -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Nick Hoffman, a singer-songwriter, fiddle player, and host of “Nick’s Wild Ride” on Outdoor Channel and Bally’s Sports. At the age of 17, Hoffman ran away from his Minnesota home to chase musical dreams in Branson, Missouri, and then later to Nashville where he landed as the fiddle player in Kenny Chesney’s band. From there, Hoffman takes us on his “wild ride” in the music industry, and growing up in a non-hunting family to hosting an award-winning outdoor television show.
Episode Highlights:
• Hoffman discusses his growing interest in hunting while touring with Chesney for 12 years, then while as a co-founder of the trio The Farm. He then explains how he jumped from a successful musical career into outdoor television.
• The guys also talk about the importance of being a mentor beyond the initial introductory hunt, especially through failures.
• Hoffman also explains the role his grandfather, Harry Hoffman, played in the early days of Federal Ammunition and how it has all come full circle with Federal Ammunition as the longest tenured partner of “Nick’s Wild Ride.” -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Senior Regional Representative Will Clayton for a conversation with chapter volunteers Nina Hoekstra and Dave Scherf. All four participants in this episode recently contributed to projects as part of PF & QF’s Hands-On Habitat effort to improve upland acres across the country.
Episode Highlights:
• The crew talk about clearing barbed wire, old tires, and other trash during habitat workdays, then they go around-the-horn with tales of the weirdest garbage they have picked up on public lands.
• Nina Hoekstra, a volunteer with Minnesota’s McLeod County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, talks about the intimidation of first getting involved as a PF volunteer, then being so inspired to change careers focused on her passion for wildlife habitat and upland bird hunting. Follow Nina on Instagram @in.ninas.nature
• Dave Scherf, a long-time volunteer with Minnesota’s Metro Minneapolis Chapter of Pheasants Forever, talks about his love for public land and how Hands-On Habitat projects brings him so much personal joy.
Special “THANK YOU” to onX Hunt for supporting PF & QF’s Hands-On Habitat efforts across the country throughout the entire month of May. As part of their commitment, onX Hunt is funding three grants for PF & QF chapters participating in Hands-On Habitat projects.
Learn more and find an event near you at:
www.PheasantsForever.org/HandsOnHabitat or www.QuailForever.org/HandsOnHabitat -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Conservation Leadership Program Manager Levi Day for a discussion about the organization’s effort to foster more interest in conservation careers, ranging from biologists to marketing professionals and accountants to educators.
Episode Highlights:
• Day recounts becoming a hunter, pursuing a career as an education professional, then developing a hunting friendship via social media that resulted in his jump into a conservation career of his own with PF & QF.
• Day also explains PF & QF’s Journey to Conservation Careers program and recaps a successful career curriculum session that occurred on the morning of the podcast in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s Harrisburg High School. -
Continuing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s special Women on the Wing podcast series, host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen for a conversation with North Dakota Senior Field Representative Renee Tomala. Renee talks to us about growing up in the outdoors, DIY dog training and how she works with Pheasants Forever Chapters to carry out our organization’s mission.
SPOILER ALERT: There are now 13 Women on the Wing Chapters across the country with more on the way!
Episode Highlights:
• Being in the path of totality – Britta's eclipse experience.
• The crew talks about getting comfortable eating unusual animal parts.
• Renee talks about what a privilege it is to work with chapters to carry out our mission and all the ways she goes about that, leaving us to wonder what doesn't a regional representative do?
• Renee gives us a brief history of Women on the Wing and Women on the Wing Chapters, which originated with an all-women staff years ago in North Dakota.
• Today there are Women on the Wing Chapters in ND, TX, MN, MI, NC, WA, GA, WI, AZ, SD and OH doing all kinds of neat things including hosting events like “Unstuck your truck.”
• Renee chronicles the (mis)adventures of Quill, her German Wirehaired Pointer aka ‘Porcupine Lover.’
Find a Women on the Wing Chapter near you on our website, and if you’d like to start a Women on the Wing Chapter where you live, reach out to Renee at [email protected]! -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tony Jones, an adult-onset hunter, theologian, author, professor, podcaster, and former pastor. Jones has just released a new book, The God of Wild Places with the subtitle “Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors.” In the book, Jones writes about the role pheasant hunting, bird dogs, and wild meat have played in shaping his new perspective on life following a tumultuous divorce.
Episode Highlights:
• The guys start off the episode with a spirited flusher vs. pointer debate.
• Jones tells the funny story of trading preaching services for pheasant hunting expertise and land access.
• The discussion ends with a preview of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers annual Rendezvous taking place at the Minneapolis Convention Center on April 19 & 20 where Tony will be selling his books and where PF & QF will have a membership booth.
Learn more about Tony Jones, his new book, and the Reverend Hunter podcast at www.ReverendHunter.com. -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Clay Thompson, a SportDOG Brand pro staff dog trainer, for a conversation about his Oklahoma quail roots and his current South Dakota waterfowl and pheasant passions. The guys also discuss the new SportDOG Brand FieldSentinel, which Thompson equates to a dog’s “check engine light,” as it monitors a pup’s heart rate and the intensity & duration of exertion.
Episode Highlights:
• Thompson explains how skipping a day of college to go on a duck hunt with a well-trained bird dog changed his life for the better.
• Thompson tells the story of how an impromptu South Dakota sharp-tailed grouse hunt on a hot day put his Labrador retriever into a scary situation, which was the genesis story for the new SportDOG Brand FieldSentinel.
Check out the new SportDOG Brand FieldSentinel. -
Continuing Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s special Women on the Wing podcast series, host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen for a conversation with Iowa Senior Farm Bill Biologist Allie Barth. Barth is one of the longest tenured biologists in the organization and brings a wealth of knowledge to the discussion focused on prescribed fire and the ins and outs of the Conservation Reserve Program. The trio also discuss how our organizations’ biologists use their skills and passion to create wildlife habitat, and Barth also shares some of the important things she’s learned from working with landowners.
Episode Highlights:
• Barth shows off her biologist chops throughout the conversation, while also talking about how lighting a prescribed fire can be thrilling, scary, and extremely beneficial.
• The crew discuss why Labs should be everyone’s next dog.
• Upcoming adventures: exploring the outdoors with Labs and kids, more fire, and turkey hunting! -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined Ben Wheeler, a Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever wildlife biologist and prescribed fire expert from Nebraska, for a conversation with author Maura O’Connor. The discussion focuses on O’Connor’s new book, Ignition, which is subtitled “Lighting Fires in a Burning World.” The trio talk about the importance of prescribed fire for wildlife habitat, as well as the importance of regular burning of prairies and forests to prevent massive wildfires.
Episode Highlights:
• Wheeler recounts famed biologist Herbert Stoddard’s advocacy for fire as a critically important wildlife habitat management tool, as well as Stoddard’s dubbing of the bobwhite quail as “the fire bird.”
• O’Connor explains the role prescribed fire plays in protecting grasslands from woody encroachment, mitigating climate change, and protecting water resources.
Check out O’Connor’s book, Ignition, on Amazon. -
Host Ashley Chance is joined by co-host Britta Petersen to introduce a special Women on the Wing series of the podcast focused on highlighting the women that make up the Habitat Organization. Learn about who Britta and Ashley are as hunters and conservation professionals as well as what inspired them to tell the stories of other women in this series.
SPOILER ALERT: 36% of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever staff are women and sharing their professional conservation journeys through this series is going to be amazing!
Episode Highlights:
Exploring the myth of man the hunter and woman the gatherer.
What it means to have other women to go hunting with and learn from.
Hear about the third consecutive year of an all-women buckthorn and honeysuckle murder squad.
Upcoming adventures: prescribed fire, shed hunting and being pregnant during turkey season! -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three biologists from Oklahoma and Texas to discuss the massive wildfires in the panhandle areas of both states in recent weeks, as well as the impact those wildfires have had on upland birds. Those biologists include Tell Judkins, upland game biologist with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation; John McLaughlin, upland game program leader with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; and Thomas Janke, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s state coordinator for Texas. Episode Highlights:• Judkins and McLaughlin provide a recap of the massive number of acres burned and provide an update on the impact those wildfires have had on wildlife populations so far. • Janke explains difference between wildfires and prescribed fires, as well as the critically important role prescribed fire plays in properly managing upland habitat to maximize potential for wildlife.• Judkins and McLaughlin explain the concept of “fighting fire with fire” and the dual role prescribed fire plays in mitigating the risk and impact of wildfires. Read The Heart of The Habitat Organization is with the Southern Great Plains by Casey Sill
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Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by veterinarians Dr. RuthAnn Lobos and Dr. Seth Bynum for a podcast version of our “Ask a Vet” video series being presented by Purina Pro Plan. To kick off the conversation, Dr. Lobos and Dr. Bynum share their hunting and bird dog backgrounds, then Bob asks follow-up questions from the first six episodes of the video series.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoOX_tNUo44MiMiZqXrjqQqCDfw1jbFlI
Episode Highlights:
Ask a Vet Episode 1 – What’s in your bird dog’s first aid kit?
Ask a Vet Episode 2 – How do I safely travel with my bird dog?
Ask a Vet Episode 3 – How do I prevent bird dog injuries?
Ask a Vet Episode 4 – What is the best feeding method for my bird dog?
Ask a Vet Episode 5 – What supplements should I consider for my bird dog?
Ask a Vet Episode 6 – When should I spay or neuter my bird dog? -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter and PF & QF Director of Communications Jared Wiklund to preview the special section, “Pheasant Habitat Essentials Guide” coming up in the spring edition of the Pheasants Forever Journal. The trio discuss nesting & brood-rearing habitat, winter habitat, food plots, pheasant stocking fallacies, the science of predators, and federal Farm Bill conservation and access programs.
Episode Highlights:
• Carp drops a wide array of “Carp-isms” like “hellholes” and “tootles” during the conversation. He also explains a few scientific terms like the immense “fecundity” of coyote populations and the constant “senescence” of habitat.
• Jared explains the #Farming4Habitat campaign to highlight the robust investments America’s landowners make in support of fish and wildlife resources, particularly through Farm Bill conservation programs. The campaign’s partners include Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Congressional Sportsmen’s Alliance, and the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Learn more at www.Farming4Habitat.org. -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by three Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever co-workers to provide overviews of family-centric attractions that’ll be a part of National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming up on March 1-3 in Sioux Falls.
Episode Highlights:
• Kim Cole, PF & QF’s Habitat Education Program Manager, provides an overview of the event’s Youth Village sponsored by Sportsman’s Guide, which features archery, fly tying, and conservation career development.
• Ashley Chance, PF & QF’s Hunting Heritage Program Manager, gives a rundown of the Path to the Uplands Stage sponsored by ALPS OutdoorZ. The lineup includes Ben Brettingen from onX, Dr. Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek from the South Dakota State University, Nick Hoffman of Nick’s Wild Ride on Outdoor Channel, James Beard Food Writer Hank Shaw, and Doug Duren of MeatEater fame.
• Shannon Hoheisel, PF & QF’s Corporate Partnerships Manager, closes out the episode with an overview of “Family Day” sponsored by First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard. Sunday’s Family Day features free admission for attendees 16 years of age and younger, and a complimentary Spunky Pup pheasant dog toy for the first 500 families through the gates.
Learn more about National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic at www.PheasantFest.org -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Buddy Huffaker, the President & CEO of The Aldo Leopold Foundation, and Rich Wissink, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s VP of Conservation Programs for a discussion about Aldo Leopold’s influence on conservation in 2024 and the 75th anniversary celebration of Leopold’s seminal work, A Sand County Almanac. The trio discuss how hunting and bird dogs shaped Leopold’s view of the natural world, his writings, and his Land Ethic.
Episode Highlights:
• Huffaker talks about becoming a hunter to better understand Leopold’s writings and how hunting has influenced his own view of Leopold, conservation, and the outdoors.
• Wissink, a lifelong Wisconsinite and wildlife biologist, explains how his own career in conservation with the Wisconsin DNR and PF & QF has been influenced by Leopold.
• Huffaker also explains how Delia Owen’s #1 New York Times Bestseller book, Where the Crawdads Sing, was influenced by Leopold.
A Sand County Almanac is available through the Aldo Leopold Foundation for an affordable $7.50 each in recognition of the publication’s 75th anniversary and with the goal of helping get the text into more people’s hands to influence the broader public’s “Land Ethic.” -
Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Jordan Martincich, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s VP of Development, and Ariel Wiegard, PF & QF’s VP of Government Affairs, for a discussion about a new effort to create sustainable conservation funding in Kansas. Jordan, a lifelong Kansas resident, provides the background on the initiative’s origin story, proposed funding structure, and anticipated deliverables. In fact, the Kansans for Conservation coalition includes a wide array of partners covering agriculture, energy, and conservation sectors.
Episode Highlights:
• Wiegard explains 35 of our country’s 50 states already have some form of sustainable funding in place for conservation investments, but Kansas does not. In fact, the absence of a dedicated conservation revenue stream is resulting in Kansas leaving considerable federal dollars on the table that could be coming back to Kansas. Wiegard also describes the mechanics of this proposal and how it would NOT result in the creation of a new tax. The proposal is a re-allocation of existing funding sources toward natural resources.
• Martincich reports Kansas House Bill #2541 was introduced in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at the request of Representative Doug Blex on January 18th, which is the first step. A hearing was conducted related to HB #2541 on January 22nd. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members who live in Kansas are encouraged to contact their Kansas House Representative and voice their support for House Bill #2541.
Learn more at www.KansansForConservation.org - Show more
