On The Wing Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP. 274: Chef Yia Vang on Wild Game Cooking and Outdoor Channel’s “Feral” Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 272: Bird Dog Training and Falling in Love with Susanna & Ronnie Smith Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 271: A Boy’s First Pheasant and Previewing the 2024 Season of The Flush Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 270: Use the Bobscapes App to Record Bobwhite Quail Encounters and Help Biologists Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 269: PF & QF Biologists Select Their Top 10 Wildflowers During Pollinator Week Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 268: Quail, From Field to Fork with Chef Jesse Griffiths Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 267: Sharp-tailed Grouse in Wisconsin’s Brush and Barrens Habitat Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 266: Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Making the Map for Grasslands May 29, 2024

Show notes

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.

EP. 265: Women on the Wing Series Part 4: Conservation and Habitat Restoration in Quail Country May 22, 2024

Show notes

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/

EP. 264: Nick Hoffman on Pet Pigs, Touring with Kenny Chesney, and Being a Hunting Mentor May 15, 2024

Show notes

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.”

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