On The Wing Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP. 263: Volunteers Get Dirty Improving Public Lands Habitat May 08, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 262: Careers in Conservation with Levi Day May 01, 2024

Show notes

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.

EP. 261: Women on the Wing Series Part 3: Working with Chapters to Accomplish Mission Delivery Apr 24, 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 North Dakota Senior Field Representative Renee Tomala. Renee talks to us about growing up in the outdoors, DIY dog training and how she works with Pheasants Forever Chapters to carry out our organization’s mission. SPOILER ALERT: There are now 13 Women on the Wing Chapters across the country with more on the way! Episode Highlights: • Being in the path of totality – Britta's eclipse experience. • The crew talks about getting comfortable eating unusual animal parts. • Renee talks about what a privilege it is to work with chapters to carry out our mission and all the ways she goes about that, leaving us to wonder what doesn't a regional representative do? • Renee gives us a brief history of Women on the Wing and Women on the Wing Chapters, which originated with an all-women staff years ago in North Dakota. • Today there are Women on the Wing Chapters in ND, TX, MN, MI, NC, WA, GA, WI, AZ, SD and OH doing all kinds of neat things including hosting events like “Unstuck your truck.” • Renee chronicles the (mis)adventures of Quill, her German Wirehaired Pointer aka ‘Porcupine Lover.’ Find a Women on the Wing Chapter near you on our website, and if you’d like to start a Women on the Wing Chapter where you live, reach out to Renee at rtomala@pheasantsforever.org!

EP. 260: Reverend Hunter Tony Jones on Hunting, Dogs, and God Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

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.

EP. 259: Birds, Dogs, and New SportDOG FieldSentinel with Clay Thompson Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

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.

PODCAST EP. 258: Women on the Wing Series Part 2: Prescribed Fire Basics and Habitat Creation Apr 03, 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 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!

EP. 257: Lighting Fires for Wildlife and the New Book “Ignition” Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

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.

EP. 256: Introducing the Women on the Wing Podcast Series! Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

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!

EP. 255: SPECIAL REPORT on Wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 254: Twisted Stomach, Mean Seeds, and Hunting Dog Injuries in the Field Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

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?

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