On The Wing Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP. 253: Habitat Essentials Guide with PF Journal Editor Tom Carpenter Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

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.

EP. 252: National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Attractions for Entire Family Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 251: The 75th Anniversary of Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

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.”

EP. 250: Legislation for Sustainable Conservation Funding Moving in Kansas Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

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

EP. 249: Conservation Policy with New Government Affairs VP Ariel Wiegard Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre has a “get to know you” chat with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s new Vice President of Government Affairs Ariel Wiegard. Following career stops with TRCP, Syngenta, and American Soybean Association, Wiegard joined PF & QF’s leadership team in late 2023. During the conversation, she talks about her hunting roots, her bird dogs, and how her career path in agriculture and conservation has culminated in her dream job at PF & QF. Episode Highlights: • Wiegard shares the terrific story behind her veteran German shorthair’s name, Argos. In Homer’s Odyssey, Argos is the only one who recognizes Odysseus after his ten-year journey. • Wiegard provides legislative updates on the Farm Bill, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP), and North American Grasslands Conservation Act. She also shares her vision for growth in the organization’s efforts to influence conservation policy at the state level.

EP. 248: Spruce Grouse Hunting & Habitat with Minnesota DNR Biologists Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Charlotte Roy, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Grouse Project Leader and Bailey Petersen, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Assistant Area Wildlife Manager for northeast Minnesota, for a deep dive into the biology, habitat, and hunting tactics for spruce grouse. Episode Highlights: • Roy discusses a recently completed spruce grouse study spanning three years, which provided a tremendous amount of insight into this beautiful and secretive grouse species of the boreal forest. • Petersen, an avid upland bird hunter who travels across the country with her three English setters and one small Munsterlander, provides a wide array of tips for locating and hunting spruce grouse across Minnesota’s northern range. In fact, Petersen invites traveling bird hunters to contact her at bailey.petersen@state.mn.us to answer questions about hunting these birds in Minnesota, the eastern most state where they are legal upland game. Learn more about spruce grouse on the Minnesota DNR’s website at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/sprucegrouse.html

EP. 247: Concert for Conservation with Trampled by Turtle’s Dave Simonett Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dave Simonett, lead singer and songwriter of the band Trampled by Turtles, to preview Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s first-ever Concert for Conservation. In partnership with Pepper Entertainment, the show will open with Chester Floyd and Carl Hansen before Trampled by Turtles takes the stage at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Thursday, February 29th. Check out the available tickets to PF & QF’s first-ever Concert for Conservation at pheasantsforever.org/TrampledbyTurtles Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about their shared love of saunas, reading books, watching baseball, and following bird dogs. • Simonett also talks about how bird hunting, upland habitat, public lands, and bird dogs have changed his lifestyle and influenced his songwriting. Check out the limited-time PF or QF membership offers featuring the special concert artwork at pheasantsforever.org/Trampled or quailforever.org/Trampled Special THANK YOU to our Concert for Conservation sponsors Pepper Entertainment, Leinenkugel’s, Purina Pro Plan, and onXHunt.

EP. 246: Late Season Longtails with South Dakota’s Darwin Weeldreye Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by lifelong South Dakota pheasant hunter and longtime Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer Darwin Weeldreyer. With two weeks remaining in South Dakota’s pheasant hunting season (as well as Nebraska and Kansas), Weeldreyer offers a few hard-earned tactics for outsmarting late season longtails. Episode Highlights: • Weeldreyer talks about originally getting involved with South Dakota’s Wessington Springs Chapter of Pheasants Forever to learn how to improve the habitat on land he inherited from his father, while also getting in good with the guy who would later become his father-in-law. • Fresh off a January pheasant hunt with eight inches of crusty snow on the ground, Weeldreyer gives a handful of hot tips for hunters chasing roosters the final couple of weeks of this hunting season. Get involved with PF or QF by becoming a volunteer with your local chapter.

EP. 245: Introducing New Quail Forever Editor Ryan Sparks Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ryan Sparks during his first week as the new editor of Quail Forever Journal. Sparks talks about growing up in Nebraska and how quail have played an important role in every stage of his life leading to his dream job with Quail Forever. In fact, Sparks’ master’s thesis was titled, “Feathers and Farmers: A Cultural Ecology of Bobwhite Quail in Nebraska’s Platte River Valley.” Episode Highlights: • Sparks discusses his passion for Elhew English pointers, wild game cooking, and classic outdoors writing. He also floats the idea of a future quail hunting and bonefish cast & blast adventure to the Bahamas. • The guys also discuss Sparks’ vision for where he’d like to take the Quail Forever Journal and his interest in sourcing more stories from QF members. In fact, if you’ve got a story idea, please email Ryan at rsparks@quailforever.org. Become a Quail Forever member so you can start receiving the Quail Forever Journal and read Ryan Sparks’ work.

EP. 244: Biologist, Explorer, Conservationist, and Hunter Donnie Vincent Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President and CEO Marilyn Vetter for an in-depth conversation with Donnie Vincent, a biologist, explorer, conservationist, hunter, and filmmaker. Vincent will serve as the keynote speaker at the organization’s Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic National Banquet on March 2nd in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Episode Highlights: • Vincent explains the origin of his favorite quote, “To experience fantastic things, you have to put yourself in fantastic places” and how that ethos fits into his approach to life and filmmaking. • Vetter tells the funny and winding story of connecting with Donnie Vincent through a friend from Alaska, Ken Gates, that resulted in her husband having an impromptu hour and a half long conversation with Donnie in the fishing aisle of a Wisconsin sporting goods store. • Vincent also gives a taste of the habitat and hunting thoughts he’s building his keynote address around. Tickets to the National Banquet are sold out, but we are taking names on a waiting list at https://pfqf.myeventscenter.com/event/2024-National-Pheasant-Fest-Quail-Classic-84173 Learn more about Donnie Vincent at www.DonnieVincent.com and check out his signature film about what hunting means to him, Who We Are.

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