On The Wing Podcast

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PODCAST EP. 143: RRT XII – Part 3. Hunting Through a South Dakota Terry Redlin Painting Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

The Rooster Road Trip crew moves to South Dakota where they ride a major weather swing from cold and rainy to beautiful and sunny as they hunt Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition walk-in lands and state-owned Game Production Areas. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra and the organization’s new South Dakota Regional Representative Jake Hanson. Episode Highlights: • The crew talk about the innovative community-based conservation collaboration that started with the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition and has now grown to Mitchell and Chamberlain. • Hanson talks about his personal journey as an adult-onset pheasant hunter to On the Wing Podcast listener to PF chapter volunteer to becoming a new PF employee. • Andrew provides the birdy play-by-play for all the hits, misses, and retrieves with a tailgate pheasant dinner to close out the episode. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

PODCAST EP. 142: Rooster Road Trip XII – Part 2. Wild Flushing North Dakota Pheasants Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

In this installment to the organization’s popular Rooster Road Trip adventure, Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Andrew Vavra, Renee Tomala, and Emily Spolyar to recap the crew’s second pheasant-filled day in North Dakota. The team starts the day on a fresh PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) parcel with NDSU biologist and PF Chapter President Ben Geaumont leading the hunt. Episode Highlights: • Vavra provides the play-by-play of the crew’s hunt through another birdy PLOTS tract filled with kochia and wild flushing roosters all leading to a field edge monster flush. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

PODCAST EP. 141: Rooster Road Trip XII– Part 1. The Group Finds Birds in North Dakota Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Andrew Vavra, Renee Tomala, and Emily Spolyar to recap the first day of the organization’s annual Rooster Road Trip. Recorded live from Emily Spolyar’s home on the prairie, which was once a North Dakota pheasant hunting lodge. The crew details a very birdy start to the 2021 Rooster Road Trip on the state’s publicly accessible lands. Episode Highlights: • Emily and Renee talk about relocating to North Dakota for their roles with Pheasants Forever, resulting in a deep appreciation for the state’s hunting, fishing, and outdoors opportunities. They also talk specifically about the state’s PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) program and how Emily identified the parcel filled with birds for the crew’s golden hour hunt. • Check out the companion video that accompanies this podcast episode at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun and join/renew your Pheasants Forever membership featuring an attractive new field knife made by Browning. Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

PODCAST EP. 140: Previewing Rooster Road Trip XII - The Dakotas Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Andrew Vavra, Marissa Jensen, and Renee Tomala from the field. In fact, this episode was literally recorded live on a gravel road next to a North Dakota PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) parcel as the crew prepared to kick off the twelfth annual installment of the organization’s popular Rooster Road Trip. Episode Highlights: • As with all previous Rooster Road Trip events, the Pheasants Forever team of employees, biologists, and chapter leaders will only hunt public lands during the six-day trip through North Dakota and South Dakota. Along the way, the crew will highlight the organization’s efforts to improve habitat and public access. • Andrew Vavra, the organization’s director of marketing and Rooster Road Trip quarterback, talks about this year’s shift to an episode-oriented format. Watch this year’s preview video at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. • Check out the terrific Rooster Road Trip membership offer featuring a Browning field knife and enter to win a Browning Maxus II shotgun at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2021 sponsors: • Browning • Thorogood • SoundGear • Ruff Land Kennels • Federal Ammunition • Garmin • South Dakota Tourism • Apple Auto

PODCAST EP. 139: Getting to Know PF & QF National Board Member Douglas Spale Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Douglas Spale, a hardcore bird hunter and newest member of the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever National Board of Directors. The guys talk about Douglas’ Nebraska roots, his “Bird Dog in the City” blog series, and how our podcast episode with Erik Petersen changed his life’s trajectory. Episode Highlights: • The guys kick off the conversation with Spale’s impressions upon returning from his first ruffed grouse and woodcock hunt in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, a stark contrast to the Great Plains where Spale is accustomed to bird hunting. • Spale shares the poignant stories of his adoption, the important role hunting plays in his connection to family, and the tremendous bond formed with his first young Lab pup upon returning to the city following his father’s recovery from cancer. • Douglas also talks about the absence of Black role models in bird hunting throughout his childhood and how he’s hoping to help fill that niche with Erik Petersen’s son, Kasa.

PODCAST EP. 138: 11 Tips for Bird Hunting with the Wind Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

Tom “Carp” Carpenter, editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, joins host Bob St.Pierre to add color to his recent PF Journal story “Hunting With the Wind.” In the podcast, as in the printed story, Carp offers eleven tips for handling wind during a bird hunt. Episode Highlights: • Bob admits to historically not paying very close attention to wind conditions in favor of assessing habitat and following the dog, while Carp breaks down the error of Bob’s old ways. • Carp talks about his journaling habits and how that informs his hunting strategy during different times of the year and under different conditions. Thanks to SportDOG BRAND, a national sponsor of PF & QF’s habitat efforts, for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing podcast.

PODCAST EP. 137: Insta Influencers, Bird Hunting Literature, and a Menage a Trois for Quail Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Reid Bryant, host of the Orvis Hunting and Shooting Podcast, and Chad Love, Quail Forever Journal’s editor, for a free-flowing conversation covering strong opinions about bird hunting influencers on Instagram and great bird hunting literature. Episode Highlights: • There is clear chemistry between Bryant and Love who share a mutual passion for literature featuring bird hunting themes and settings from icons the likes of Jim Fergus, Annie Proulx, Harry Middleton, Guy de la Valdene, Steve Bodio, Norman Maclean, David Guterson, and Rick Bass to name a few. • The guys also talk about the new collaboration between Orvis and Quail Forever centered around some fresh artwork from Jay Dowd (AKA @upland_lowlife on Instagram). You can purchase the limited-edition Orvis and Quail Forever collaborative Covey Call Tee featuring artwork from Jay Dowd here: https://www.orvis.com/orvis-and-quail-forever-covey-call-tee/3EAF.html

PODCAST EP. 136: Recognizing Prime Pheasant Habitat Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

Tom Carpenter, editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, joins host Bob St.Pierre to break down his recent article about identifying quality pheasant habitat by focusing on grass, grain, and winter cover. Episode Highlights: • Bob and Tom talk about the importance of grass and forb identification as part of a hunter’s ability to locate birds. They also spend some time discussing how grass density plays into recognizing a good place to bird hunt. • The guys also chat about finding pheasants, quail, and sharp-tailed grouse around different agricultural crops like corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, and sunflowers. Thanks to SportDOG BRAND and ALPS OutdoorZ for being partners in our Path to the Uplands content series. #PathToTheUplands

PODCAST EP. 135: Bobwhites, Bigfoot, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Government Affairs Jim Inglis for a conversation with Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s Chris Horton and Kent Keene. Chris and Kent explain how CSF works on three different government levels (federal, state, and gubernatorial) to advance habitat, hunting, and angling legislation across the country. Episode Highlights: The crew goes around the horn on a variety of legislative issues, including: o Right to hunt & fish amendments at the state level o Dedicated funding for natural resources at the state level o Funding for conservation through sports betting and lottery funds o The history and facts around the 30X30 concept AND why hunters & anglers should embrace this initiative o Plans for the 2023 federal Farm Bill o The guys even have some fun banter focused on an Oklahoma proposal to create a bigfoot hunting season.

PODCAST EP. 134: The Making of the film “Long Way Home” Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with David Nolt and filmmaker Erik Petersen about the production Long Way Home released by Pheasants Forever earlier this month. Long Way Home is a film about loss, second chances, identity, bird dogs and the power of hunting to connect people to places all through the eyes of Nolt and captured through Petersen’s camera. Episode Highlights: • Bob compares Long Way Home to Field of Dreams and shares his perspective on the parallels between “having a catch” and “going bird hunting” with one’s father. • Nolt puts into words how bird hunting opened up his ability to write the film, which ultimately served as a cathartic release during the grieving process following his father’s death. • Nolt also updates listeners on the furry star of the film, his veteran Lab, Leroy, and English Setter, Lucy. • But perhaps the most fascinating component of the discussion is Erik Petersen’s insight into the artistic process going into creating the film. From scripting to shot selection to editing, it’s a real treat to listen to the podcast right after watching the film and then hearing Erik’s artistic decision-making process. Thanks to Purina Pro Plan, Orvis, and South Dakota Tourism for bringing Long Way Home to our members and supporters. If you haven’t yet watched it, check it out at www.PheasantsForever.org/LongWayHome

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