On The Wing Podcast

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PODCAST EP. 133: North American Grasslands Conservation Act Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

This week, ten organizations have joined forces to unveil a vision for new grasslands conservation legislation modeled upon the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). Host Bob St.Pierre leads a discussion with the presidents & chief executive officers of three of those partner groups. Through this important conversation, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Howard Vincent, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Land Tawney, and National Wildlife Federation’s Collin O’Mara demonstrate an obvious chemistry that has created a bond of friendship resulting in a powerful collaborative vision for grasslands conservation. Episode Highlights: • NWF’s O’Mara details the history behind the concept and provides an “inside the beltway” sneak peek for how the idea will move into actual legislation. • PF & QF’s Vincent explains how this voluntary private lands grasslands and sagebrush tool would complement the Farm Bill, CRP, and the conservation efforts of USDA by living at the Department of the Interior under the NAWCA model. • BHA’s Tawney extolls the virtues of polite persistence in his call upon hunters and anglers to take action in support of this important grasslands conservation concept. Learn more about the North American Grasslands Conservation Act at www.ActForGrasslands.org Partners include:  Pheasants Forever  Quail Forever  National Wildlife Federation  Backcountry Hunters & Anglers  The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership  North American Grouse Partnership  World Wildlife Fund  National Deer Association  Izaak Walton League of America  Land Trust Alliance  Wildlife Mississippi

PODCAST EP. 132: Married to Quail with Biologists Leslie & Dwayne Elmore Sep 01, 2021

Show notes

Oklahoma State Professor Dwayne Elmore returns to the podcast with his better half Leslie Elmore, Quail Forever’s coordinating biologist for Oklahoma. Whistle along as the couple share their love for quail, habitat, cooking, and of course bird dogs with host Bob St. Pierre. Episode Highlights: • The pair share their path to the uplands and how they became Oklahoma’s leaders for quail research and habitat restoration. • Leslie shares her expertise on the connection between bats and quality quail habitat. • Dwayne and Leslie give Bob tips on the hot spots for the 2021 quail season based on habitat and monsoon seasons this year across the southwest.

PODCAST EP. 131: Drought in the Desert and an Outlook for Quail in Arizona Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

Larisa Harding, Arizona Game & Fish Department’s small game program manager, and Jim Heffelfinger, Arizona Game & Fish Department’s wildlife science coordinator, join host Bob St.Pierre for a conversation about Arizona’s Gambel’s, scaled, and Mearns’ quail. Larisa and Jim tag-team a fascinating discussion about how each of these three quail species reproduce at different times and gravitate to different habitats, making this year’s wild weather conditions a boon for some and a bust for others. Episode Highlights: • Arizona has endured an extreme drought for more than a year, so the conversation starts with an overview of how drought in a desert impacts habitat and subsequently each quail species. • The late summer has brought a much-needed reprieve to the dry conditions. Larissa and Jim break down how that rain is going to help the three different species of Arizona quail, especially Mearns’. They also provide an early forecast for the quail hunting season ahead. • The group closes out the episode with an overview of habitat projects Quail Forever chapters are working on in Arizona to help improve conditions for each of the quail species.

PODCAST EP. 130: Chasing Chukar, Mountain Quail, and Ptarmigan as a New Hunter Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre and Precision Agriculture & Conservation Specialist, Emily Spolyar, talk with new upland bird hunter Jennifer Reilly about chasing challenging species right out of the gates. Reilly started her upland journey in pursuit of chukar, progressed to mountain quail, and now lives in Alaska where she is figuring out ptarmigan. Episode Highlights: • The episode kicks off with Spolyar (@ecspolyar), who is based in North Dakota, providing an August pheasant report as the drought persists across the Dakotas. • Reilly (@nuclear.flower) explains becoming addicted to chukar hunting with her English setter, as well as why she’s drawn to the rugged mountain terrain over more wide-open fields of grass. • After a move from California to Alaska, Reilly tackles another new upland bird in the ptarmigan. Only this time she attempts wingshooting from snowshoes and cross-country skis.

PODCAST EP. 129: The Science of Roadside Counts with Iowa DNR’s Todd Bogenschutz Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

August marks the annual roadside surveying of pheasants and quail by state natural resource agencies. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Iowa DNR’s Todd Bogenschutz, the state’s upland wildlife research biologist, and PF & QF’s Jared Wiklund, the organization’s public relations manager, for a conversation about the logistics and science of counting game birds along roadsides in late summer. Episode Highlights: • Bogenschutz talks about his New York roots and the South Dakota schooling that resulted in his role as Iowa’s upland bird biologist the last 27 years. He also discusses being a Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer in Boone County, Iowa. • Iowa’s statewide survey is conducted by Iowa DNR staff who drive 218, 30-mile routes on gravel roads at dawn on mornings with heavy dew. Pheasants and quail typically move their broods to the gravel roads to dry off during these dewy mornings, which makes them easier to count. Bogenschutz explains how he uses the data from these counts to steer the state’s habitat and management decisions for upland game birds. • The guys close out the conversation with a “state-of-the-state” for pheasants and quail in Iowa with Bogenschutz providing an overview of current habitat conditions, bird numbers, and public hunting access. It’s about time to start planning an upland adventure in the Hawkeye state!

PODCAST EP. 128: Creating Habitat in the Margins Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Mike Retterer, the organization’s National Rights of Way & Energy Coordinator, for a thought-provoking conversation about the organization’s efforts to create wildlife habitat along roads, railroads, solar fields, pipelines, and powerlines. While obviously not the pinnacle of opportunities to create habitat for upland game birds or hunters, these marginal acres serve multiple purposes in creating connectivity between habitat “hubs,” while also introducing the organization’s habitat tools to new audiences and in generating new partnerships for the organization to develop larger habitat opportunities. Episode Highlights: • Retterer starts with a fascinating story of his career journey from an aspiring Navy diver to a Texas hunting guide to a biologist for the Ohio DNR to his multiple roles with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. • In the purest business sense, Retterer is in a “new business development” role with the non-profit conservation organization. Not only is that position a surprise for some folks, but his success stories about where habitat is being created will certainly turn heads.

PODCAST EP. 127: Travis Frank Previews New Season of THE FLUSH on Outdoor Channel Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by television personality Travis Frank for a conversation previewing the new season of The Flush, airing on Outdoor Channel during the months of July through December. The conversation starts with a few entertaining stories of Travis’ new bird dog pup Daisy before diving into what to expect from the new season. Episode Highlights: • The guys talk about the increase in episodes this season that include a camping element to the hunt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how that created a more enjoyable experience in many ways. • Bob and Travis also chat about Wyoming as an under-appreciated destination for the traveling bird hunter. Along those lines, Travis gives some insightful advice about hunting a brand-new state for upland birds. • Finally, the duo compare patterning fish as an angler with patterning wildlife as a hunter. The Flush 2021 AIR TIMES on Outdoor Channel Mondays @ 10:30am Wednesdays @ 6:30am Fridays @ 5:30pm Saturdays @ 8:30am (all times eastern)

PODCAST EP. 126: Finding Peace in the Uplands After Returning from War Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

David Gutierrez, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s new regional representative for the southwestern United States, spent 2005 through 2015 as a Green Beret in South America and Afghanistan. After returning to the United States from war, David struggled to find peace until he got a bird dog and started upland hunting. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, our Path to the Uplands content leader, for a thought-provoking conversation with David on finding solace in the outdoors. Episode Highlights: • David explains how he struggled after returning from his final Afghanistan deployment, and how he found peace in an Iowa deer stand while bow hunting. He also talks about his transition from deer stands to the uplands through the addition of his first bird dog, a Vizsla named Murphy. • This hard-charging veteran also explains why the mid-hunt break is his favorite component of any hunt. • Marissa leads a lightning round of questions for David about his favorite birds, hunts, and destinations. Read David’s blog, “Finding Solace in the Outdoors,” as part of this month’s Path to the Uplands content series presented by ALPS OutdoorZ

PODCAST EP. 125: Drought’s Impact on Pheasants in North Dakota and South Dakota Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Hundreds of thousands of bird hunters travel to South Dakota and North Dakota each autumn to hunt roosters. With bird populations on the rise the last few years, coupled with a very mild winter in 2020, anticipation for the season ahead was skyrocketing . . . until a dry spring turned into a summer drought. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Rachel Bush, Pheasants Forever’s state coordinator for North Dakota, and Matt Morlock, PF’s state coordinator for South Dakota, to get an on-the-ground assessment of the drought hitting both states and its impact on pheasant nesting season. SPOILER ALERT: They are both optimistic for the hunting season to come! Episode Highlights: • Rachel and Matt, both biologists, provide some scientific perspective on a hen pheasant’s nesting and reproduction “strategies,” and how rain over the 4th of July holiday weekend came just in the nick of time. • The group also discuss the likelihood of CRP acres being opened for emergency haying and grazing, and how that is important for farmers, ranchers, habitat managers, and hunters. They also provide some advice for preventing any unwelcomed surprises when hunters pull up to their favorite walk-in property on opening morning this season. • Finally, Rachel and Matt discuss the current CRP general signup that is set to close on July 23rd.

PODCAST EP. 124: National Pheasant Plan and Current Drought with Dr. Scott Taylor Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Scott Taylor, a biologist and the National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan Coordinator. The conversation includes how the National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan was created to provide a blueprint for restoring and maintaining pheasant populations across the country. Written by biologists from 24 state wildlife agencies, the plan details the habitat needed to support a national pheasant harvest goal of at least 5.9 million roosters based on a multi-state habitat model. PLUS, Dr. Taylor gives his take on what this year’s drought might mean for pheasant reproduction. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Taylor explains the National Pheasant Plan’s origin story and how bobwhite quail factored into the development of a landscape-level approach to pheasants. • The guys also discuss how the recent decline in hunter numbers has become an unforeseen variable in determining the best number of habitat acres and targeted pheasant harvest within the national plan. • A biologist by training, Dr. Taylor compares the biological approach to reproduction between quail and pheasants, then explains why bobwhites have an advantage. • And the guys close out this episode with a conversation on every bird hunter’s mind right now: “How is a drought going to influence pheasant numbers this season?” Check out Dr. Taylor’s Pheasants Forever blog series at “National Wild Pheasant Conservation Plan Being Revised for the Times” https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/National-Wild-Pheasant-Conservation-Plan-Being-Revised-for-the-Times.aspx

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