On The Wing Podcast

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PODCAST EP. 123: Celebrating Pollinator Week ‘21 for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Did you know healthy pollinator habitat is great upland gamebird habitat? The plants that bees and butterflies rely on are the exact same insect-producing flowers that help pheasant and quail broods thrive. Pollinators also impact 75% of the global food supply, which is scary because our pollinator populations are in a steep decline. Enter bird hunting conservationists to the rescue! Host Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Anna Swerczek and Drew Larsen discuss the organization’s innovative habitat initiatives connecting pheasants and quail to pollinators. Episode Highlights: • DYK that not only is South Dakota the country’s top pheasant state, but it’s also one of the very top pollinator states? The crew discuss the connection between the state’s high ranking in both categories. Here’s a hint . . . it’s upland HABITAT! • Anna details why she selected each plant comprising the special pollinator habitat kit featuring yarrow, butterfly milkweed, and New England aster. Check out all our Pollinator Week content with special thanks to our event partners at Corteva, Bayer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. https://pheasantsforever.org/Special-Events/Pollinator-Week.aspx

PODCAST EP. 122: The New Great Plains Grasslands Initiative with NRCS Jun 16, 2021

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Working Lands for Wildlife is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s premier approach for conserving America’s working lands to benefit people, wildlife, and rural communities. This innovative approach is expanding into America’s Great Plains to restore and protect the critical grasslands there. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Tim Griffiths, NRCS’s Western Regional Coordinator; Dean Krehbiel, NRCS’s State Resources Conservationist for Kansas; and Chris McLeland, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Midwest Director of Conservation Delivery for this conversation about landscape-level grasslands conservation. Episode Highlights: • Griffiths is as enthusiastic and knowledgeable conservationist as there is out there in the United States. He’s leading this innovative approach to restoring grasslands in collaboration with America’s farmers and ranchers across the Great Plains. • McLeland offers a unique perspective throughout the conversation as a biologist for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever who also ranches cattle for beef. • Kansas is the first state to kick off the Great Plains Grasslands Initiative and Krehbiel offers insight into the state’s thought process and progress. Learn more about the Great Plains Grasslands Initiative at wlfw.rangelands.app

PODCAST EP. 121: Bird Dog Health with Veterinarian Dr. Seth Bynum and Purina’s Karl Gunzer Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Thanks to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s social media audience, we crowdsourced questions on bird dog health and nutrition for this special “Ask the Experts” episode featuring veterinarian Dr. Seth Bynum and Purina’s Karl Gunzer. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Director of Marketing Andrew Vavra joins host Bob St.Pierre for this entertaining and extremely informative conversation. Episode Highlights: • We received a lot of questions about bloat, twisted stomach, and stomach torsion (all known medically as gastric dilatation volvulus). Dr. Bynum talked about the bird dog breeds most susceptible to this potentially deadly issue and how to avoid it occurring in your bird dog. • Gunzer answered a wide array of questions about dog food; including when to switch a puppy to adult dog food, as well as answering the best time to feed a bird dog – before, during, or after a hunt – for peak performance and health. • Vavra throws our experts a curveball with a question about CBD for bird dogs that Dr. Bynum was ready for with some very insightful thoughts. We’re thrilled to welcome South Dakota Tourism as an official partner of On the Wing Podcast. Plan your next South Dakota pheasant hunt at HuntTheGreatestSD.com

PODCAST EP. 120: Jim Wooley on being PF’s First Biologist and How to Plant Food Plots Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Public Relations Manager and habitat junkie Jared Wiklund for a conversation with Jim Wooley, the first biologist Pheasants Forever ever hired. Wooley talks about leaving a great job as the Iowa DNR’s upland bird biologist to join the fledgling habitat non-profit in 1985. Wooley is also credited as one of the biologists who helped create Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Signature Series seed program and is an expert on habitat management, including the establishment of food plots for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. Episode Highlights: • Wooley reminisces about his 31 years with “The Habitat Organization” through stories of chapters, volunteers, habitat projects, and notable land acquisitions. • Jim talks about his passion for the organization’s unique model and how that approach has always been the organization’s magical component fueling volunteers. • With spring turning into summer, Wooley also offers some planting expertise for the landowner focused on establishing a food plot on their own property. Thanks to Polaris, the “Official ORV” of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, for being the presenting partner of this episode of On the Wing podcast. http://bit.ly/OfficialORV

PODCAST EP. 119: Bobwhite Quail Habitat Through Southeastern Grasslands Initiative May 26, 2021

Show notes

Our story starts on a school bus in Tennessee with two childhood friends and ends with a vision for healthy quail habitat spanning from southern Pennsylvania all the way to central Texas. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined for this episode by Dr. Dwayne Estes, known as the “Prairie Preacher,” Quail Forever biologist Brittney Viers, and new QF Program Manager Andy Edwards for a conversation about Quail Forever’s partnership with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative and how the groups are working together to create better habitat for bobwhite quail. Episode Highlights: • Dr. Estes talks about the hundreds of different types of southern grasslands– savannas, woodlands, bogs, prairies, glades, etc. –and explains their uniqueness in plant and wildlife species diversity. • The group also discuss how important these grasslands are to uncovering elements of American history in the South. • Dr. Estes also talks about the 17 National Grasslands covering nearly 4 million acres across the Great Plains and western U.S., then daydreams about the perfect location for the southeast’s first National Grassland.

PODCAST EP. 118: Conservation Crossing with Josh & Sam Soholt May 19, 2021

Show notes

Brothers Sam & Josh Soholt, owners of Public Land Tees, take a break from turkey camp to join host Bob St.Pierre for a chat about their love of hunting and their commitment to conservation. Highlighted during the discussion is the brother’s “Conservation Crossing” effort, which is helping Pheasants Forever, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Mule Deer Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, and National Wild Turkey Federation generate members through a creative t-shirt promotion. Episode Highlights: • The brothers talk about their motivations for donating $5 from every Public Land Tees product they sell toward conservation efforts. They also tell the story of developing the “Stamp it Forward” promotion that has helped generate thousands of Duck Stamp sales, and in turn, funding for upland and wetland habitat. • The Soholt’s also participated in the Public Lands Pavilion at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2020 in Minneapolis that helped create the new Cupido Wildlife Management Area which will be formally dedicated on August 6th in western Minnesota as a new public property open to all. • The guys have a funny discussion about the Conservation Crossing t-shirt design and how it riffs off the Beatle’s Abbey Road album cover design. Learn more about the Conservation Crossing effort at https://publiclandtees.com/conservationcrossing

PODCAST EP. 117: Biologist Brad Bortner on How Migratory Bird Harvest Influences Upland Habitat May 12, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Brad Bortner, a bird biologist and the recently retired chief of migratory bird management at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for a conversation about the federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) for migratory birds. All bird hunters are asked about HIP certification when they purchase a small game license, and this is a discussion to explore what those questions mean and how the data is used. Episode Highlights: • Bortner talks about how his career brought him to every state in the U.S. and most other continents to evaluate wildlife, habitat, hunting regulations, and different country’s approaches to conservation. • Bortner explains the genesis of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s HIP program that all bird hunters answer questions about each year when they buy a license and how the US. Fish & Wildlife Service uses that data to monitor the harvest of migratory birds like ducks and geese, but also doves, woodcock, rails, and snipe. • The guys also talk about how that migratory harvest data influences the Department of Interior’s purchase of Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) so beneficial to upland game birds like pheasants, quail, and prairie grouse in addition to migratory species. Check out all the data available through the National Migratory Bird Harvest Survey: https://bit.ly/2QGVLxM

PODCAST EP. 116: Hunting the Wild Quail Slam Across the U.S. May 05, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Chad Harvey, the organization’s regional representative for Montana, the Pacific Norwest, Canada, and Alaska, for a conversation with brothers Tyler and Brad Heine. The Heine brothers are Pheasants Forever volunteers in Montana with jobs that are slow in the winter which has allowed them to hunt wild bobwhite, Mearns, Gambel’s, scaled, valley, and mountain quail across the West. Episode Highlights: • The brothers share tips for finding and hunting the “Quail Slam” with their German wirehaired pointers from Oregon to Arizona to Nebraska. They also talk about playing phone call roulette to gain access to private lands for quail hunting. • Tyler explains how he became President of Pheasants Forever’s Flathead Valley Chapter in Montana and the gratification he feels about being a volunteer with “The Habitat Organization.” • Brad, a professional hunting and fishing guide, shares some hilarious stories about guiding hunters and anglers in Montana, including a thrilling story of his first guided big horn sheep hunt and searching for Coues deer in Arizona. Check out Brad’s terrific hunting photos on Instagram at his handle @heinemaster.

PODCAST EP. 115: Previewing Women on the Wing Virtual Event with Danielle Prewett Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

Our Women on the Wing Program Manager Marissa Jensen leads this episode’s fun conversation with MeatEater’s Danielle Prewett for a conversation about the organization’s upcoming virtual event on May 6th. Episode Highlights: • Danielle talks about her Deutsch-Drahthaar named “Zissou” as a nod to both the movie “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and the oceanographer. There are some good laughs about “Z” stealing the show during last year’s virtual event. • Danielle discusses her plans for preparing the virtual event’s quail appetizer and provides some advice on wine pairings for the evening’s festivities. For more details and to register for the Women on the Wing event coming up on May 6th, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3neMB7q

PODCAST EP. 114: A Love Story that Starts with a Bird Dog Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Amanda & Andy Doak for the story about how they fell in love through a mutual affiliation with the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Hunting Heritage Program Manager Colby Kerber also joins the conversation to talk about Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s partnership with NAVHDA. Episode Highlights: • Amanda talks about how welcoming NAVHDA is to women, her affinity for Pudelpointers, and her personal story of falling in love with Andy at first sight as he worked his shorthair during a NAVHDA event. • Colby talks about NAVHDA’s support of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s “Learn to Hunt” events with chapters across the country and the organization’s Bird Dogs for Habitat campaign. • With Andy’s affinity for shorthairs and Amanda’s affection for Pudelpointers, the couple struggle to come to a consensus on a singular bird dog breed they’d embrace if they had to select only one breed to love together. • Learn more about the partnership between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and NAVHDA at https://bit.ly/3xd9Z9T

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