On The Wing Podcast

Prior to a Pint Night collaboration in the heart of the Northwoods, our host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Nick Larson of Project Upland, Jason Meekhof of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and Jon Steigerwaldt of the Ruffed Grouse Society to forecast the Great Lakes ruffed grouse hunting season kicking off in mid-September. This group of avid bird hunters talk about young forest habitat, forested public lands, grouse recipes, and grouse hunting tips. The conversation also includes a fun discussion about the wide array of nicknames for the American woodcock; including mud bat, worm burglar, and timberdoodle.

Bob is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter and wildlife biologist Sabin Adams to forecast the sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chicken, and sage grouse hunting seasons kicking off as early as September 1st in Montana and Nebraska. The trio of enthusiastic prairie rats talk about the habitat needs for America’s native prairie grouse and how hunting these birds differs from pheasants and quail. The conversation is filled with tips on where to find these birds in vast open grasslands, gear and gun recommendations, and even some cooking tips for the birds’ dark meat.

Bob visits with Ryan Bronson and Jon Zinnel, members of Federal Ammunition’s conservation team, to talk about the company’s distinction as Pheasants Forever’s longest-tenured corporate partner. The trio reminisces about the history of the relationship, the origin story of the on-the-box royalty program benefiting Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s habitat mission, and the product names that finished as runners-up to the winning Prairie Storm load. To round out the episode, the group breaks news on 16 and 28-gauge loads on the horizon and explains details of a new Federal ammunition rebate program launching on September 1st incentivizing bird hunters to become members of Pheasants Forever.

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever have always worked to be collaborative with farmers to find the sweet spot for habitat as farmers try to make a living in harmony with the land. Through this unique episode, Bob hosts a conversation with Zach Johnson, a guy known as MN Millennial Farmer on YouTube with 300,000 followers and the host of Minnesota Public Radio’s Field Work Podcast; Jan “The Embodiment” Payne, who is a farmer, longtime Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer and avid traveling bird hunter; and Tanner Bruse, Pheasants Forever’s Ag & Conservation Program Manager. The wide-ranging conversation covers soil health, water quality, wildlife habitat, and hunting traditions on the family farm. The group also provides guidance on how NOT to be a “citiot” when you go bird hunting this season.

If you’ve always dreamed of hunting upland birds in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, then this episode is your ticket to valhalla. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Al Eiden, Matt Hardinge and Chad Harvey, a trio of “The Habitat Organization’s” leaders in the western United States, for a conversation about epic western mixed bags, DIY public land bird hunts, and the nine different upland birds within a five-hour drive of Nevada’s neon lights. The group also talks about some impressive Pheasants Forever projects opening thousands of prime habitat acres to public land upland bird hunters.

In this episode, our host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer for a quick conversation about his 160-acre farm in Kentucky and how his habitat work on the farm earned him the distinction as Kentucky’s 2017 Landowner Conservationist of the Year. A Quail Forever member, Coach Zimmer also talked about growing up as a pheasant hunter in Illinois and getting hooked on quail hunting during his time in Texas where he quail hunted the King Ranch with Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones. Coach Zimmer also talks about the process he’s going through to learn how to shoot a shotgun left-handed after suffering a detached retina injury in 2016.

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Chris McLeland, the organization’s southern US regional director, a wildlife biologist, a cattle rancher and reigning “Most Valuable Employee” with “The Habitat Organization.” Frequent podcast contributors Tom Carpenter and Tim Caughran also participate in a conversation focused on the benefits of cattle to creating early successional grassland habitat for quail, prairie grouse, pheasants, and bird hunters. The group also explains the importance of befriending the mail carrier in your favorite wingshooting zip code.

Consider this your guide for planning a DIY public lands bird hunt with some thoughtful tips, tricks and hacks from a pair of budget-conscious bird hunting biologists Sabin Adams and Will Clayton. Bob St.Pierre drives the conversation with Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever’s PR Manager riding shotgun, for a conversation that covers gas, lodging, licenses and beer money. The group also talks about reading the hunting prospects of public wildlife areas from the road and answers the odd trivia question, “do pheasants eat acorns?”

Ep. 36 Upland Bird Hunting SUPER Issue Previewed by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever

On this episode, Bob St. Pierre leads a fascinating conversation about the USDA’s Working Lands for Wildlife program and how sage habitat conservation is improving ranchers’ lives and bird populations. In fact, the 7 million acres of sage grouse habitat improved through the group’s efforts over the last decade can now be seen from space. The roundtable includes NRCS’s Western Regional Coordinator Tim Griffiths, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Director of Finance and biologist Ron Leathers, and Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Sage Grouse Initiative Field Coordinator Michael Brown.

On this episode Bob St. Pierre is joined by Quail Forever Director of Field Ops. Tim Caughran, and biologists Jessica McGuire and Ryan Diener for a discussion about the organization’s habitat work in the southeast’s pine savannas and grasslands. McGuire leads a fun conversation about the connection between gopher tortoises and bobwhite quail. Then Diener explains the explosion of interest around quail in Arkansas. The group finishes with a discussion about the massive habitat and public hunting opportunities on U.S. Forest Service lands and National Park Service lands in quail country.

Bob is joined by Matt Hardinge, The Habitat Organization’s western U.S. regional rep for a conversation with Jeff Knetter and Sal Palazzolo, biologists with the Idaho Department of Game & Fish. The group discusses the habitat needs and hunting opportunities for nine upland birds in the state of Idaho – pheasants, California quail, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, spruce grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, Hungarian partridge, and chukars add up to a jaw-dropping upland opportunity. So, when your bird dog goes on point in Idaho, you better be prepared for nine different possible flushes.

On this episode, we continue our spring pollinator habitat discussion with biologist Drew Larsen who leads the organization’s pollinator habitat programs for chapters and schools. Along with Drew, Bob is joined by Tom Carpenter, Editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal, and Anthony Hauck for a discussion about the short-game and long-game for working with schools on pollinator habitat projects, the fact one-in-three bites of food require pollination, and Pearl Jam - yes, THAT Pearl Jam.

In this very special episode, Bob and Andrew Vavra, PF’s Director of Marketing, are joined by Dave Simonett, lead singer of the band Trampled by Turtles and “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand, host of KFAN Outdoors radio. During this fun conversation, the group relives Simonett’s first pheasant hunting adventure as an adult-onset hunter. The guys also talk about bird hunting as the bond cementing friendships, the importance of public lands, and hunting’s PR problems.

On this episode, Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever’s Director of Marketing, Andrew Vavra, visit with veterinarian and owner of White Bear Animal Hospital, Dr. Stuart Dalton. Located down the street from the Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever headquarters, Dr. Dalton has become the primary vet for many of the organization’s bird dog owners, so this isn’t a stuffy antiseptic doctor visit. On the contrary, the trio starts with a funny story about Rainy, a young food-motivated German wirehaired pointer and continues with a conversation about Andrew’s coprophagia Lab (that’s vet-speak for “turd burglar”). In between, Dr. Dalton drops a wealth of knowledge for the hunting dog owner ranging from tick diseases, toxins, ACL injuries, and arthritis.