Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks to recap their hunting seasons and preview the upcoming spring issues for each PF & QF publication. During the discussion, the guys share their favorite moments, misses, gear, and more.

Episode Highlights:

• Carpenter tells the story of bagging a South Dakota rooster with a 27 5/8” tail feather, the longest of his life.

• Sparks recaps his first desert quail hunt, which included a running group of 100 scaled quail.

• While St.Pierre remains focused on talking about the upland hunting season that was, Carp & Sparks share their excitement for the coming spring turkey season. In fact, Carp closes the episode with some spontaneous shock-gobbling.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by audiologist Dr. Dave Fabry, SoundGear’s Wes Christ, and PF & QF’s Director of Communications Jared Wiklund for a conversation about the importance of hearing to wingshooting. Wiklund talks about his own hearing loss and how it’s impacted his quality of life. SoundGear, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s official hearing protection partner, is offering listeners a $300 discount off Phantoms using the promo code ONTHEWING at www.SoundGear.com.

Episode Highlights:

• Don’t let the topic of hearing protection fool you into thinking this is an infomercial, the conversation covers eargasms, cocaine, chinchillas, and darkness retreats.

• Christ also provides an overview of the brand new SoundGear Shield product introduced this week. Shield is now the smallest and lightest dynamic digital hearing protection on the market.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Suzanne Anglewicz, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s first-ever employee hired to focus exclusively on state-level conservation policy. Both native Michiganders, St.Pierre and Anglewicz share some fun banter over being long-suffering Detroit Lions fans while discussing the nuances of playing offense and defense on conservation legislation at state capitols.

Episode Highlights:

• The conversation kicks off with Anglewicz’s rundown of her career that includes a bachelor’s degree in political theory and constitutional democracy, a law degree, and more than a decade as the manager of field operations for the grassroots division of the National Rifle Association.

• Anglewicz provides an update on Kansas House Bill 2063, introduced by Kansans for Conservation last week. If passed, the legislation would provide dedicated funding for wildlife habitat and natural resources in Kansas. Today, Kansas is one of only 15 states without a dedicated conservation fund.

• The discussion also includes fun banter about shooting “cosmic clays,” the need for more hunters to run for elected offices, and antiquated state laws around charitable gambling.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar and North Dakota’s Department of Game & Fish Private Land Section Leader Kevin Kading for a conversation about the state’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) program. The discussion covers the history and goals of the PLOTS program, as well as some special memories each person wouldn’t have experienced without private landowners opening their acres to public land hunters.

Episode Highlights:

• Kading kicks off the discussion with a look back to PLOTS’s creation in 1987, evolution through the years, and program goals for the future. Kading also explains how the state’s pheasant populations and access acres have mirrored the state’s enrollment in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres.

• Spolyar and Kading recap the state’s first-ever Habitat & Access Summit, which took place in December 2024. They both were extremely pleased to hear the new North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong talk about the importance of hunting and access to the state’s values and culture.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home.

Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with Will Primos near his home in Mississippi following a gathering to shoot Primos’ collection of custom-made Purdey shotguns. Primos collection, which includes .410, 28, 20, 16, and 12 gauges, will be auctioned in December 2025 with proceeds shared by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and National Wild Turkey Foundation.

Episode Highlights:

• Primos talks about how his game call business and his popular television show, “Primos TRUTH About Hunting,” both got started.

• Primos also talks about his love of wingshooting, particularly his fondness for Mearns’ quail hunting in Arizona.

• The donation of Primos’ Purdey shotguns is being organized by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and will be auctioned through Rock Island Auction Company in December 2025.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre visits with husband and wife duo Mark & Laura Flom who have created the new Tyro Dog Vests company. The Flom’s share the story behind the creation of their new hunting vests to protect their Springer spaniel and golden retriever bird dogs. They also talk about how the tragic death of St.Pierre’s own shorthair, “Izzy” in 2013, served as inspiration for their design.

Episode Highlights:

• This episode serves as the introduction of a new podcast opening song, “Forever,” by Trampled by Turtles off their new album, Always Here / Always Now. Sincere THANK YOU to the band and Dave Simonett for the gracious donation of this awesome tune.

• The new Tyro hunting dog vests will be available to check out at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic coming up this March in Kansas City. The Tyro Dog Vests booth will be located at #1118 on our show floor.

• The Floms also talk about successfully working with Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist Cody Tromberg on conservation programs for improving the upland habitat on their own property in Wisconsin.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom “Carp” Carpenter and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for a back-and-forth conversation about late season bird hunting. Carp breaks down his six tips for late season roosters as they appear in his article “PhD Roosters” from the Winter edition of the PF Journal, while Sparks adds color to his six tips for late season bobwhite quail hunting from his article, “In the Thick of It.”

Episode Highlights:

• As listeners have come to expect, Carpenter drops classic “Carpisms,” like tootles and hellholes, while providing veteran hacks for finding skittish late season roosters when your hands are cold and the snow is blowing.

• As a Nebraska native, Sparks focuses on late season bobwhites in the Great Plains by providing terrific tips for finding late season coveys, while also treating them with respect to survive harsh winter conditions.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Chief Conservation Officer Ron Leathers for a conversation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Sergio Pierluissi and AnnMarie Krmppotich about the Service’s announcement last week proposing the monarch butterfly be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The group talks about what this proposed listing means, what it doesn’t mean, and what role PF & QF can play in creating habitat for monarch butterflies and upland birds.

Episode Highlights:

• The group discusses public land and private land opportunities to improve grasslands habitat for monarchs, as well as for pheasants, quail, and prairie grouse.

• Learn more about the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s announcement about the status of monarch butterflies at www.fws.gov/monarch and submit comments at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137-0001.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

This is the fifth and final episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, PF’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar, and PF’s Social Media Coordinator Nate Akey to put a bow on this year’s adventure across North Dakota.

Episode Highlights:

• For gear junkies, each member of the crew talks about their favorite piece of gear from this year’s hunt. Vavra also talks about features of the new Browning 825 making it a shotgun he’s planning to add to his own personal gun safe.

• The group also fields crowd-sourced questions from PF & QF’s social media channels about Rooster Road Trip, hunting North Dakota public lands, gear questions, and bird hunting strategy.

• Find all four companion videos accompanying the trip at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org. While there, enter to win a Browning Citori 825 shotgun and join/renew/extend your Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever membership featuring the new Browning Bird & Buck knife. DEADLINE is December 16, 2024.

And special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip 2024 sponsors

• Browning

• Orvis

• SoundGear

• Ruff Land Kennels

• Federal Ammunition

• Garmin

• YETI

• Irish Setter

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.

Host Bob St.Pierre has a new 5-month old German shorthaired pointer puppy named “Winter” that has just completed a two-week training session introducing her to birds and gunfire at Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels. That training was completed by the kennel’s lead pro trainer, Mike Wieben, who talks about the process of first introducing a puppy to birds, which is followed by a slow and methodical introduction to gunfire.

Episode Highlights:

• Wieben talks about the variety of ways dog owners inadvertently create gunshy puppies through fireworks, banging pots & pans, or showing up at the trap range with a dog in a crate.

• Little Winter gets a good report card for passing bird & gun introduction, but Wieben coaches St.Pierre on some homework on retrieving and reversing the “sit” command.

• Thanks to SportDOG BRAND and Purina Pro Plan for sponsoring this episode of On the Wing Podcast focused on bird dog training.

onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.