On The Wing Podcast

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.