On The Wing Podcast

Upland hunting is an experience like no other. For those who may be new to the uplands but seek the serenity of the prairies, the rugged desert uplands of Southwest, or the fall colors of the Northwoods, we bring you our new content series, “Path to the Uplands” to help you embark on a lifetime of new adventures. The Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever crew of Marissa Jensen, Colby Kerber, Tom “Carp” Carpenter, and Bob St.Pierre discuss this brand new content series to engage anyone interested in exploring the uplands.

Episode Highlights:

• As an adult-onset bird hunter herself, Marissa Jensen talks about the genesis of the Path to the Uplands concept and the vision for this content to help anyone interested in the uplands find their path into our cherished community.

• While everyone in this group loves bird dogs, Colby Kerber dispels the myth that you have to jump into the deep end of the pool by taking on dog ownership to find a starting point on the path to becoming an upland bird hunter.

• The group’s conversation riffs off Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter’s companion article “7 Reasons to Become an Upland Bird Hunter . . . and One ‘Path to the Uplands’ Promise to Help you Make the Journey.”

• Follow the content series using the hashtag #PathToTheUplands

Thanks to our Path to the Uplands sponsors Federal Ammunition, OnXMaps, SoundGear, SportDOG BRAND, and ALPS OutdoorZ.

SPECIAL MIXED BAG MASHUP EPISODE: In the second installment of this series, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Ron Boehme of The Hunting Dog Podcast, Travis Frank of The Flush, and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s very own Marissa Jensen for an entertaining conversation recapping their 2020 bird hunting seasons.

Episode Highlights:

• Travis Frank talks about how his new bird dog created joy and chaos during this season’s filming of Outdoor Channel’s The Flush. He’s also holding out hope for one more trip THIS season with Alaska ptarmigan hunting still open until early spring.

• Ron Boehme’s terrific sense of humor steals the show when he connects this season’s added bird hunting pressure to the popularity of Harry Potter movies.

• Marissa Jensen shares her love of Nebraska’s Sandhills as her most cherished annual tradition while also detailing her new love for Wyoming’s sage grouse country.

If you missed the first edition of our Mixed Bag Mashup, check out our conversation with Durrell Smith, Nick Larson, and Tyler Webster.

SPECIAL MIXED BAG MASHUP EPISODE: In the first of two special episodes, host Bob St.Pierre is joined by fellow podcasting hosts Nick Larson of Project Upland Podcast, Durrell Smith of The Gun Dog Notebook, and Tyler Webster of Birds, Booze, and Buds Podcast for an entertaining conversation recapping their 2020 bird hunting seasons.

Episode Highlights:

• Tyler Webster, henceforth to be known as “Mr. Mixed Bag,” kicks the conversation into gear with the story of his September grouse slam in Montana followed by stories from travels to Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Arizona, Kansas, and his home state of North Dakota.

• Nick Larson gives an overview of his ruffed grouse season around the Great Lakes states and tells the story of bagging his very first wild rooster in South Dakota.

• Durrell talks about the over-looked public lands quail hunting opportunities in Georgia’s piney woods along with his excitement for the 2021 season behind a young dog.

Don’t miss next week’s second special Mixed Bag Mashup episode as we’ll be joined by Travis Frank of The Flush, Ron Boehme of The Hunting Dog Podcast, and Marissa Jensen of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Women on the Wing program and a frequent podcast contributor.

BONUS EPISODE: It’s our 9th inning, two-minute warning, buzzer beater episode to close out the pheasant hunting season. Host Bob St.Pierre connects with Pheasants Forever’s Public Relations Manager Jared Wiklund who is fresh off a late season pheasant hunting trip where he found public land rooster success.

Episode Highlights:

• Listen for a few great tips to find roosters during the last weekend of the pheasant hunting season in South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska.

• In this quick-hitting episode, Jared describes the late January hunting conditions and provides some insight into where he found public lands roosters in South Dakota.

Get involved with your local Pheasants Forever chapter. If you don’t see a chapter in your area, please contact one of our regional field representatives to learn how to start a chapter of Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever in your community.

With seemingly every bird hunting Instagrammer chasing Mearns’ quail to start 2021, host Bob St.Pierre dives deep into this fascinating bird with Arizona Game & Fish’s Quail Biologist Kirby Bristow. The guys talk about the biology, life cycle, and habitat needs of Mearns’ quail with hunting tips and tactics interwoven throughout the discussion.

Episode Highlights:

• The guys talk about how unique the landscape is where Mearns’ quail live in Arizona, New Mexico, a small portion of west Texas, and Mexico. In fact, Bristow tells a story of one hunter who said if he had been blindfolded and dropped into Mearns’ country that he’d think he was in Montana.

• Bristow explains the Mearns’ “cryptic” feather pattern, their propensity to hold tighter than any other game bird, and how both characteristics serve the bird so well as camouflage against avian predators.

• The guys also deliver a wide array of tips for planning your own Mearns’ quail adventure.

Get involved with your local Quail Forever chapter. If you don’t see a chapter in your area, please contact one of our regional field representatives to learn how to start a chapter of Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever in your community.

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Aaron Kuehl, a long-time biologist with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever who runs the organization’s national seed program. It may be the heart of winter, but right now is the perfect time to start planning your spring habitat projects with a focus on understanding the organization’s various seed mixes to produce more birds, bucks, and pollinators.

Episode Highlights:

• Kuehl explains his background in biological science and how his work studying pheasants, quail, predators, and habitat prepared him to lead the organization’s national seed program.

• The guys talk through the steps a landowner needs to think about when planning a habitat planting project.

• Kuehl also runs through some of the specific Signature Series Seed mixes designed to help deliver habitat benefits for pheasants, quail, doves, pollinators, ducks, deer, gobblers, and ruffed grouse.

Check out Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wide array of native seed, pollinator seed, and food plot seed at www.PFHabitatStore.com

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Ron Leathers who was recently named Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s first-ever Chief Conservation Officer. In the new role, the organization’s conservation delivery functions will align under Leather’s vision. Those conservation delivery functions include habitat delivery, legislative advocacy, and education & outreach. Get to know Ron through this fun conversation.

Episode Highlights:

• Ron talks about growing up in Wyoming and his career steps with the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Nebraska Game & Parks, and as a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist in South Dakota.

• The guys talk about the fact that Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever employ 268 biologists which is more than almost every state natural resource agency in the country and only second to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the federal level.

• Leathers explains how he’ll lead the organization’s conservation team with the cowboy philosophy of “riding for the brand.”

• The duo talk pheasants, quail, sage grouse, lesser prairie chickens, public land access, and private land conservation through this wide-ranging conversation about the organization’s past successes and future direction.

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Editor Tom Carpenter to bring “Carp’s” story “It Ain’t Over Yet” from the Winter edition of the Pheasants Forever Journal to life. The duo explores misconceptions about late season pheasant hunting and tactics for finding success when the temperatures plummet and the snow piles up.

Episode Highlights:

• The guys talk about all the hunting pressure on public lands during a worldwide pandemic, while breaking down a few tips for finding roosters that other hunters miss.

• Carp explains how he brings binoculars into play for late season ringnecks, while also detailing the importance of hunting slow and quiet.

• The guys also talk specifically about Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas as four states with pheasant hunting seasons that extend into January.

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by frequent podcast contributor Marissa Jensen for a conversation with Emily Spolyar. While Emily is a precision agriculture & conservation specialist with Pheasants Forever, the focus of this episode is on her social media pledge to introduce ten people to hunting during 2020.

Episode Highlights:

• The conversation gets started with Emily’s story of how a substitute teacher introduced her to bird hunting through the gift of an English setter puppy.

• Emily talks about the catalyst for her Instagram and Twitter offer to introduce people she’s never met before to the uplands with her bird dogs.

• This episode will make you bust out in laughter and tear up in joy as Emily recounts the experiences she’s had and the new friends she’s made over the last two years by mentoring people into the uplands she loves.

• Take the Hunter Mentor Pledge at https://pheasantsforever.org/Hunting/Hunter-Mentor-Pledge.aspx with ALPS OutdoorZ

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Kira Everhart-Valentin, the sustainability director for the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, for a conversation with Eric Johannsen and Garrett Love, two farmers and ranchers who also own upland bird hunting operations. The group discuss sorghum’s role at the center of a Venn diagram where wild pheasant and quail populations intersect with farm profitability and environmental sustainability.

Episode Highlights:

• Johannsen, a 5th generation South Dakota farmer who also owns a wild pheasant hunting operation, talks about how a focus on soil health has had a positive influence on his farm’s profitability and booming pheasant numbers.

• Love, who is featured in a new collaborative video between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and the Sorghum Checkoff Program, talks about sorghum’s role on his Kansas farm. In addition to his farming business, Love also owns a pheasant and quail hunting operation in Kansas, and he explains the importance of sorghum as a habitat component and food source for wild birds.

• To close out the episode, Johannsen gives a mid-season rooster report from South Dakota and Love provides an early season pheasant and quail forecast from Kansas.