On The Wing Podcast

Ron Boehme, host of The Hunting Dog Podcast, stops by the Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever headquarters to chat with Bob St. Pierre, host of On the Wing, and Jared Wiklund, the organization’s manager of public relations, about bird dogs and getting more bird hunters involved in conservation organizations. In classic form, Ron cracks a beer within the first minute of the episode and the laughter i...

Following a couple of days bird hunting the 116,000 acres of the Fort Pierre National Grasslands, host Bob St. Pierre is joined by three of his prairie grouse hunting partners for a conversation about the beauty of the public grasslands and being able to watch your bird dog work big ground. The group includes Matt Kucharski, vice chair of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s National Board of Direc...

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Marissa Jensen, Julia Schrenkler, and Eric Sterner, who all fell in love with bird hunting as adults. The group talks about how dogs, wild food, and outdoor adventure pulled them into hunting. They also dive into how they overcame the struggles of taking an animal’s life for the first time, learning gun safety, and understanding hunting regulation laws as adult-ons...

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 publi...

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 pheasant...

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 finis...

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 Embodime...

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 wi...

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 q...

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 success...

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...

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...

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 q...

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 g...

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...

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 frie...

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 c...

In March of 1982, Dennis Anderson, then the outdoors editor for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press & Dispatch, wrote an article that served as the catalyst launching Pheasants Forever. On April 15, 1983, the very first banquet in Pheasants Forever’s history took place in Saint Paul, Minnesota. To celebrate that anniversary, Dennis was joined by Bob St. Pierre and Pheasants Forever’s PR Manager, Jared Wi...

Just in time for your spring habitat planning, Bob is joined by Jared Wiklund and Matt O’Connor, a long-time PF biologist, to talk about the importance of pollinator habitat for pheasants and quail. O’Connor also provides step-by-step guidance for preparing, planting, and maintaining your own pollinator habitat project with the payoff coming in the form of lots more birds . . . and a beautiful pla...

In this episode, Bob visits with Keith Crowley, author of the new book Pheasant Dogs. The duo is joined by Pheasants Forever’s Rachel Hoveland and Jared Wiklund, whose dogs are both featured in the book, for a conversation that covers the laughter and tears of loving a bird dog. There is also a fun conversation about owners looking like their bird dogs, improving your own bird dog photography skil...

Bob is joined by Logan Hinners, Pheasants Forever’s Graphic Design Manager and resident shed hunting fanatic, for a fun conversation with Tom Dokken, expert dog trainer and President of the North American Shed Hunting Dog Association. During this episode, Dokken breaks down the steps for training your bird dog pup to find antler sheds with both their nose and their eyes. He also tackles common con...

While attending the Southeastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, South Carolina, Bob chats with Tim Caughran, Quail Forever’s Director of Field Operations, and Kenny Barker, QF’s Southeastern Regional Rep, about the organization’s rapid growth across the quail range. The trio also discuss bobwhite quail as the indicator species of healthy ecosystems, DIY public lands quail hunting, and Charleston’s i...

Bob talks with Browning’s Brian Hobert and Russ Jones to unveil the new line of upland bird hunting clothing for men AND women. The trio breaks down the three-year journey gathering input from members and crafting the new innovative and more technical clothing items for the hardcore upland bird hunter. There’s also a fun story comparing Brian’s first bobwhite quail with the U.S. Olympic Hockey Tea...

From pheasants and quail to pollinators and Pudelpointers, our signature national event has a wide array of attractions to encourage everyone to take a trip to Schaumburg this February 22nd through 24th. During this episode, Bob is joined by the PR duo of Anthony Hauck and Jared Wiklund for a preview of the organization’s signature event with Chris Kalis, the man behind the event’s curtain. We als...