The Flush Podcast - Stories from the field

Terry Ides operates Ides Guides in the Ruffed Grouse Capital of the World - Park Falls, Wisconsin.  Terry shares a wealth of grouse hunting knowledge from his 40+ years of guiding in the grouse woods, public lands worth hunting, his habitat management recipe for continuous grouse hunting success, grouse dogs, grouse that make humans their friend, when is the best time to hunt grouse each day, plus...

Tim Joseph is the Vice President of Marketing for Benelli USA.  Tim gives us an inside perspective into America’s surge in firearm demands & explains how Benelli has worked double-time to manufacture shotguns and rifles.  Tim also shares incredible stories from exotic hunts; grizzly bear attacks, standing in water with caimans (alligators), shooting stars lighting up South American marshes, an...

Eric Johannsen operates Johannsen Farms near Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Eric’s passion revolves around proper land, habitat & wildlife management, farming his land for 100% wild pheasants. We discuss his life on a working ranch, finding a balance managing wildlife habitat, cattle, and row crops.  Then Eric gives us his pheasant hatch update, severe drought conditions, and a hunting outlook for t...

Scott Fransen joins host Travis Frank to discuss the launch of a new season of The Flush television show. They also discuss a new bird dog joining the team, summer dog training, staying in shape, tasty bird recipes, and Father’s Day gift ideas for the upland bird hunters in your life.   Presented by OnX Maps ( https://www.onxmaps.com/ ,) Chief Upland ( https://chiefupland.com/ ,) Federal Ammunitio...

Daren Bulow is “The Hunting & Fishing Comedian.”  His comedy is about hunters, fishermen, crazy dog people, and the spouses who put up with them. Daren shares stories from his journey onto the stage, conquering his fear of stage fright, why and where he performs his act, and how he raises money for non-profits.  Plus, Daren opens up about his near-death battle with Covid-19, learning to walk a...

Ron Boehme is a NAVHDA judge and host of The Hunting Dog Podcast.  Ron joins Travis Frank to discuss his new online dog training program called the Upland Institute.  The two laugh at each other’s failures in the field and share real-life hunting stories before breaking down helpful dog training steps that any dog owner can use to train their hunting dogs.    www.uplandinstitute.com   Presented by...

Renee Tomala is a Pheasants Forever Field Representative in North Dakota.  Renee explains her love for bird hunting, why she chooses to hunt when her sisters don’t, her journey into habitat conservation career, her role at PF, helping women hunters, working with kids in the field, wing shooting clinics, investing in real one-on-one time with new hunters, plus she gives us her North Dakota bird and...

Jake Lindemann is a driven hunter and a driven business owner that launched his own line of upland gear called Chief Upland.  Jake explains his entrepreneurial journey into the world of hunting, how he started his first business at the age of 16, what he’s learned by trusting in himself, how he defines success, how he combines his passion for the outdoors with his career, launching a business duri...

Sonny Piekarz has more than 20 years of dog training experience as the lead guide and owner of Hay Creek Kennel in Gilman, Wisconsin.  Sonny trains bird dogs to confidently reach their full potential using the Huntsmith Silent Command System.  On this show, Sonny joins host Travis Frank to discuss the importance of developing a positive foundation for your hunting dog that will lead to a healthy,...

Jim Manuel is a full-time taxidermist, operating Jim’s Lakeland Taxidermy since 1981. Jim specializes in North American & African mammals, birds & fish, stuffing thousands during his 40-year career.  We discuss the art of taxidermy, preserving a trophy after the hunt, stuffing your own trophy, starting your own business, stories from the field, and unique mounts that stand out.   www.jimsl...

Jonathon Tremblay joins the show to talk in-depth about wild game cooking and the equipment that can take your meals from average to extraordinary.  Jon is in charge of product testing for Walton’s Inc.  That means he puts every meat-making piece of equipment to the test along with recipes, seasonings, sausage, jerky, smoker’s, brine’s, & their user questions.  We also dig into food fraud cont...

Bailey Petersen is a wildlife biologist for Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources.  Bailey shares fascinating ruffed grouse and woodcock biology, her role as a woodcock banding mentor, training dogs to safely find birds on nests, what biologists are learning about woodcock, grouse habitat restoration projects in the north woods, timber harvest vs non-timber harvest, ruffed grouse drumming co...

Flush television hosts, Ron Schara, Bill Sherck & Scott Fransen join Travis Frank for an upland bird hunting roundup.  We answer listener questions, discuss hunting dog breeds, training advice, dream bird hunts, first hunts, Canada hunting opportunities, and we share favorite stories from the field. Plus, we launch Flush apparel to support Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s “Call of the U...

Dean Snelling is a lifelong resident of Hawaii and a diehard upland bird hunter. He joins host Travis Frank to discuss upland bird hunting opportunities that are open to the public on the islands of Hawaii. Dean breaks down the 12 species of upland game birds found on the Hawaiian islands, how they got there, where they live, how to hunt them, the diverse mountain and desert habitats, and of cours...

North Country guide, Matt Breuer joins the show to share about his life growing up in Minnesota’s sharp-tailed grouse country and how witnessing their population crash inspired him to volunteer his time with Minnesota’s Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society.  We discuss the organization's conservation mission today, how and where to watch the spring mating ritual of dancing sharp-tailed grouse on leks, the...

Keng Yang is an anti-hunter turned hunting mentor. Keng joins the show to discuss how he’s using social media to find and recruit new hunters, plus he shares the importance of 1-on-1 time in the field with first-timers, real-life hunting experiences with rookies, lessons he’s learned as a mentor, & why he invests so much of his time to help others. Keng also shares about his bird hunting clubh...

Tyler Sladen joins host, Travis Frank, to discuss his bird hunting passion, hunting quail with a goshawk, the art of falconry, quail hunting with dogs and falcons, how he learned to train falcons to hunt with his dogs, and what it’s like to hunt with and without a shotgun.  Plus, Tyler shares his story growing up, serving in the army, leaving an NHL photography career behind to become a nuisance w...

Andrew Vavra & Joe Long join the show to discuss Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s massive new campaign “Call of the Uplands.”  We discuss how they plan to raise $500 million for conservation, their vision for the mission, where the money will go, how they plan to get there, and how we all can help answer the call. www.calloftheuplands.org   Presented by OnX Maps ( https://www.onxmaps.co...

Ben Brettingen joins the show to recap his hunting season and explain his methods for finding productive public hunting grounds.  Then we discuss proven tactics to gain permission to hunt on private grounds and form lasting relationships with landowners.   Presented by OnX Maps ( https://www.onxmaps.com/ ) & Aquarius Home Services ( https://aquariushomeservices.com/ ) See Privacy Policy at htt...

It’s the age-old question- “What would it be like to have my own hunting land?”  Jeff Striker and Rob Beyer have asked and answered that question for themselves.  They join us today to tell us what it is like to own hunting land with friends as well as on your own.  They offer a few tips on what to do and not do when looking for land and partnering with your hunting buddies.   Presented by OnX Map...

Robert Jones is a dedicated upland bird hunter that’s driven by good dog work.  Robert hunts upland birds from California’s mountains to North Dakota’s prairies & public access places in between.  He explains how his love for the hunt has evolved and why he shares his hilarious relationship with his hunting dogs on social media for all to see.   Presented by OnX Maps ( https://www.onxmaps.com/...

Keith Pass operates Deep South Guide Service & Kennels.  He guides upland bird hunters on public lands in North Carolina and America’s deep southern quail regions.  He provides wild bird hunting experiences from his traveling quail camps and explains what it took to quit his day job and follow his heart into a career in the upland hunting and dog training world.  Keith shares about lessons lea...

Randy Herlein grew up hunting in the forests and fields of Michigan.  He walked miles each hunting season following his bird dog, until the day he could no longer walk at all.  Cancer knocked him down, and ultimately took one of his legs, but Randy fought hard to get back up.  Today, Randy’s journey brings him back into his favorite fields, beating cancer, and pushing the limits by hunting with on...

Nick Martin hunts birds on public lands in Iowa.  He’s on a personal mission to bag a rooster pheasant in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.  We’ll find out why this hunt began, how far his mission has come, what he’s learned by challenging himself and his dog in new fields, and how you can set your own hunting goals.   Supported by OnX Maps ( https://www.onxmaps.com/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art1...

Travis Frank celebrates the first year of The Flush podcasts with a look back at where we’ve been and a look ahead to where we’re going.   We remember some of our favorite stories from the field, guest conversations that left a lasting impression, discuss lessons learned, and give thanks for a year filled with wild bird flushes.     Thanks to North Dakota Tourism ( https://www.ndtourism.com/ )  -...