📸’s from Rooster Road Trip Ep. 4: Leks and Longtails in the Red River Valley|. Check out the full photo gallery and watch all 4 episodes of this year's Rooster Road Trip at the link below! Roosterroadtrip.org Roughly 13,000 years ago, a continental ice sheet began to disintegrate and its meltwaters created the massive proglacial Lake Agassiz. At its peak, this lake was larger than all of the Great Lakes combined. But what does a giant dried-up ancient lake have to do with the Rooster Road Trip? The Red River Valley consists of the lakebed of Lake Agassiz and that happens to be where we found ourselves on the last day of the trip. This area has been considered one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and nearly all land in the valley on both sides of the Red River has been converted from the original tall-grass prairie to cropland – but not all of it. There is an estimated 2-5 x 30-mile belt of grassland where conversion efforts failed due to the salinity of the soil and what the locals refer to as “The Alkali Flats.” This serendipitous salt created an opportunity for conservation groups and the Grand Forks County Prairie Partners to not only try to preserve what is left, but improve the habitat while also working with key stakeholders to conduct intensive prairie chicken and sharp-tailed grouse studies. University of North Dakota professor and Pheasants Forever National Board Member, Dr. Susan Felege, joined us for the day’s hunt as we navigated cattails, lowlands, more cattails, and raised beaches that marked the former boundaries of Lake Agassiz. With Susan by our side, we were quickly enrolled in a masterclass on prairie grouse. And in between cautionary history lessons and bold goals for the future of the area, we successfully moved around a few sharptails and Susan was able to bag her first limit of Grand Forks pheasants. It was truly a day to remember. Thank you to our Rooster Road Trip Sponsors: Orvis , Garmin Fish & Hunt, Browning, SoundGear, Irish Setter Boots, Federal Premium, YETI, Ruff Land Performance Kennels

Quail Forever is proud to announce a brand new habitat and access endeavor in Arizona. The Arizona Quail Initiative will expand quail habitat restoration and public access efforts across the state, with a particular focus in southeastern Arizona. The initiative will impact well over 100,000 acres of vital quail habitat, and will help restore a key part of North America’s vast grassland biome. Brush management is the primary goal of the initiative. Through this on-the-ground work, Quail Forever expects to impact over 30,000 acres of habitat. An additional 100,000 acres will be impacted by converting existing wells to solar and expanding water delivery and storage systems to provide year-round water for quail. It will also open 50,000 acres of private and land-locked public land. The project is made possible by an extensive list of partners, including The Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Bureau of Land Management, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Intermountain West Joint Venture and the United States Forest Service. Learn more at the link below. https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/Quail-Forever-Announces-the-Arizona-Quail-Initiative.aspx

Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 December brings freezing temperatures and snow. A pheasant’s lower legs are not covered with feathers. So does he get cold legs and feet? Yes, but why? Some believe cold legs are caused by so much of the blood’s heat being lost through the bare legs. Others believe that some mechanism in the upper leg (feathered thigh) conserves heat by removing some blood heat before going to the lower leg - so cooler blood makes them colder then the rest of the body. Too bad the pheasant does not have the willow ptarmigan’s feathered legs. Ptarmigan live in much colder climates than pheasants, and need the added protection. Mother always said if your feet were cold you should put on a hat. The pheasant has no hat, so he will, under cold conditions, sleep and rest with his head partially placed under his wing feathers. It helps cut his loss of body heat. Ptarmigan with warm, feathered legs need not sleep so. Sleeping ducks always seem to partially cover their heads even in mild temperatures. The duck’s bare legs in water losses 4 times more heat than pheasant legs, so the duck has more need to conserve heat loss from the head (bill). #pheasantsforever #pheasants #pheasantfactfriday

🌟 Fuel Up for Conservation: Final Total! 🌟 Thanks to our amazing customers and team members, we’re thrilled to present a grand total of $29,465.90 raised for wildlife habitat and outdoor traditions! 🐦🌾 This incredible achievement wouldn’t have been possible without your generosity and support. Together, we’re making a meaningful difference for wildlife conservation in Kansas. Stay tuned for photos of the Big Check Presentations happening at each of our 24/7 Travel Store locations this week! 💚 #FuelUpForConservation #PheasantsForever #QuailForever

Regional Field Representative of Eastern Iowa, Lexi Ashbrook, inviting you to the 2025 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Women on the Wing Brunch. Learn more about the event, and get your passes now at the link below! https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Women-on-the-Wing-Brunch-2025.aspx This year’s 2025 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Women on the Wing Brunch is going to be an event you won’t want to miss! In honor of the 20th anniversary of Quail Forever, our theme this year is Rise Together. We will encourage participants to make connections as we discuss all things quail conservation with women who are experts in their field. This year’s event will be held on Sunday, March 9 from 9:30-11:30am. The event will showcase an inspiring line-up of women speakers: former director of Missouri Department of Conservation, Sara Parker-Pauley, keynote speaker, will be joined by a panel of speakers including Dr. Jessica McGuire, Dallas Ingram, Bridget Costanzo, Dr. Susan Felege, and other dynamic experts!

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 294: A Masterclass in Prairie Grouse, is live. Listen now at the link below, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Rooster-Road-Trip/Podcast-Ep-294-A-Masterclass-in-Prairie-Grouse.aspx This is the fourth 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 and University of North Dakota’s Dr. Susan Felege. Dr. Felege is a professor of wildlife biology & management and is also a member of PF & QF’s National Board of Directors. Episode Highlights: - Dr. Felege recounts the history of prairie grouse populations across North Dakota and provides a status report for how sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie chickens are currently doing in the state. - Vavra talks about “the pucker factor” of hunting in a region where greater prairie chickens and hen pheasants are illegal to shoot, while sharp-tailed grouse and sharpie/chicken hybrids are both legal. - Dr. Felege also shares her enthusiasm for working with the Grand Forks County Prairie Partners and how the collection of non-profit groups, state and federal agencies, farmers, and volunteers are helping conserve this very special tall grass prairie. - Find the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at 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. The On The Wing Podcast is fueled by Purina Pro Plan Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip Sponsors: Federal Premium, Garmin Fish & Hunt, Orvis, Browning, Irish Setter Boots, SoundGear, YETI, Ruff Land Performance Kennels

For a LIMITED time, when you become a Life Member you’ll receive an exclusive PF YETI Tundra via the special Rooster Road Trip Membership offer, PLUS you'll automatically be entered to win the same Browning Citori 825 shotgun used during the trip! Link below! https://www.pheasantsforever.org/lifemember

WATCH NOW‼️Rooster Road Trip XV Ep. 4 | Leks & Longtails | 2024 Public Land North Dakota Upland Hunt. Link below! https://youtu.be/GjZl3CxAkLI Roughly 13,000 years ago, a continental ice sheet began to disintegrate and its meltwaters created the massive proglacial Lake Agassiz. At its peak, this lake was larger than all of the Great Lakes combined. But what does a giant dried-up ancient lake have to do with the Rooster Road Trip? The Red River Valley consists of the lakebed of Lake Agassiz and that happens to be where we found ourselves on the last day of the trip. This area has been considered one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and nearly all land in the valley on both sides of the Red River has been converted from the original tall-grass prairie to cropland – but not all of it. University of North Dakota professor and Pheasants Forever National Board Member, Dr. Susan Felege, joined us for the day’s hunt as we navigated cattails, lowlands, more cattails, and raised beaches that marked the former boundaries of Lake Agassiz. With Susan by our side, we were quickly enrolled in a masterclass on prairie grouse. And in between cautionary history lessons and bold goals for the future of the area, we successfully moved around a few sharptails and Susan was able to bag her first limit of Grand Forks pheasants. It was truly a day to remember. Thank you to our Rooster Road Trip sponsors: Garmin Fish & Hunt, Federal Premium, Browning, YETI, SoundGear, Orvis, Irish Setter Boots, Ruff Land Performance Kennels

Tomorrow‼️Pheasant Forever and Quail Forever are excited to bring you the 2024 Virtual Career and College Fair on December, 5th! This free, one day event, showcases NGO’s in the conservation space, Colleges and Universities, as well as State and Federal Agencies who are all excited to help you further yourself on the path towards working in the conservation space. This event is literally for anyone, regardless of where they are in their journey. Registration is now live! To find out more please visit www.pheasantsforever.org/j2cc.

Rooster Road Trip Ep. 4: Leks & Longtails in the Red River Valley, drops tomorrow at 5pm CST. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to catch all the action, and if you haven't watched Episode 1, 2 and 3 yet, get caught up while you're there. Link below! https://www.youtube.com/@PheasantsForever Thanks to our Rooster Road Trip sponsors: Orvis, SoundGear, Browning, Federal Premium, YETI, Garmin Fish & Hunt, Irish Setter Boots, Ruff Land Performance Kennels

Passes for National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic are now available! The greatest upland event of the year takes place in Kansas City, MO March 7th-8th at the Kansas City Convention Center. Get your passes at the link below! https://events.pheasantsforever.org/events/ae48d15b-2fb6-47f5-9daf-6b66d75aea68

Choose the uplands this Giving Tuesday! Your donation fund wildlife habitat conservation, and for a limited time, with your special donor gift, you will receive this Pheasants Forever Sherpa Fleece to keep you warm through the holiday season, all while showing your support for upland habitat. https://www.pheasantsforever.org/sherpa