The On The Wing Podcast Ep. 290: Celebrating Opening Day Traditions with the Hildebrand Family, is live. Listen now at the link below, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/3YBLimb Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand and his sons Erik and Chad Hildebrand for a discussion about the ingredients making opening day of a bird hunting season so special. The guys also recap the original PF & QF film, Opening Day, featuring the Hildebrand family’s Minnesota pheasant opener traditions. Episode Highlights: - “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand recounts the hilarious story of how he became the host of FAN Outdoors radio on Minnesota’s popular KFAN radio station more than 33 years ago. - The guys share their favorite memories of bird dogs, hits, misses, mixed bags, wild game meals, and practical jokes. They also talk about their own reactions to watching the film for the first time. - Thanks to SoundGear and SportDOG Brand for sponsoring our first installment of our annual Opening Day film and podcast. The On The Wing Podcast is proudly presented by Purina Pro Plan

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are excited to introduce a new initiative focused on increased public access in The Cornhusker State. Supported by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, onX Hunt, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and local chapters, the Nebraska Community Access Partnership (NCAP) has enrolled 44,000 in its inaugural year supporting quality wildlife habitat, rural economies, and an abundance of publicly accessible lands in western Nebraska. The NCAP program provides a financial incentive for ranchers, farmers and landowners to enroll high-quality CRP, rangeland and ungrazed grasslands voluntarily into a 5-year walk-in hunting agreement through the Nebraska Open Fields and Waters Program (OFW). Landowners willing to allow walk-in hunting access can receive a one-time sign-up incentive of $25 per acre for quality CRP or $10 per acre for working rangeland or grasslands. This is in addition to OFW annual payments which range from $.50/ac-$15/ac depending on habitat quality. Learn more about the NCAP program at the link below. https://pheasantsforever.org/ncap

Pheasant season is in full swing! Let us know in the comments how your season has been, and what pheasant numbers look like in your area. If you’re still planning your hunts for this fall, be sure to check out our 2024 Pheasant Hunting Forecast at the link below, to get all the info on what you can expect before you hit the field. https://www.pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/2024-Pheasant-Hunting-Forecast.aspx 📸: Mike Poeppe during this season’s Iowa pheasant opener

Pheasants Forever is thrilled to introduce a new chapter covering southeastern Washington and northwestern Idaho. The Palouse Chapter of PF will strive to increase habitat for upland birds and encourage new members to participate in habitat improvement projects and educational events. The Palouse region is considered one of the most productive wheat growing areas in the U.S., with plentiful riparian habitat throughout the Palouse River valley connecting to the Snake River. Also within this area are the Washington State University and University of Idaho campuses separated by just a few miles. Chapter volunteers are excited to engage with local students who are interested in upland bird hunting, habitat projects and other education and outreach events. Learn more about this exciting new chapter and how to get involved, at the link below. https://pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Pheasants-Forever-Launches-Chapter-in-Washington-and-Idaho.aspx

Attention Kansas hunters!!! November is here, and we’re proud to kick off our Fuel Up For Conservation campaign! All month long, we’re teaming up with 24/7 Travel Stores in Kansas to support wildlife habitats and wild places. Every dollar donated at any 24/7 Travel Store will be matched, up to $2,000 per store—doubling your impact for conservation! While you’re in the store, don’t miss your chance to Register to Win an incredible prize package, including a YETI cooler, Pheasants Forever Life Membership, and tickets to the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic—no purchase necessary! Can’t make it to a store? You can also donate online at pheasantsforever.org/247 to support this mission. Let’s create and restore habitats, grow public access, and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts together. 24/7 Travel Stores #pheasantsforever #quailforever #247travelstores

Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 November is here and the first winter snows threaten. With the first real breath of winter, pheasants begin to drift toward thicker cover. If shelterbelts, wetlands, idle grass areas, and crop fields are properly located, the pheasant need not move far to find protection. Ideally these cover types should be located within 0.2 miles of each other. The farther the bird has to travel, the worse the winter habitat. In Wisconsin adult cocks need move only 0.4 miles from their breeding area to find this winter cover, while in Illinois and Michigan they need travel 2.0 and 3.0 miles, respectively. On average, if the cock moves 0.4 miles, the hen will move 0.6 miles, and young birds 1.6 miles. Where winter cover is not properly spaced, pheasants will move greater than 10 miles. Unfortunately, when winter cover is this sparse, birds must use more energy locating it. Once found though, this sparse cover is subject to over-crowding and overuse before spring. #pheasantsforever #pheasant #pheasantfactfriday

BIG NEWS‼️ Pheasants Forever is excited to announce plans for conservation efforts on 120,000 acres of working lands and wildlife habitat in Montana over the next five years. The project – Montana Grasslands and Wildlife Corridors – was recently funded at $25 million by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP funding will directly support the Montana Grasslands Initiative to impact grasslands by removing or modifying 200 miles of fence to facilitate wildlife movement, seeding 5,000 acres of grass, contracting management improvements on 10,000 acres and establishing reliable livestock water on 100,000 acres of grasslands. Additionally, partners expect to utilize land rental contracts to address barriers to grassland restorations, leverage partnerships, and keep restoration projects intact for a minimum of 10 years on 30,000 acres. Over time, these projects will provide benefits such as enhanced habitat for wildlife, increased livestock forage, improved wildlife connectivity, and carbon sequestration. Learn more at the link below. https://bit.ly/4f7F7x6

The phrase “you get what you pay for” works two ways. The G-Force Arms GF5 Filthy Pheasant is not your grandpa’s heirloom side-by-side — but it doesn’t need to be. Retailing online at just a shade under $400, you could buy damn near seven Filthy Pheasants for the cost of an average high end double gun. And in the age of endless fancy upland garb, it’s downright refreshing to run across a shotgun that a teenage kid can save up for in one summer bagging groceries down at the local Piggly Wiggly. Read the full "G-FORCE ARMS FILTHY PHEASANT REVIEW" by PF & QF senior public relations specialist Casey Sill, at the link below. https://www.pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/G-Force-Arms-Filthy-Pheasant-Review.aspx

Time is running out! Now Through November 4th - Enter to Win the Ultimate Upland Raffle! Link below! https://pheasantsforeverquailforever.uplandfundraising.org/theopenerraffle/Campaign/Details No matter where or how you celebrate this exciting time of year, there are a few inescapable truths: you need healthy populations of wildlife, quality habitat, accessible land, and the proper gear. Luckily, our Ultimate Upland Raffle can make all these things a reality! This winner-takes-all raffle could not only provide you with everything from a year’s supply of Purina Pro Plan to a $1,000 SCHEELS gift card, but your participation will help make the magic of Opening Day a reality for generations to come. Ticket packages start at as low as $20 – get yours today! This exciting and unique way to support our mission of creating more upland habitat is only available through November 4th. Residents of Alabama, California, Tennessee, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin are not eligible to purchase tickets or participate in this raffle.

PF & QF CMCO Bob St. Pierre joins the MeatEater Crew for their Live Radio Podcast halloween episode, to talk all things pheasants, quail, and conservation. Check it out at the link below! https://www.youtube.com/live/jzhzVAKNySA?si=2LjDKOSat-LkgaCc

BIG NEWS‼️ Pheasants Forever is excited to announce plans for conservation efforts on 125,000 acres of working lands and wildlife habitat in South Dakota. The project – Accelerating Prescribed Fire in South Dakota – was recently funded at $24.3 million by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Working with a myriad of partners over the next five years, the funding will be utilized to apply 50,000 acres of prescribed fire on South Dakota’s landscape, and an additional 75,000 acres of technical assistance for the state’s farming and ranching community. This investment is part of the broader effort to tackle the “green glacier” - woody encroachment of eastern redcedar - which is one of the primary threats to intact grassland ecosystems impacting upland wildlife, grazing lands, and migration corridors. Likewise, sustainability measures such as carbon sequestration will benefit from the investment in grasslands. The project will focus on intact grasslands where halting woody encroachment is most impactful. Focal areas include land along the Missouri River, James River, and White River watersheds, but the whole state is eligible for project implementation. Outcomes include 100 outreach events, working with more than 750 landowners, and developing 90 contracts. Learn more at the link below! https://bit.ly/4hnMrGz