Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 In August, pheasant chicks are starting to grow their second set of feathers. All bird species molt twice before their first winter. Their down feathers at hatching, called “natal plumage”, is replaced with dull brown feathers called the “juvenile plumage.” After hatching, pheasant chicks immediately begin growing flight feathers, and are capable of short flights at 2 weeks. In July (3 to 4 weeks old), they have replaced all down with feathers looking like a hen. Pheasant chicks, in August (6 to 8 weeks old), begin the “post juvenile molt”, which will give them adult colored feathers at 17 to 18 weeks old (late October). #pheasantsforever #pheasant #pheasantfactfriday

You asked. We answered. The final episode of the Ask a Vet Series, Ep. 12 “Should I Give My Dog The Rattlesnake Vaccine?” is available now. Read the full blog and watch the full film featuring Purina Pro Plan veterinary experts Dr. RuthAnn Lobos and Dr. Seth Bynum at the link in our bio. For hunting dog owners, few moments are more gut-wrenching than those following a snakebite. Encounters with rattlesnakes are fraught with fear and chaos as hunters rush to triage their dog and face the prospect of a life-threatening reaction. Does the rattlesnake vaccine offer protection to hunting dogs, or is it more snake oil than medicine? The Ask a Vet series is proudly presented in partnership with @proplan

A collaborative episode of the On The Wing Podcast EP. 278: Joining Forces with The Flush and Birdshot podcasts to talk Ruffed Grouse, is live. Listen now at the link in our story, bio, or wherever you get your On The Wing Podcast’s, The Flush Podcast’s, or Birdshot Podcast’s from. We’ve assembled a special upland bird hunter’s super show episode with Travis Frank of The Flush and Nick Larson of Birdshot Podcast for a conversation focused on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ new Bird Hunter Diary app and ruffed grouse drumming counts. Joining the conversation from the Minnesota DNR are Assistant Area Wildlife Manager for northeast Minnesota Bailey Petersen and Resident Game Bird Consultant Nathan Huck. Episode Highlights: On the Wing host Bob St.Pierre kicks off the show with a recap of his recent visit to Washington, D.C. to moderate a panel focused on the idea of a North American Grasslands Conservation Act and to talk with elected officials about a new federal farm bill. The conversation then jumps into Minnesota’s eye-popping ruffed grouse drumming counts indicating the highest adult carryover of birds since 1972. Peterson, a wildlife biologist, explains what those counts do AND don’t indicate for the upcoming hunting season. Huck provides an overview of Minnesota’s new Bird Hunter Diary, what the state is looking to measure through the app, and how all upland hunters can help provide better data through citizen science.