This Mother’s Day, don’t forget to pause and celebrate those who helped show you the path to the outdoors. Remember they’re the original Women on the Wing, the ones that encouraged you to grow in your pursuit of all that is wild. Thank you mom. #pheasantsforever #quailforever #mothersday #womenonthewing

Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 May is a month of egg laying and incubation for pheasant hens. This winter was mild, so the hens should be fat and in perfect body condition to produce good size nests this month. With the onset of laying (before incubation starts), daily air temperatures become important. Temperatures above 92 degrees and below 35 degrees F can destroy the unprotected eggs. Heavy rains can also slow egg laying. Producing chicks isn’t easy for the hen, and the rooster cares only about breeding. While walking through a field you might flush a hen from her nest. Without breaking an egg open to examine the chick, can you tell how close she is to hatching the eggs? Once the nest is full, the hen will incubate the eggs for 23 days. The closer the chicks are to hatching, the harder it is to flush the hen. If she flushed when you were 40-50 feet away, she is in the first week of incubation. If she flushed 20-40 feet away, probably in the second week. If you had to almost step on her, the eggs are close to hatching. #pheasantsforever #pheasantfactfriday #pheasants #pheasant

Pheasants Forever and its partners are proud to announce the fulfillment of 11,686 new public access acres in South Dakota. The Public Access to Habitat (PATH) initiative, announced in August 2023 with the objective of accelerating statewide enrollment in conservation programs while bolstering participation in South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks’ (GFP) Walk-In Area (WIA) program, shattered the 10,000-acre enrollment goal in seven months. Additive to the current GFP Walk-In Area program and administered in a similar manner, PATH provides an additional sign-up incentive of up to $25 per acre, paid in advance, in return for 10 years of high-quality habitat and access on private lands. Landowners work directly with biologists from Pheasants Forever or GFP for site evaluation and implementation, following approval from a review panel. When combined with other financial incentives (signing bonus and payment for Walk-in Access + conservation program payment), PATH enrollments pay landowners a competitive rate for a decade of habitat and access stewardship. The inaugural year was fully funded at $250K through national sponsor @onxhunt. Learn more about the PATH program at the link in our bio. #pheasantsforever #habitat #wildlifehabitat #conservation

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 263: Volunteers Get Hands Dirty Improving Public Lands Habitat, is live. Listen now at the link in our bio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Senior Regional Representative Will Clayton for a conversation with chapter volunteers Nina Hoekstra and Dave Scherf. All four participants in this episode recently contributed to projects as part of PF & QF’s Hands-On Habitat effort to improve upland acres across the country. Episode Highlights: - The crew talk about clearing barbed wire, old tires, and other trash during habitat workdays, then they go around-the-horn with tales of the weirdest garbage they have picked up on public lands. - Nina Hoekstra, a volunteer with Minnesota’s McLeod County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, talks about the intimidation of first getting involved as a PF volunteer, then being so inspired to change careers focused on her passion for wildlife habitat and upland bird hunting. Follow Nina on Instagram @in.ninas.nature. - Dave Scherf, a long-time volunteer with Minnesota’s Metro Minneapolis Chapter of Pheasants Forever, talks about his love for public land and how Hands-On Habitat projects brings him so much personal joy. Special “THANK YOU” to @onxhunt for supporting PF & QF’s Hands-On Habitat efforts across the country throughout the entire month of May. As part of their commitment, onX Hunt is funding three grants for PF & QF chapters participating in Hands-On Habitat projects. #pheasantsforever #quailforever #onthewingpodcast #handsonhabitat #wildlifehabitat

It’s Hands-On Habitat Month, and PF & QF members and volunteers are getting their hands dirty to create better habitat for the future. Head to the 🔗link in our bio now to find a workday near you to learn about your local chapter, engage your community, have fun, and move the needle for our mission of upland habitat conservation! Hands-On Habitat Month is proudly supported by @onxhunt #pheasantsforever #quailforever #handsonhabitat #onxhunt #wildlifehabitat

In the spirit of “No Mow May,” The Habitat Organization is reminding our followers that mowing and upland bird production go together like oil and water. Unless mowing is required financially, legally or ecologically (for example, to deal with woody plant encroachment in grasslands that cannot be burned or otherwise treated), wildlife is best served when the mower stays in the shed during the primary nesting season of May, June, and July. Mowing during this period also runs the risk of an unruly encounter with Rudy the Rooster, as seen here. #pheasantsforever #quailforever #uplandbirds #nomowmay