Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 Does the winter cover you now provide pheasants insure equal survival for roosters, young, and hens? No! As winter cover, your brushy draw provides equal protection to roosters, young, and hens, but more hens will die. Because the hen is smaller than the rooster, she losses body heat faster, she carries less fat, she can not survive as long in a blizzard, she can not dig as easily through ice and snow for food, and she can not defend the food from bully roosters. So more hens then roosters die each winter. As winter cover, your brushy draw also provides equal protection to the youngest and the oldest of the juvenile birds, but survival is different. The chick hatched in early June has a much better chance of surviving this winter in your brushy draw than the chick hatched in September. The later a chick hatches, the less time it has to reach adult body size and body fat content before winter hits. Having less fat, the younger of the juvenile birds die first. #pheasantsforever #pheasants #pheasantfactfriday

You asked. We Answered. Ask A Vet Series Ep. 5: “What Supplements Should I Consider For My Bird Dog?” Is available now. Read the entire blog and watch the full video featuring Purina Pro Plan veterinary experts Dr. RuthAnn Lobos and Dr. Seth Bynum at the 🔗 link in our bio. If making sense of canine supplements feels like an overwhelming and confusing endeavor, you’re certainly not alone. Over the past decade, the canine supplement market has seen exponential growth along with a sharp rise in popularity among hunting dog enthusiasts. There are myriad brands touting a sizeable menu of specialized ingredients, each promising a competitive advantage at home or in the field. Learn more at the link. The “Ask A Vet” series is brought to you in partnership with @proplansportingdogs #pheasantsforever #quailforever #purinaproplan #doghealthtips

Take the Hunter Mentor Pledge today for a chance to win a pheasant and quail hunt for two at the link in our bio. But first, hear from Pheasants Forever member Jason Henkins about taking the pledge and introducing his brother Josh to hunting this season. “Four years ago I got my first bird dog Moose (GSP) since then I have been a member of Pheasants Forever and have loved being out spending time with Moose and hunting upland. Every year I work to get new people involved and show them the enjoyment I get from being out putting on the miles and watching the dog smile while out in the field. Josh (my younger brother) hasn’t been interest in going hunting even though I beg him to tag along to show him how much fun it can be. This year was a different story...he finally agreed to tag along. As we got to the field that morning before the sun came up I told him to sit and listen, there were a few birds already cackling. He didn’t quite understand as this was his first time but I had a great feeling we were about to have a great day ahead of us. As I got Moose prepped, my gear on and gun ready there was a crash in the brush and out comes a covey of pheasant!! Josh jumps and said “what was that!” I laughed and said “those are the pheasant we needed to shoot!”.......We finished getting ready and started in. After a few hours we had limited out and needless to say Josh had a great time and we are already looking to plan more hunts next year! I could go on and on about but the best part of taking new people out is seeing the same enjoyment I get when you see them experience the working of the dog, the flush, the shot, and the dog smiling, but I’d like to just say go out give it a try or take someone new and just experience the excitement through someone else. Stand back and just watch, you see so much more clearer that way. Happy Hunting!” The Hunter Mentor Pledge is brought to you in partnership with @alpsoutdoorz #pheasantsforever #pheasanthunting #pheasants #huntermentor

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 246: Late Season Longtails With South Dakota’s Darwin Weeldreyer, is live. Listen now at the link in our bio or wherever you get your podcasts. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by lifelong South Dakota pheasant hunter and longtime Pheasants Forever chapter volunteer Darwin Weeldreyer. With two weeks remaining in South Dakota’s pheasant hunting season (as well as Nebraska and Kansas), Weeldreyer offers a few hard-earned tactics for outsmarting late season longtails. Episode Highlights: - Weeldreyer talks about originally getting involved with South Dakota’s Wessington Springs Chapter of Pheasants Forever to learn how to improve the habitat on land he inherited from his father, while also getting in good with the guy who would later become his father-in-law. - Fresh off a January pheasant hunt with eight inches of crusty snow on the ground, Weeldreyer gives a handful of hot tips for hunters chasing roosters the final couple of weeks of this hunting season.

2024 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, presented by Federal Ammunition, is headed for Sioux Falls, SD and promises to be an event you won’t want to miss! The nation’s largest upland tradeshow and convention has something for everyone including hunters, landowners, and bird dog enthusiasts. Coming attractions for 2024 include the Public Lands Pavilion, Path to the Uplands Stage, Habitat Stage, Bird Dog Stage, and more than 400 unique vendors featuring outfitters, gear, food, and so much more! Get your BOGO tickets today at the link in our bio! #pheasantsforever #quailforever #pheasantfest2024

BOGO tickets for the biggest upland event of the year! Use the link in our bio for this limited time offer to purchase one National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic ticket and get a second one for free! 2024 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, is back in Sioux Falls and promises to be an event you won’t want to miss! The nation’s largest upland tradeshow and convention has something for everyone including hunters, landowners, and bird dog enthusiasts. #pheasantsforever #quailforever #pheasantfest2024 #quailclassic2024

Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 Death due to starvation after a blizzard is more likely than during a blizzard, but still rare if birds have protective cover. Pheasants can survive up to two weeks, even if all food sources are covered by deep snow and/or ice. Without any available food, a January rooster can survive 19 days and hens 16 days. These survival days will of course decrease with colder temperatures. Once fat reserves are gone, muscle tissue can be used for warmth. Pheasants die when they reach 60 percent of their normal body weight. A 2.4 lbs hen will die at 1.4 lbs. Even if the snow clears from the food supplies after one week, the hen’s deteriorated body condition may bring quick death if another blizzard comes too soon. But when is snow depth ever uniform from field to field, or when does the ice sheet last more than a few days? Not often. The same endless winds which can drive the windchill below zero can also be a blessing, opening areas with food. #pheasantsforever #pheasants #pheasantfactfriday

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they would reopen enrollment for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (continuous CRP). The program will reopen on January 12, 2024 — Additionally, producers already participating in CRP whose contracts expire this year can apply to re-enroll beginning the same day. Learn more about this latest announcement and how to enroll, at the link in our bio. “CRP is the cornerstone of our work to empower producers and landowners in fostering healthy upland bird populations on their properties,” said Ariel Wiegard, vice president of government affairs at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “We’re thankful to Congress for extending CRP’s authorization into 2024, and to the USDA for offering timely opportunities to enroll new acres and re-enroll expiring acres in this vital program. CRP exemplifies Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s commitment to a future where wild lands and working lands come together to support life and livelihoods across the country.” #pheasantsforever #quailforever #habitat #crp

You don’t want to miss this! Less than 400 tickets remain for our first ever CONCERT FOR CONSERVATION featuring Trampled by Turtles, happening Feb 29th at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Fall SD. Learn more about the event and get your tickets at the link in our bio. PF & QF’s Concert for Conservation is presented by @pepperentertainment, @onxhunt, @leinenkugels, @proplan, @pheasants_forever, & @quail_forever