Quail Fact or Fiction Friday!💡 “Coyotes are eating all the bobwhites and their eggs!” Fiction! Coyotes are opportunistic predators, but studies show that less than 2% of a coyote’s diet consists of bobwhites. Here are the details from a series of scientific surveys: 1.4% in Missouri (Korschgen 1957), 2.0% in Arkansas (Gipson 1974), 0.6% of stomachs and scats from Mississippi and Alabama (Wooding et al. 1984),

Matt Fenex manages a 170-acre property in Spencer, Tennessee for quail, deer and turkey. But little did he know, simply owning the land would not only protect various wildlife but also safeguard a conservation goldmine — two threatened species of orchids The Yellow Fringed Orchid and the White Fringeless Orchid, both perennial flowers found in the Southeast, were discovered on Fenex’s property this past July. Due to habitat degradation, these species of orchids are scarcely seen across their native range. The Yellow Fringed Orchid is state listed as threatened, while the White Fringeless Orchid holds a federally threatened status. Apart from its successful discovery and hopeful restoration, the partnership between Quail Forever and USFW is something Oja said is critically important to take away from the whole project. Without their partnership these orchids may have never been protected, let alone discovered. With careful management, Fenex’s land will hopefully continue to support both wildlife and threatened plants, ensuring a future where quail, deer, turkey and orchids can thrive side by side. Learn the full story of this discovery at the link below. https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/Quail-Habitat-also-protects-threatened-orchid-species-in-Tennessee.aspx

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 292: The State of North Dakota's Upland Birds, is live. Listen now at the link below, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/4fDs6vs This is the second episode of Pheasants Forever’s 15th annual Rooster Road Trip. Host Bob St.Pierre is joined for the conversation by PF’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Vavra, PF’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar, and North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Upland Game Supervisor Jesse Kolar. Episode Highlights: - Kolar provides status reports for North Dakota’s pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, sage grouse, and prairie chicken populations, along with an overview of current habitat conditions. - Spolyar and Kolar also provide excellent tips for selecting hunting spots from the road with specific examples of the types of attributes they look for in cover to find upland birds. - Check out the companion video accompanying this podcast episode at https://bit.ly/4eGqUGs. 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 A special thanks to our Rooster Road Trip sponsors: Federal Premium, SoundGear, Orvis, Irish Setter Boots, Browning, Garmin Fish & Hunt, YETI, Ruff Land Performance Kennels

WATCH NOW‼️ Rooster Road Trip Ep. 2: PLOTS Produces Pheasants | 2024 Public Land North Dakota Upland Hunt. Link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSsIovBpQAw Day two of our annual Rooster Road Trip found us putting eyes on a fresh horizon in western North Dakota as we linked up with North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Upland Game Management Supervisor to focus on PLOTS properties while getting educated on all things upland birds. Private Land Open To Sportsmen, better known as PLOTS, is a component of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Initiative and represents more than 830,000 acres open to walk-in hunting access on private land. Since more than 93 percent of land in North Dakota is held in private ownership, working with landowners to manage wildlife, habitat, and access is incredibly important. The Rooster Road Trip is made possible by: Ruff Land Performance Kennels, Browning, Orvis, Garmin Fish & Hunt, SoundGear, Federal Premium, Irish Setter Boots, YETI

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area® program recently added 348 acres of public hunting access in southwest Iowa. Located in Fremont County, the Askew Family Tract connects two existing parcels of Auldon Bar Wildlife Management Area to create a complex of 1,800 acres of contiguous upland habitat open to public access. The new tract was made possible by a generous donation by John and Lauri Askew, whom the tract is named after, and was dedicated on October 22 at a gathering of partners and supporters. The Askew Family Tract is also situated within a priority area for the Working Lands for Wildlife – Northern Bobwhite, Grasslands and Savannas Framework for Conservation Action through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The property builds on the existing voluntary efforts of private landowners to create a hub of well-managed quail habitat in the region. Learn more about this recent land addition at the link below. https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/Build-a-Wildlife-Area®-Program-Secures-348-Acre-Addition-in-Southwest-Iowa.aspx

At some point, hunting public land for pheasants in South Dakota got a bad rap. What I mean is, there is a common misconception that hunting private ground is inherently better than hunting public. Don’t let the thought of hunting public land scare you or make you think twice about hunting wild birds in South Dakota’s wild places. Public land hunters have been putting roosters in their game bags on public land for decades, and so can you. Here’s a few thoughts to help you get started on the right foot - Learn helpful tips on becoming a successful public land bird hunter in South Dakota at the link below. https://bit.ly/3V1Hk5j Sharing in behalf of our partners in conservation Travel South Dakota

CONTEST‼️ Guess how many miles the Rooster Road Trip crew walked during the one day spent filming this week’s episode in North Dakota! Head over to www.roosterroadtrip.org to submit your prediction and then make sure to watch the series’ second episode this Wednesday at 5pm CST. We’ll choose the winner of a Garmin ALPHA LTE Sporting Dog Tracker out of the correct entries on Monday the 25th. Garmin Fish & Hunt Congratulations to week one's Rooster Road Trip Giveaway Winner, Derek of Elwood, NE!