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 below. “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.” https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/USDA-Reopens-Signup-for-Continuous-Conservation-Reserve-Program.aspx

If you feel compelled to bring someone new along with you, or take someone who has been out of the field for a long time, take our Hunter Mentor Pledge. It is Quail Forever’s commitment to carrying on the hunting and conservation legacy. As an added bonus, when you take the pledge you are entered to win a guided upland hunt for two. We need much more Hunter Mentor Pledge representation from quail range. Don’t let quail hunting become a fireside story about what people used to do. Help us make sure that it’s still something “we do” in the decades to come. Join your fellow hunters and take the pledge at quailforever.org/mentorpledge. Read the full blog at the link below. https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/How-a-Hunter-is-Made.aspx

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 244: Biologist, Explorer, Conservationist, and Hunter Donnie Vincent, is live. Listen now at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/3RMlccQ Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President and CEO Marilyn Vetter for an in-depth conversation with Donnie Vincent, a biologist, explorer, conservationist, hunter, and filmmaker. Vincent will serve as the keynote speaker at the organization’s Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic National Banquet on March 2nd in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Episode Highlights: - Vincent explains the origin of his favorite quote, “To experience fantastic things, you have to put yourself in fantastic places” and how that ethos fits into his approach to life and filmmaking. - Vetter tells the funny and winding story of connecting with Donnie Vincent through a friend from Alaska, Ken Gates, that resulted in her husband having an impromptu hour and a half long conversation with Donnie in the fishing aisle of a Wisconsin sporting goods store. - Vincent also gives a taste of the habitat and hunting thoughts he’s building his keynote address around. Donnie Vincent

As the holiday season winds down and we usher in a new year, there is no better time than now to start dreaming about what 2024 has in store. The excitement of turning the page and a new year ahead has many people already planning their New Year’s resolutions to better themselves in a variety of ways. That got me thinking, what are a set of goals for an upland hunter to aspire to achieve in 2024? While they aren’t the typical “hit the gym five days a week” or “finally get that promotion” goals many set on January 1st, I’ve come up with the top six New Year’s resolutions for an upland enthusiast to take on in 2024. This list of goals will not only help to improve your prowess as an upland hunter, but also improve the health of your local habitat and the wildlife that call it home. Link below to see the full list of upland resolutions.