Pheasants Forever

Congress Sends Home Holiday Gifts for Conservation By: Ariel Alberti Wiegard, vice president of government affairs This week, Congress passed several wildlife habitat conservation and outdoor recreation bills important to upland birds and upland hunters. The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act, Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experience (EXPLORE) Act and the Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver (WILD) Act have all been passed on to President Biden to be signed into law. What do these bills mean for conservation? Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gC3XgnhY

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Sign Memorandum of Understanding with the USFWS Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) are proud to announce a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The MOU solidifies decades of partnership collaboration to mutually conserve quality wildlife habitat through 2034 via habitat management of grasslands and uplands, conservation promotion, workforce development, and education and outreach. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been a key partner of the Habitat Organization, and we’re very excited to continue that relationship with this MOU,” said Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s President and CEO Marilyn Vetter. “High quality habitat cannot happen without meaningful partnerships. Our organizations have a proven track record for conservation collaboration at the highest levels – we’re thrilled to take it another step forward in the decade to come.” As part of the MOU, a work plan will be developed between both organizations to promote fish and wildlife management practices on public, Tribal and private lands. These habitat improvements may be implemented on Waterfowl Production Areas and National Wildlife Refuges or on private lands through the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and Farm Bill conservation programs. Both PF & QF and USFWS will also collaborate to recruit, educate, train and retain wildlife professionals imperative to the successful conservation work being done across the country. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gZmRTTWK

PhD Roosters Scarce. Paranoid. Elusive. Every late-season rooster holds an advanced degree in hunter evasion. Here's how to outsmart the professor. By Tom Carpenter Any ring-necked pheasant still running around in December and January has earned a graduate degree in eluding hunters and their dogs.  Hardy and experienced winter roosters are scarce (hunted down), paranoid (hunted long) and elusive (hunted hard). October's easy pickings of young, innocent cocks are gone. Welcome to the cagiest, most nervous and neurotic game bird you will ever encounter.  Get to work. Here's how to hunt late season’s PhD roosters. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/giHZVr35

Utilize Your Beautiful Pheasant Tail Feathers this Holiday Season By Mikayla Peper You’ve been pheasant hunting all season long and you’ve collected a few stunning pheasant feathers, what do you do with them now? Instead of letting them sit off to the side somewhere, take advantage of the beautiful tail feathers and create a centerpiece yourself to celebrate the holiday season. Let me walk you through how I created a Christmas themed table centerpiece highlighting pheasant feathers for about $10. My favorite part of this idea, is I was able to forage for a lot of these materials outside right around me, and I can put them back outside when the holidays are over. If you want to create something to use year after year, you can absolutely invest in fake materials when you purchase additions you want such as Christmas bulbs or bows. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gNAUK_hD

PF & QF's Build a Wildlife Area Program Adds 80 Acres of Public Upland Habitat in Missouri Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is excited to announce a new Build a Wildlife Area® project in Harrison County, Missouri. Situated near Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area and the Nature Conservancy’s Dunn Ranch, the 80-acre property will increase the connectivity of upland habitat in the area while providing increased public hunting access. This parcel is in the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Grand River Grasslands Priority Geography, an area of core focus for bobwhite quail conservation. It also lies within a core region of the Working Lands for Wildlife – Northern Bobwhite, Grasslands and Savannas Framework for Conservation Action through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. According to the MDC, less than 1 percent of the state’s original prairie remains. It is therefore vital to not only protect existing upland habitat, but to expand it in these unique eco-regions. The property builds on the existing voluntary efforts of private landowners to create a hub of well-managed quail habitat in the region. The 80-acre parcel is currently a mixture of pasture and wooded draws, but habitat improvements will be made to transform the area to native forbs and grasses, as well as implement conservation practices such as edge feathering to improve habitat for bobwhite quail. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gsaZ4aqH

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 296: What the Proposed ‘Threatened’ Status Means for Monarch Butterflies and Upland Birds Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Chief Conservation Officer Ron Leathers for a conversation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Sergio Pierluissi and AnnMarie Krmppotich about the Service’s announcement last week proposing the monarch butterfly be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The group talks about what this proposed listing means, what it doesn’t mean, and what role PF & QF can play in creating habitat for monarch butterflies and upland birds.   Listen at https://lnkd.in/gaajQJsV

National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2025, presented by Federal Ammunition, is in Kansas City, Missouri March 7-9 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 2025 include a Concert for Conservation, 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! BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) passes are available now at the link below! Get yours today! We can't wait to see you there! https://lnkd.in/gqDt9YUC

Quail Forever Adds Seven Team Members to Assist with Working Lands for Wildlife Outcomes Assessments Quail Forever (QF) is proud to announce the hiring of seven new team members throughout the Northern Bobwhite range that will coordinate and assist with USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) outcomes assessments. These assessments will help track the benefits of conservation work across the bobwhite’s range and estimate its potential impact in the future. “I am thrilled to finally have this team of talented field staff assembled,” said Dr. Jess McGuire, QF’s senior WLFW bobwhite program manager. “As we implement our national monitoring protocol for the WLFW Northern Bobwhite Framework, we will be more efficient and able to partner with more landowners to implement and assess efforts to restore Northern Bobwhite throughout their range.” Among the new hires, six are WLFW outcomes assessment technicians. These positions will assist Farm Bill biologists and partners in surveying bobwhite and other grasslands bird species, in addition to vegetation assessments. The seventh position will help coordinate the team, which will be spread across the southeast from South Carolina to Kansas. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gAKZ_H7R

Piedmont Forest Landowner Assistance Program to Enhance Forest Resilience and Climate Mitigation in South Carolina Quail Forever (QF) is proud to announce the launch of the Piedmont Forest Landowner Assistance Program (PFLAP), an initiative supported by a $1.75 million award from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). This funding will enable QF and its partners to enhance forest resilience in South Carolina’s Piedmont region while also improving 4,500 acres of habitat for northern bobwhite quail in cooperation with forest landowners. PFLAP will serve landowners across ten counties in South Carolina with the goal of restoring degraded private forestland. The program aims to improve biodiversity and enhance carbon sequestration through sustainable forest management practices. The program prioritizes restoring fire-adapted ecosystems by promoting and incentivizing the use of prescribed fire and active forest management practices. Implementation of these practices will help restore native plant communities and provide crucial habitat for wildlife populations. Landowners participating in the program will receive personalized guidance and cost-share support for implementing these practices, with underserved groups such as beginning forest landowners, veterans, and individuals in high-poverty areas eligible for up to 100% cost-share reimbursement. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/guSQkYxB

Get your holiday shopping done at the PF Store! SAVE 20% on Artisans lifestyle apparel until December 19th. Link below! https://bit.ly/3ZHXbrc