Jared Wiklund from Pheasants Forever joins the show to break down America’s 2025 pheasant hunting forecast. We explain where pheasant populations saw a dramatic increase this year, and places that have been knocked down by storms. Overall, the picture looks pretty good if you’re a pheasant hunter. Travis & Jared explain why this season is a great one to hit the fields while sharing habitat news that lingers on the horizon… @pheasantsforever Tell Congress to Strengthen the CRP Program - https://pheasantsforever.quorum.us/campaign/137204/ Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Ben Brettingen from OnX Hunt joins Travis Frank in Big Sky Country to kick start the new season of The Flush television show. The two discuss their do-it-yourself Montana bird hunting adventure for sharp-tailed grouse & Hungarian partridge mixed with fishing for big lake trout, salmon and walleyes. The duo discusses planning a wild adventure, scouting online and in person, putting the pieces together to find more birds, dealing with heat, maximizing time in the field, grouse numbers, hail damage, OnX Hunt features to read terrain, making goals for the season, and a whole lot more… @benbrettingen Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Tom Carpenter from Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever joins the show to break down the 2025 prairie grouse primer presented by Sportsman’s Guide. We break down sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, Hungarian partridge, and prairie chicken hunting expectations by region, from Idaho to Minnesota and places in between. We discuss factors that raised bird counts in some places, and lowered counts in others. We share details that can make or break your next hunt on the prairie and throw in a few tricks to outsmart those wild birds. It’s a full prairie grouse primer, with even more information @pheasantsforever Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Ben Fretz from North Country Sporting Dogs joins the show to discuss preseason tune-ups for our bird dogs. We talk about getting yourself and your bird dog into hunting shape and fine-tuning your bird dogs with bird work for puppies and veteran dogs. We explain how to set a positive scenario for puppies to succeed in the field, training dogs on wild birds vs pen raised birds, thick habitat vs open fields, tips to make sure pigeons fly, when to launch pigeons, roading dogs & running on treadmills, proper nutrition and supplements, building prey drive, overcoming a gun shy dog, and most importantly having fun with your dog in the field... @northcountrysportingdogs Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Tim Brown (aka: The Bearded Uplander) joins the show to discuss his yearly pheasant counts in northwest Iowa and southeast South Dakota. Travis & Tim talk through changing factors that contribute to bird numbers, brood sizes & bugs, insane nitrates, staying dry in wet grass, having fun with hunting buddies, hunting solo, & making goals for the season. We also talk upland bird hunting gear head to toe, and have fun heckling each other along the way... @thebeardeduplander Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Travis Frank & Tyler Webster talk with Rehan Nana & Patrick Bowman from Garmin about E-collars and the world of hunting technology. The crew breaks down a variety of hunting and training dog collars and remotes, watches that sync up with collars, training remotes vs hunting remotes, Garmin InReach, GPS communication during emergencies, emergency insurance, hunting without GPS, and we answer listener questions... @garminfishhunt Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Tyler Webster & Scott Fransen join Travis Frank to share the news about adding a new host to The Flush television show. Spoiler alert, it’s Tyler Webster. We discuss Tyler’s new role in the TV show, why we are adding Tyler to the team, our goals moving forward, and where we aim to hunt this season. We also discuss bird numbers after the hatch in North Dakota, and a whole lot more... @the.westernwingshooter.podcast Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Mike Amman is a Wisconsin forester and the Vice President of the Wisconsin Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society. Mike & Travis celebrate Wisconsin’s decision to re-open a sharp-tailed grouse hunting season, the mission at the Wisconsin sharp-tailed grouse society, reversing a habitat loss trend & bouncing back bird numbers, logging practices that create ruffed grouse habitat across the Great Lakes region, hunting sharp-tailed grouse on the prairie vs Midwest, moving to find the right hunting covers, mentally and physically preparing for opening day, shot size and chokes for grouse, putting on miles, and a whole lot more... @wisharptails Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Dr. James Martin is a Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia. He’s part scientist, part hunter. Dr. Martin works extensively with wild populations of bobwhite quail and landowners throughout America to understand every detail about their lives and how to provide everything they need to thrive. We discuss past and ongoing quail research projects, why it’s so important to work with private landowners, understanding bobwhite quail biology, quail mating, hatch, chick survival, the effect of hunting pressure on quail, why quail populations explode and plummet, multiple quail broods, effects of pesticides & herbicides, making ag & wildlife habitat work together, parasites, fire, training the next generation, reasons for optimism in quail country, and so much more. @martingamelab Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
HANK HUNT #5 & YOU’RE INVITED! Scott Fransen joins the show to announce the 5th annual “Hank Hunt.” Scott gives the details of the hunt at @Brownslodge_huntingranch and shares why this year he’s inviting hunters who sign up to bring a child or parent. Scott & Travis discuss how this hunt has impacted hunters that participate, how the hunt supports PF & QF’s habitat mission, and how hunters can sign up. Scott also shares about his experience trying to breed his bird dog Millie, and Travis talks about making the most of a trip with his boys to the BWCA after a truck crashed into them and totaled out their gear. https://www.brownshuntingranch.com/ - 605-765-9150 Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Scott Rall from Nobles County Pheasants Forever in southwest Minnesota joins the show to celebrate the acquisition of Pheasant Run #50. Scott explains how his chapter has been able to purchase thousands of acres of farmland and convert it into public hunting land. Scott and Travis also talk about drinking water and water quality in his county, public relations with farmers, small efforts lead to big results, bleeding conservation, Adopt-A-WMA, Dinner in the Wild, perfect pheasant nesting conditions in his county, huge brood sightings, and so much more. @habitatchampion Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Compeer Home (compeerhome.com) Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/) Hunt North Dakota (helloND.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (luckyduck.com/) & Samaritan Tire (samaritantire.com/)
Josh Tatman is a dedicated upland bird hunter, angler, storyteller, adventure seeker, and, most importantly, he’s a father. Josh and Travis share stories about raising future hunters and anglers while trying to also help others learn “how to introduce kids to hunting.” We break down Josh’s recent article on the topic and discuss when and how to set kids up for success, slowing down, introducing guns, setting goals, teaching & leading, seeing a hunt through a kids eyes, when to let them go and grow, learning from wildlife and wild places, celebrating moments, leaving kids wanting more, one-on-one hunts vs group hunts, gun safety, cleaning and cooking birds with kids, having fun, and a whole lot more. @Josh_Tatman Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
Ron Leathers is the Chief Conservation Officer at Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. On this episode, we discuss in depth pheasant biology with Ron from mating season to laying eggs, when pheasants will re-nest, and when they won’t. We talk about the average life span of a pheasant, the percentage of chicks that hatch, and the ones that don’t. Ron explains why the number one predator during the nesting season is a farm mower, when temperatures and rain can kill chicks. We talk about pheasant food, evading predators, expanding pheasant range, why planting pheasants does not work, creating the right habitat, dirty food plots, and a whole lot more. Plus, we answer listener questions about your favorite upland birds. @pheasants_forever & @quail_forever Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
Joe Lesmeister shares stories from a life spent in pursuit of upland birds. The conversation breaks down his upland bird hunting journal and discusses trends from hunts across the upper Midwest for the past 20+ years, moments that stand out, hunting from a “man van”, forgetting his dog at home, getting stuck in the mud, hunting nostalgic plastic, documenting daily adventures on social media, going back in time to make different choices, staying fit for hunting season, and a whole lot more… @upland_xpress Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
We are giving away a GAIM Virtual Shooting Simulator! Phillip Jones from GAIM joins the show to discuss their virtual reality hunting and shooting simulator. The conversation begins with Phillip’s journey beginning as a hunter in the U.K, serving in the Royal Navy, moving to America & working in the firearm industry, falling in love with bird dogs and bird hunting, launching GAIM, how the system works for hunters, shooters & firearm safety training. We fire up the GAIM and shoot through multiple scenarios during the show before explaining our giveaway. @GAIM_USA Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
Jacob Perry operates Superior Upland in the U.P of Michigan. Jacob shares his journey in the outfitting business, hunting for ruffed grouse & woodcock behind his Gordon Setters. We discuss Michigan’s strong bird numbers, ideal spring hatch conditions, summer dog training, leaving a teaching career to operate his business full-time, making the most of our time, sharing wild experiences, and so much more. Plus, Travis begins the show by sharing a list of Father’s Day gift ideas that are sure to please the bird hunters in your life. @superior_upland Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
Travis Frank reads a letter from a listener and then discusses the recent news about public land sales in Nevada & Utah before asking the obvious question, what can we do about it? Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
Bailey Petersen is a wildlife biologist for the Minnesota DNR and a passionate upland bird hunter. Bailey explains what’s happening right now with the North Shore wild fires in Minnesota, then we discuss current work projects in our forests that include her ruffed grouse drumming counts, woodcock banding projects, grouse and woodcock numbers heading into the hatch, weather factors that can help or hurt the hatch, timely & untimely rains, habitat projects, wood ticks, spruce grouse, ruffed grouse behavior, planting trees, logging, woodcock migration behavior, DNR upland journal, and so much more …@baileyo1 Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
Nicolas Lirio & Kent Boucher from Hoksey Native Seeds are in studio to discuss their unique view of prairie farm life, growing seeds for habitat, most commonly asked grass and pollinator questions, quality of life, simple pollinator projects, hands on habitat, going back in time, our footprint on this earth, making healthy choices, being difference makers, using chemicals on our landscape, a lack of suffering, and so much more …@theprairiefarm Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)
In Part 3 of our bird dog training course with Sonny Piekarz, Jordan Wells and George Lyall, we discuss in the field bird dog field training. The step-by-step conversation begins with transitioning “The Method” course work into field work, transitioning the point of contact from a command lead to E-collar, using a flank collar to apply breaks and whoa training steadiness. We also discuss finding the right fields and situations to run dogs, training on wild birds vs pen-raised birds and which ones can help and hurt your progress, encouraging chase, building prey drive, repetitions, and having patience to see the process play out …@haycreekkennel @jwellskennels Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/) OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (hokseynativeseeds.com) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Home (compeerhome.com)