Pheasants Forever

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ASK A VET EP. 11: HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH HEAT STRESS IN A HUNTING DOG? By Seth Bynum, DVM Canine athletes are incredibly efficient metabolic machines that can create tremendous amounts of heat while burning energy. It’s a physiological trait that helps them achieve impressive feats of athleticism, but in hot ambient temperatures it can also become a liability. Because of this tendency, the canine body has to get creative in how it manages overheating. While we share many biological processes with dogs, methods of heat mitigation are certainly not among them. WATCH https://lnkd.in/dQzEuHWM

ON THE WING PODCAST EP. 273: BOOKS EVERY UPLAND BIRD HUNTER SHOULD READ Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Tom Carpenter and Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks for the first-ever meeting of the Upland Bird Hunters’ Book Club. The conversation starts with a discussion about Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It and how that book, and subsequent movie, changed the general public’s perception of fly fishing. St.Pierre poses the question, “has the upland bird hunting version of that classic narrative been written yet?” Listen at https://lnkd.in/gsudAk-c

THE GREATEST EFFORT TO SAVE BOBWHITE QUAIL IN AMERICAN HISTORY By Ryan Sparks   You read the title correctly. It might be a mouthful, but the recently announced Working Lands For Wildlife, Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project is the biggest endeavor for bobwhite quail in American history. Announced at the 2024 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic by USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie, the project marks the largest concerted effort to restore bobwhite quail populations across 18 states. This is the first time national funds will be sent to states explicitly for bobwhite quail habitat. Specifically, this project earmarks $13 million for bobwhite habitat in 2024. This project is one part of a larger, 5-year effort to improve 7-million acres of bobwhite habitat. One historical obstacle with bobwhite conservation is that most bobwhite habitat occurs on private land. The Working Lands For Wildlife, Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project seeks to address that obstacle by incentivizing private landowners to participate in voluntary conservation practices that will benefit bobwhite quail. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gVuSbMQv

NEW QUAIL FOREVER CHAPTER TAKES FLIGHT IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO Quail Forever is proud to announce a local chapter start in New Mexico. The Southern New Mexico Chapter of Quail Forever is based in Las Cruces, the seat of Doña Ana County in the state’s far south-central region. A group of local volunteers will work together to generate quality wildlife habitat near the country’s southern border. Unique among national conservation organizations, chapters of Quail Forever retain 100 percent decision-making control over fundraising dollars, allowing volunteers to support impactful wildlife habitat projects, public access initiatives, and conservation education programs throughout the upland bird range. Quail Forever’s regional representative for New Mexico, Lauren Stamm, will work closely with the new chapter to support the organization’s vision to sustain abundant populations of wild quail and other desert wildlife. “The members of this new chapter have deep ties to New Mexico and have lived in the state for over 30 years,” said regional representative Lauren Stamm. “They are a group of passionate outdoorsmen and women, who are excited to impact their local upland habitat and community.” Located less than 50 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Las Cruces sits on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert. The area boasts not only northern bobwhite quail, but scaled, Gambel’s and Montezuma quail as well. The new chapter is excited to get to work protecting their local habitat and celebrating the wide variety of upland species that call the Chihuahuan Desert home. Volunteers will host their first meeting before the start of the hunting season and plan to have a community gathering this fall — with a banquet to follow in early spring 2025. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/dTWTQmXf

MID-SUMMER QUAIL NESTING AND BROOD REARING REPORT As the 2024 quail brooding and nesting season unfolds, we are witnessing a range of outcomes influenced by regional weather patterns and habitat conditions across quail country. This report compiles detailed observations from across key states, shedding light on the successes and challenges faced by quail populations during this critical period. Here’s where we’re at state-by-state: https://lnkd.in/g6RSphgd

JACOB MCCLAIN ELEVATED TO SOUTH CAROLINA STATE COORDINATOR Quail Forever (QF) is excited to introduce Jacob McClain as South Carolina’s first state coordinator. McClain will drive habitat programs, lead a talented team of field staff and work closely with partners, local chapters and other stakeholders. This work will ensure upland habitat continues to be recognized as a critically important driver of abundant wildlife populations while supporting sustainable agriculture, healthy soil and clean water. “Jake has been a key player with our partners in South Carolina for several years,” said Tim Caughran, QF’s director of conservation delivery for the southern region. “It’s wonderful to be able to elevate his role as a leader in the state. Quail Forever’s impact on upland habitat will continue to grow under his leadership.” McClain’s time with Quail Forever began in 2017 as a Farm Bill biologist. Since 2019, he has been working as a South Carolina quail focal area coordinator for QF. McClain holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in biological science from the University of Arkansas. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gUBsiyGT

JACOB COMER PROMOTED TO NORTH CAROLINA STATE COORDINATOR Quail Forever (QF) is excited to announce Jacob Comer has been promoted to North Carolina state coordinator. In his new role, Comer will drive habitat programs, lead a talented team of field staff and work closely with partners, local chapters and other stakeholders. This work will ensure upland habitat continues to be recognized as a critically important driver of abundant wildlife populations while supporting sustainable agriculture, healthy soil and clean water. “We’re excited to have Jake in this new leadership role in North Carolina,” said Tim Caughran, QF’s director of conservation delivery for the southern region. “He’s been doing great things for the state’s resources for several years, and will elevate that effort as North Carolina’s first state coordinator.” Comer has been with The Habitat Organization since 2019. He started as a Farm Bill biologist, was promoted to senior Farm Bill biologist in 2021 and has been serving as a coordinating wildlife biologist for the past year. Prior to these roles, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Averett University and a master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from South Dakota State University. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/g8b5gXzc

MID-SUMMER PHEASANT NESTING AND BROOD REARING REPORT As we head into high summer across the core pheasant range, water levels have been the main concern for weather-watching hunters. While historic flooding has put a damper on expectations for the pheasant hatch in historically top-notch locations, other regions are reporting substantial brood sizes and exceptional nesting conditions. Large swaths of habitat in Iowa and Minnesota were under water during the peak hatch of early to mid-June. This most certainly had a negative impact on birds. Despite the high-water levels, the silver lining in 2024 is that many states witnessed a shift away from drought conditions with “seas” of green grass across the landscape, no emergency haying or grazing on CRP enrollments, and encouraging reports for our favorite upland bird. Check out the state-by-state snapshot at https://lnkd.in/gxdqdrf8

KNOWLES-NELSON STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE FOR HABITAT AND PUBLIC ACCESS IN WISCONSIN A recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision has helped re-focus attention on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program which plays a critical role for habitat and public access through land acquisition and conservation throughout The Badger State. Since 1989, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been leveraged by non-profit organizations and local units of government who care about Wisconsin’s bountiful natural resources by investing over $1.2 billion dollars in the state. Pheasants Forever has proudly partnered with the Stewardship Program and initiated many projects to restore and conserve habitat while increasing public access opportunities for citizens to enjoy the land and waters of Wisconsin. You can learn even more about the Program at https://knowlesnelson.org/. Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/g3gPzS6N