1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to Backwoods University, a place where we focus on wildlife, 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: wild places and the people who dedicate their lives to 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: conserving both. Big shout out to aex hunt for their 4 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: support of this podcast. I'm your host, Lake Pickle. On 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: this episode, we're gonna learn all about what I refer 6 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 1: to as the most beloved non native wildlife that we 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: have in the entire country, so beloved and accepted in fact, 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: that many folks don't even realize that they're not native. 9 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: It's time that we learn about the crazy history and 10 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: widespread ecological impacts of the ring necked pheasant. I can 11 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: promise you this by the end of this episode, whether 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: you're a diehard pheasant hunter, a first timer, or even 13 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,599 Speaker 1: if you're someone who doesn't have interest in hunting pheasants, 14 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: you'll never be able to think of them the same way. Again, 15 00:00:49,280 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 1: let's get into it. It's the second week of November, 16 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: and while my phone is steadily going off in my 17 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: pocket with deer activity and hunt updates for my friends 18 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: scattered across the country, I'm walking across a wind whipped 19 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: North Dakota prairie to a small pocket of cattails that 20 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 1: I spotted. 21 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 2: On my onyx map. 22 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: When we approach the edge of the cattails, I give 23 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: my dog Knocks the signal to hunt, and he tears 24 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: off into the thick cover with his nose to the ground. 25 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: He knows what to do from here. After walking about 26 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: sixty yards, while constantly keeping an eye on my dog, 27 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: I notice that all of a sudden, he has an 28 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: uptick in enthusiasm. His tail starts wagging harder and faster. 29 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: His movements are much more quick and deliberate. I know 30 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,199 Speaker 1: all too well what this means. He smells a bird, 31 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: and now he's trying to find it and flush it. 32 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: I tighten my hands around my shotgun and I start 33 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: scanning back and forth from the cover to Knox, trying 34 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: to catch the first sign of a flushing pheasant. This 35 00:01:57,920 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: behavior goes on for a couple of yards and second 36 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: until finally two rooster pheasants flush out of the edge 37 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: of the cattails. I raised my gun and I fired 38 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: two shots. The first one was all air and no feathers. 39 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 2: That's no good. 40 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: The second shot, however, found its mark, and now I'm 41 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: quickly walking that direction. As I watched Knox run over 42 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: and scoop the pheasant up off the ground. 43 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: Good boy knocks, good boy. That is how it's sounding 44 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 2: right there. 45 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 3: Good night, good boy. So the key here is that 46 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 3: was a really big piece of plots, and the pheasant 47 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 3: cover on it is limited. 48 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 2: So if you were actually with a. 49 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: Group of folks, a lot of you know, two, three, 50 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: four guys, would probably drive past this and go it's 51 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: not worth us stopping. But when you just have one 52 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: guy and one dog, those little pieces of isolated cover 53 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: are actually exactly what we are looking for because it's. 54 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,519 Speaker 2: A lot easier working that way. And Knox was all 55 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 2: over those. 56 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 3: That was awesome. 57 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: Hopefully you heard me say in there that I was 58 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: hunting on a big piece of plots. Plots stands for 59 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: private land open to sportsmen, a walk in access program 60 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: that you can see in both North and South Dakota. 61 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: It's a really cool program and one of the many 62 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: positive effects that pheasants have on a landscape, which we're 63 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: going to dive into much more detail on, but before that, 64 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: we need to hear one more hunt. What direction would 65 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: you go Goitch? Now, I'm in South Dakota and once 66 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: again I'm walking across a prairie with my dog. Only 67 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: this time, I have my wife Lacy hunting with me. 68 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: Lacy's first time pheasant hunting was last year in twenty 69 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: twenty four, and she liked it, so in November of 70 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, she wanted to give it another go. 71 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: This time, instead of hunting plots, we're hunting a piece 72 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: of path property PAT, which stands for public Access to 73 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: habitat other public hunting access program brought about in part 74 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: by the presence of pheasants on our landscape. We're gonna 75 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: learn a lot more about this stuff later, but it's 76 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: important we get to experience this part of it. First. 77 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 3: There was hey, yeah, stay ready, stay ready, Knox has it. 78 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 3: Can remember up. 79 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 2: Knox. 80 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 3: Here, nice Lacy, nice public land pheasants. They are not 81 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 3: a walk in the park, but we stuck with it 82 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 3: and managed to kill a few. Makes you wish she 83 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 3: had one more day. When you hear all that, well, 84 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 3: I think Lacey needs a foot massage. I think no, 85 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 3: I think Knox needs some water and some food and uh. 86 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 3: But yeah, hopefully all enjoyed tagging along. We've walked a 87 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 3: lot and managed to have a little bit of success. 88 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 3: So yeah, proud of you, Thank you, you did good. 89 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 3: Thanks for taking me proud of you too, man. 90 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 4: That's a good boy. 91 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 2: Man. 92 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: Those are some fun times. And if an ounce of 93 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: the fun that I have on these trips make it 94 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: through the speakers and into your ear drums, I'll be satisfied. 95 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: But as always, let's zoom out on this. So far, 96 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: all we've covered is that pheasants are non native wildlife, 97 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: and hopefully from the hunt audio y'all just heard, you've 98 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: gathered that they are right smart, fun to go and hunt. 99 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 1: But there's a much much bigger story here, one that 100 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: I dare say will leave you rather mind blowing at 101 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: the history of it and the vast effects that this 102 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: bird has made on the North American landscape. However, I'm 103 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: not going to be the one to tell it to you. 104 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 4: My name is Jared Wickland, Director of Communications for Pheasants 105 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 4: Forever and Quail Forever on a national level, so I 106 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 4: oversee all of our press releases, story information you know 107 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 4: that's going on on our website and to news sources. 108 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 4: I do a lot of podcasts and interviews. I work 109 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 4: on National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classics, sort of our 110 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 4: big annual convention that travels around the country. Do a 111 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 4: lot of different things to support our wildlife habitat conservation 112 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 4: work and basically tell the story of our volunteers at 113 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,039 Speaker 4: an organization that sort of rose from the ashes in 114 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 4: nineteen eighty two when a group of peasant owners saw 115 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 4: the connection between upland habitat loss and declining pheasant populations 116 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 4: and an organization was needed, and that's how Pheasants Forever 117 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 4: was formed, and sort of sort of the same way 118 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 4: for Quail Forever in two thousand and five. 119 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: Jared is going to be the perfect person to share 120 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: this crazy pheasant story with us. I want to kick 121 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: this thing off by learning about how a bird that 122 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: originally existed in Asia wound up in North America. 123 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 4: You know, the history of pheasant goes really far back, 124 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 4: and actually some of the earliest attempts to introduce pheasants 125 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 4: were actually in the seventeen hundreds. 126 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 2: For instance, there were accounts. 127 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 4: Of George Washington introducing multiple species at his Mount Vernon estate, 128 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 4: which I think is pretty cool. But the first successful 129 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 4: attempt was the release of wildcaught birds in the late 130 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 4: eighteen hundreds. It was in eighteen eighty one in the 131 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 4: will Lammette Valley of Oregon by a guy named Judge 132 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 4: Owen Denny. At that time, he was the Consul General 133 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 4: in Shanghai, which was like the top diplomatic post in 134 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 4: China from the United States. And after he introduced pheasants. 135 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 4: It was about ten years later, really late eighteen hundreds. 136 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,239 Speaker 4: Eighteen ninety two I think was the date when Oregon 137 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 4: held its first pheasants season. 138 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 2: And in that decade or so after. 139 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 4: Releasing birds, and they were released into a landscape with 140 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 4: a lot of grass, a lot of small grains. At 141 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 4: the time, they harvested fifty thousand pheasants that first year. 142 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna let Jared get back to his story, but 143 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: I have to spend a little bit of time on 144 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: this first key fact because I find it so fascinating. 145 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: Oh and Denny, a man appointed to the US consul 146 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: in the eighteen seventy seven in Tinging, China, would eventually 147 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: become Console General. Denny became fascinated with pheasants, wild pheasants 148 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: that he saw and had personal experience with while in China, 149 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: and that hatched the idea that they may do well 150 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: in Oregon. And after two attempts of trapping wild pheasants 151 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: in China, shipping them across the Pacific. Twenty nine live 152 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: wild birds made it safely to Portland, Oregon, and were 153 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 1: released onto his brother's farm in Lynn County. They had 154 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 1: immediate help from the state legislator by having them protected 155 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: from harvest for ten years. It is said that they 156 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: took to the area so fast that they became quote pests, 157 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: And there's an excerpt from a newspaper article written by 158 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: a man named Don Holm that says, indeed, they became 159 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: pests that drove off farmyard roosters, they ate their grain, 160 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,679 Speaker 1: and even made off with their hens. Just think about 161 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: that for a minute. A guy ends up appointed to 162 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: a position in China. He catches a fascination for these birds, 163 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: and while he's over there, he decides, Hey, those may 164 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,959 Speaker 1: do well at my brother's farm, so he live traps them, 165 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,559 Speaker 1: puts them on a boat, ships them across the ocean. 166 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: Twenty nine, just twenty nine of them make it back 167 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 1: to Oregon, and somehow, some way that leads to a 168 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: pheasant population so healthy that my wife and I can 169 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: go and hunt them on publicly accessible ground in the 170 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:33,199 Speaker 1: Dakotas and find success. Crazy. Okay, I'll shut up, now 171 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: back to you. 172 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 4: Jared, the birds just took to the landscape at the time, 173 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 4: which was a lot of grass and small greens, which 174 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 4: pheasants at that time really took to. So after they 175 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 4: had their first pheasant season, there was a lot of 176 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 4: wildcot pheasants, so they call them that sort of f 177 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,079 Speaker 4: one generation where people were taking them and distributing to 178 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 4: other landscapes throughout the United States, like the South Dakota's, 179 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,679 Speaker 4: the Minnesota's. Some of those and other introductions followed over 180 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 4: the next couple decades, and by the nineteen thirties, pheasants 181 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 4: were pretty darn near established coast to coast across America, 182 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 4: like states like Pennsylvania, New York, some of these eastern 183 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 4: states that used to have this very large culture of 184 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 4: pheasant hunting. They've lost so much grass in that time 185 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 4: that you know, those populations aren't what they once were. 186 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 4: But you've got states out east that were also shooting 187 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 4: over a million birds per year for a lot of 188 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 4: years in a row. So it's like this cultural phenomenon. 189 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,559 Speaker 4: I think that once pheasants took hold, they went from 190 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 4: a non native introduced species to this iconic form of 191 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 4: wildlife that spread throughout the Western States. The Great Plains 192 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 4: and then through the Eastern Coast as well. 193 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:51,320 Speaker 1: Iconic form of wildlife. I want to ask Jared more 194 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: about that, but first there's one small easter egg of 195 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: information in there that I just can't let slide by. 196 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,439 Speaker 1: If you recall, Jared said that after the first successful 197 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: pheasant hunt in eighteen ninety two, it became a popular 198 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: practice to catch wild pheasants and release them into other 199 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: areas of the country, such as the Dakotas and Minnesota, 200 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 1: and in the following years this led to them being 201 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 1: introduced or at least attempted to being introduced in the 202 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: rest of the country. So let's think back to the 203 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,640 Speaker 1: Fanny Cook episode, one of my favorite episodes that we've 204 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 1: done so far. You should go back and listen to 205 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 1: it if you haven't already. In Miss Cook's episode, we 206 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,440 Speaker 1: make mention of a game status report that was written 207 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: by Auto Loophold in nineteen twenty nine about the state 208 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: of Mississippi, and in that report, Loophold says, quote, pheasants 209 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: have been tried but so far failed, it's likely not 210 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 1: possible to introduce them. So when Jared says that they 211 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: had been attempted across much of the country. He means it. 212 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: I mean, think about it. When you think about pheasant 213 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: country today, does Mississippi come to anyone's mind. My guess 214 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: would be no, But hey, we tried. 215 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 4: Even though it's not that far off where you know, 216 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 4: you've got wild pheasant populations that go all the way 217 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 4: down you know, Oklahoma, Texas. I mean as far as 218 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 4: Mississippi goes, you're not that far off base from where 219 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 4: wild populations currently have taken hold. There's information out there 220 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 4: talking about like having enough calcium and other minerals in 221 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 4: the dirt that allows for pheasant eggs to form the 222 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 4: right way. There's certain areas of the country where pheasants 223 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 4: do really well in other areas where they struggle, and 224 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 4: sometimes soil types can play into that and the amount 225 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,839 Speaker 4: of nutrients that they have in order for pheasant eggs 226 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,439 Speaker 4: to make it, which I find a little bit interesting. 227 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: Interesting stuff, Jared, But now I want to focus in 228 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,199 Speaker 1: on that iconic form of wildlife title that the pheasants 229 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: have earned. Most commonly, wildlife species don't just get handed 230 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: that title. They have to do something to earn it. 231 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,319 Speaker 1: And what I learned in the making of this episode 232 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: is that pheasants did quite a few things to earn 233 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: that title. 234 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 4: The Ring Neck Pheasant is the official state of South Dakota. 235 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 4: You ever seen the South Dakota Quarter at All Lake. Yeah, 236 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 4: So the back of the quarter is a rooster pheasant 237 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 4: that is flying over Mount Rushmore. Like they love their 238 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,959 Speaker 4: pheasants so much and revere it so much that they 239 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:16,959 Speaker 4: minted it on the back of their state quarter, which 240 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,960 Speaker 4: I think is pretty cool. I always thought it would 241 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 4: be awesome if the eyes of you know, Mount Rushmore 242 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 4: and the presidents were sort of looking up, you know, 243 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 4: and shouting rooster while that thing's going over. But take 244 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 4: a look at some quarters sometime as you're going through 245 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 4: a change bucket in your house, and just look for this. 246 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 4: Look for the South Dakota Quarter. I think it speaks 247 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 4: to pheasant hunters and the culture, especially in a place 248 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 4: like the pheasant capital of South Dakota. But I think 249 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,680 Speaker 4: one of the most fascinating stories surrounding the Ring Neck 250 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 4: Pheasant is their place in American history as part of 251 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 4: World War Two, particularly in a place like South Dakota. 252 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 4: In nineteen forty three, at the height of the war, 253 00:13:55,240 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 4: the Red Cross and the United Service organizations canteen at 254 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 4: the Milwaukee Deepo in Aberdeen had a well known slogan 255 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 4: and at that time it was a world standout for 256 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 4: a handout. They offered free launch and hospitality to more 257 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 4: than a half million servicemen and women during nearly three 258 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,840 Speaker 4: years of operation during World War Two. In December of 259 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 4: nineteen forty three, farmers brought pheasants to the canteen workers 260 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 4: and the pheasant salad sandwich became a significant part of 261 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 4: the menu. And that's kind of where this pheasant sandwich 262 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 4: has kicked off from. It's finally chopped cooked pheasant, hard 263 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 4: boiled eggs are in there, I believe, onion, few other things. 264 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 4: But there were so many pheasants in South Dakota at 265 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 4: that time that pheasant hunts were organized to keep that 266 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 4: canteen supplied with South Dakota State bird and they were 267 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 4: really plentiful at that time. In nineteen forty three, they 268 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,800 Speaker 4: had a pre hunt population of eleven million birds, which 269 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 4: is sort of mind blowing considering right now you think 270 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 4: that the population I think they're looking at is sixteen 271 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 4: to eighteen million nationwide, and eleven million pheasants in nineteen 272 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 4: forty three just in South Dakota. So for those that 273 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 4: might still travel to the state to take part in 274 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 4: their heritage and their culture of peasant hunting, the Aberdeen 275 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 4: Convention and Visitors Bureau actually still has pheasant sandwiches made 276 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 4: and for those that are coming in at the airport, 277 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 4: the depot I think has turned more into sort of 278 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 4: a historical site now about those pheasant sandwiches are still 279 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 4: still handed out. So I thought that's kind of a 280 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 4: cool place in American history in World War Two, given 281 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 4: pheasant sandwiches the servicemen. 282 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: And when that's a fantastic story. 283 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's pretty neat, great and they're delicious too. 284 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 2: I've had them before. 285 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 4: We've been up there for you know, media events surrounding 286 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 4: sort of the some of the public land stuff that 287 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 4: we've done, and a couple of the lunches we've had 288 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 4: up there. They really like to showcase the pheasant salad sandwiches, 289 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 4: which which is awesome. 290 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 2: Another great another great way to make them. 291 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, So I would say, and this is this is 292 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: my opinion, and I'm just talking about North American wildlife 293 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: fishery stuff. Most of the time when you hear the 294 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: term non native wildlife, whether they're talking about a bird, 295 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: whether they're talking about a mammal, whether they're talking about 296 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: a fish, it's brought up with a negative connotation. Now 297 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: take that a step even further. Most of the time, 298 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,520 Speaker 1: when you hear non native wildlife and they're being introduced 299 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: somewhere or they're being you know, transplanted from one area 300 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: to another, even more so skewed towards that's normally brought 301 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: about with a negative connotation. This is like an obvious 302 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: example here, but like wild hogs, a non native, very 303 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: destructive wildlife. We know they're destructive to this day. Wildlife 304 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: departments have crazy issues with folks trying to sneak around 305 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: and live haul them and turn them loose because they 306 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: want to hunt them. 307 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 2: Yep, the world. 308 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: It's it's so like fascinating to me that you have 309 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: a bird in a ring neck pheasant that took hold 310 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: in much of the North American landscape and was not 311 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:17,119 Speaker 1: only accepted into our culture, but so much so that 312 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,239 Speaker 1: it's the state bird of South Dakota. That it's on 313 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: a quarter that you know you're getting fed pheasant sandwiches 314 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 1: when you get off an air, Like, like, how does 315 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: a bird that is not a native wildlife. How does 316 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:33,480 Speaker 1: it embed itself so well into our culture that it's like, yeah, 317 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,360 Speaker 1: we know you're not native, but come right in, you're 318 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: you're one of us. Now, Like, how did how did 319 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 1: that happen? 320 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 2: You know? 321 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 4: Before I answer that question, first and foremost, I want 322 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 4: to thank you for referring to the ring neck pheasant 323 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 4: as a non native species as opposed to invasive. We 324 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 4: get a lot of people that come on certain feeds 325 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 4: or podcasts, social media in general and refer to the 326 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 4: pheasant as invasive, and like you said, that that negative connotation, 327 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 4: like they're having a negative impact on the landscape, and 328 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 4: that's simply not true. I mean, you look at a 329 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 4: place like South Dakota. They've got multi hundred dollars or 330 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 4: million dollar industry built around pheasants in the farm bill 331 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 4: now and the conservation reserve program that pays landowners to 332 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 4: put grass on the landscape or conserve resources. I think 333 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 4: the pheasant and plenty of other species out there, but 334 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 4: the pheasant is one of them that basically has helped 335 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 4: with putting sort of that wildlife distinction into the farm bill. 336 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 4: As far as grass, it's like this strategic grassland reserve, 337 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,959 Speaker 4: so there are non native species, they're not invasive, and 338 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 4: they've become sort of this icon of the Midwest and 339 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 4: Great Plains. And I'll throw this out there and people 340 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 4: can disagree with me, but to some degree, pheasants have 341 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 4: become a colorful indicator of environmental health across the region. 342 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,359 Speaker 4: When we have a lot of buffers and we have 343 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 4: a lot of grass on the landscape, when we have 344 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 4: good weather too, that makes a ton of pheasants and 345 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 4: other wildlife. They promote pollinators and a lot of the 346 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 4: work that we do so on pollinators, which makes for 347 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 4: wonderful pheasant habitat. It creates clean water, creates clean air. 348 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 4: There's a lot of environmental benefits that come with managing 349 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 4: for the ring neck pheasant. So yeah, to your point, 350 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 4: I'm fine calling them sort of this non non native 351 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 4: species invasive. You can throw that out. I think that's garbage. 352 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 4: But they've really turned into this icon of the Midwest 353 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 4: and Great Plains. And one of the reasons why they're 354 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 4: called the king of game birds. 355 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 1: Allow me to break down for you what I think 356 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,520 Speaker 1: is a fast track for gaining the title of iconic wildlife. 357 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: Number one proved to be of high cultural value Pheasants 358 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: accomplished this with the many hunting opportunities they created, as 359 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 1: well as a few standout instances like the pheasant sandwich 360 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,920 Speaker 1: story that took place during World War two Number two, 361 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 1: prove that your existence on the landscape is beneficial both 362 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:00,159 Speaker 1: for you, for humans, for other wildlife species, and for 363 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: wildlife habitats. Pheasants have done this in a lot of ways. 364 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 1: One of the most notable ways is becoming so beloved 365 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: that they made it into the farm built talk. And lastly, 366 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: and this one is quite a feat, but becomes so 367 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 1: popular that you have a large conservation organization built completely 368 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: around you. Let's pause and think about this one for 369 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 1: a minute. Out of all the big conservation organizations out 370 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: there that you know, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, 371 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 1: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, for example, all of which I'm 372 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: a big supporter of, but those are all native wildlife. 373 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,120 Speaker 1: How many conservation organizations built around non native wildlife? Can 374 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: you list off? You ever hear of a wild Hog 375 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: Forever Federation? If you do, let me know, I mean seriously, 376 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 1: let me know, because someone would need to put a 377 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: stop to that. But for real, think about that. It's 378 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: quite a feat accomplished by a small, brightly colored Asian bird, 379 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: right you. 380 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 4: Know, from the beginning of time when Pheasants Forever was 381 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,360 Speaker 4: created in nineteen eighty two and Dennis and Anderson at 382 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 4: the time, who still writes for the Minnesota Star Tribune 383 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 4: right now, basically wrote an article talking about how, you know, 384 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 4: we've lost a lot of habitat on the landscape, and 385 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 4: he begged the question, have you ever seen a pheasant 386 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 4: or other wildlife freeze to death on the side of 387 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,439 Speaker 4: the road during a harsh winter when there's there's no 388 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 4: habitat available? 389 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 2: And that's really sort of what. 390 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 4: Sparked this generation of pheasant hunters and creating Pheasants Forever 391 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 4: and our volunteers to basically go out and do good 392 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 4: things for the bird, whether it's habitat, whether it's public 393 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 4: access which inevitably leads to habitat. There's a lot of 394 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,000 Speaker 4: different birds. I think that you can work a bird 395 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 4: dog on pheasant to me is just sort of the 396 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 4: upper eschelon of why people follow a bird dog around especially, 397 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,240 Speaker 4: and the landscapes that they live into are so varying. 398 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 4: Everything from you know, we talked about Northeast Iowa at 399 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,200 Speaker 4: the beginning of this and and sort of that driftless 400 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 4: region to sort of these stark, rolling landscapes of just grass. 401 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 4: As far as you can see, they live in tall 402 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:07,880 Speaker 4: grass prairie, mixed grass prairie, and to some degree, pheasants 403 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,439 Speaker 4: can still be found from coast to coasts, which is 404 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 4: why makes them such valuable wildlife for folks to go 405 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 4: out and chase. 406 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: If y'all ever heard the phrase canary in the coal mine, 407 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,119 Speaker 1: if you haven't, it basically means an indicator for danger 408 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,200 Speaker 1: or failure. Well, I think we should coin our own 409 00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: from now on. Instead of saying canary in the coal mine, 410 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say pheasant on the roadside, which honestly wouldn't 411 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: really work, because you see pheasants standing on roadsides even 412 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 1: in areas where there is good habitat. But the point 413 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: I'm attempting to make here is that pheasants became a 414 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: country wide indicator for habitat health, which is one of 415 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: the main reasons Pheasants Forever was formed, and also one 416 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: of the reasons Pheasants Forever and Quel Forever is known 417 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: as the Habitat Organization. And the beauty of that is 418 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,920 Speaker 1: even if an individual has a singular goal of creating 419 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: more habitats for pheasants, that has compounding effects. Remember the 420 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,120 Speaker 1: ecological maxim we learned a few episodes back. You can 421 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: never just do one thing. Actions have consequences and ripple effects, 422 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: and creating more habitats for pheasants in turn creates more 423 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: habitats and recreational opportunities for a lot of other things. 424 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 4: Going back to our history in nineteen eighty two, that 425 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,360 Speaker 4: group of pheasant hunters saw the connection between upland habitat 426 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 4: loss and declining pheasant populations, decided that an organization was needed, 427 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 4: and that's how Pheasants Forever was formed. In two thousand 428 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 4: and five, Quail Forever sort of followed that model as 429 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 4: well due to declining numbers, and Pheasants Forever and Quil 430 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 4: Forever together quickly garnered its reputation as the Habitat Organization. 431 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 4: And that's a tagline that we still use today. I 432 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 4: use it just about every day in the writing that 433 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 4: I do because I love it so much. But you know, 434 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 4: our mission is conserve pheasants, quail another wildlife through habitat improvements, 435 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 4: public access education, and conservation advocacy. And you know, I 436 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 4: think everybody's familiar with all the wonderful conservation groups out there, 437 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 4: the Ducks and Limited, the National Wild Turkey Federation's Rocky 438 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 4: Mountain Elk Foundation, all these other ones, and we work 439 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 4: with a lot of them on combined projects. But Pheasants 440 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 4: Forever and quil Forever, I think is unique and that 441 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 4: one hundred percent of the decision making control over the 442 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 4: funds raised by local volunteers. So we've got seven hundred 443 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 4: and sixty five chapters right now throughout the United States 444 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 4: in every state right now, which is pretty cool. But 445 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 4: the decision of how to use those funds stays local 446 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 4: with the chapter, so they use those for wildlife habitat 447 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 4: conservation efforts in their own communities. And then we also 448 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 4: have a number of different awesome programs and initiatives, whether 449 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 4: it's the advocacy side and supporting what we do in Washington, 450 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,600 Speaker 4: DC because the stroke of a pen can change things there, 451 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 4: and as people know, in a very short amount of time, 452 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 4: to our path program, which is our public Access to 453 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 4: Habitat program that was formed a year and a half 454 00:24:56,359 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 4: ago after some trial and error, and that program has 455 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 4: really grown to be sort of a mainstay we still 456 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:06,440 Speaker 4: do land acquisitions in our Build a Wildlife Area program. 457 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 4: We've conserved two hundred and forty three thousand acres of 458 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 4: permanent land acquisition here since nineteen eighty two, which is awesome. 459 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,400 Speaker 4: If you hunt the outside of those just the outside 460 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 4: of those acres would take you all the way from 461 00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:22,440 Speaker 4: mid Canada down through mid Mexico. But the New PATH 462 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,119 Speaker 4: program is unique in that we provide an extra incentive 463 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 4: to landowners that maybe want to get into some type 464 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,919 Speaker 4: of conservation reserve program enrollment. But that extra incentive is 465 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,399 Speaker 4: used for walk and access. We combine it with state 466 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 4: access programs and we've had a lot of success doing it. 467 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:41,640 Speaker 4: In the last year and a half now we've got 468 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 4: about one hundred and thirty thousand extra acres on the 469 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:48,480 Speaker 4: landscape for bird hunters and their bird dogs to roam, 470 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 4: to go out and enjoy and to grow wildlife. And 471 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,199 Speaker 4: in a lot of cases, every single contract that we 472 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:58,400 Speaker 4: have through Path protects that property for you know, whether 473 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,960 Speaker 4: it's five years or ten years that the landowner sign 474 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 4: signs up for. In most cases there's restrictions on what 475 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,200 Speaker 4: a landowner can do on those acres. It is meant 476 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 4: so that when somebody shows up to a path enrollment 477 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 4: right now, you're not showing up to something that's been 478 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 4: hate or grazed off. You're showing up to an awesome 479 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 4: wildlife factory that is going to have. 480 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 2: Birds on it when you hunt it. 481 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 4: And we've seen that time and time again from people 482 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,479 Speaker 4: that have anecdotal stories like, Wow, this is an awesome 483 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 4: program and I'm glad I found this path signed on 484 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 4: this property. 485 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:34,919 Speaker 1: The final point that I want to point out with 486 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 1: Pheasants is in most other circles and this is just 487 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 1: more anecdotal than like fact based or science history. You 488 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: could take turkeys, you could take deer, ducks, you could 489 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: you could take almost any other you know, game that 490 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: we hunt. You could take it all the way down 491 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,639 Speaker 1: to like the single or individual level, where guys are like, yeah, 492 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: I'm not telling you where I'm going, or you take 493 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 1: it to the state level and everyone's like, yeah, go 494 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: hunt turkeys deer, just don't come to my state and 495 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 1: do it, or man, we've got too many non residents. 496 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 2: Yep. 497 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: And I'm not like, again, I'm not down on the 498 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: other side of it by any means, because like Lord knows, 499 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:17,200 Speaker 1: I would probably give you my bank account information before 500 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: I told you where my turkey, you know, my turkey 501 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: spots were. But peasant hunting might be the most welcoming 502 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: style of hunting that I've ever come in contact with. 503 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 4: I think you're onto something there. There's like this community 504 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 4: aspect of peasant Now. I love going out by myself 505 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 4: and just my bird dog and tracking down a wily 506 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 4: rooster and you know, having it retrieved a hand, that's awesome. 507 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 4: But there's a community aspect of hunting with friends, hunting 508 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 4: with family. We just had a lot of openers here 509 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,679 Speaker 4: the past couple of weeks. This past weekend was Iowa, 510 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:56,080 Speaker 4: which I was set to shoot upwards of seven hundred 511 00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 4: and fifty thousand roosters this year. It's going to be 512 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 4: their best, probably their best pheasant season in the past 513 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 4: twenty five years. You know, South Dakota, Minnesota both had 514 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 4: wonderful winters. They had huge increases in birds and sort 515 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 4: of those opening day photos that you see if people 516 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 4: people smiling, you know, the kids holding roosters, and a 517 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:16,679 Speaker 4: lot of limits were taken and that's not necessarily what 518 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 4: it's about. But in modern day glory days, I think 519 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 4: kind of we're going through a little bit of that 520 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 4: right now. The last time we saw that was probably 521 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,240 Speaker 4: around two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight, before 522 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 4: the farm bill flipped over and we lost a lot 523 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,200 Speaker 4: of acres in a lot of states. I mean, those 524 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 4: were modern day highs at that time that were right 525 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 4: in line with how many acres of grass were on 526 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 4: the landscape. We're seeing some good things this year, and 527 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 4: you know, access is a fine line. I think a 528 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 4: lot of these states are inviting South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, 529 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 4: I mean, Kansas, Nebraska. I mean, everybody wants you to 530 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 4: come out and experience pheasant hunting or quail hunting or 531 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 4: any type of upland hunting in those states. And you know, 532 00:28:57,960 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 4: I take a little bit of crap from time to 533 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 4: time as the PR guy, I really like to talk 534 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 4: about our access successes as well, Like when we do 535 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,360 Speaker 4: a thousand acre land acquisition, I want. 536 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 2: People to know about it. 537 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 4: But then there's also that blowback, right like, oh, looks 538 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 4: like you guys screwed that one up, you know, and 539 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 4: it's like, well, not really, it's permanently protected. There's always 540 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 4: gonna be pheasants there. Like here's here's a for instance, 541 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 4: for you, we just did a path enrollment in South 542 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 4: Dakota that was thirty two thousand acres. You can find 543 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 4: it pretty easy using Onyx and some of those layers, 544 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 4: but like thirty two thousand acres, like you just aren't 545 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 4: gonna go out there with five six guys and walk 546 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 4: that in a day or two days or two weeks. 547 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 4: Like we're trying to enroll extremely large parcels. And when 548 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 4: we do things like that, I really like to sort 549 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 4: of tell the story like, Hey, this is Pheasants Forever, 550 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,800 Speaker 4: our local chapters and willing landowners providing access for you 551 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 4: to go out and enjoy the spaces where bird dogs 552 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,720 Speaker 4: love to roam, and we're gonna continue doing those types 553 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 4: of things. But I think you're right. For the most part. 554 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,719 Speaker 4: It's a little bit different and deer hunting or turkey hunting, 555 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 4: where people are like, hey, come on out, we've got 556 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,680 Speaker 4: this public land and it's full of birds this year 557 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 4: for your enjoyment. 558 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,880 Speaker 1: Exactly, but it with like presence, it's like come on man, yeah, 559 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: I'll share. It's a completely different vibe and it's so 560 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,360 Speaker 1: interesting to me, like that this bird has this bird 561 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:24,760 Speaker 1: is an outlier in so many ways, Like it's gotten 562 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: adopted by our country pretty much, and it conjures up 563 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: like a completely different attitude within its hunting community that 564 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: we really don't see anywhere else. 565 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 2: Yep. 566 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 4: And you know, I think Pheasants Forever and Coil Forever 567 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 4: as a conservation group is unique right now in that 568 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:43,800 Speaker 4: we're utilizing, we're updating our strategic plan. We're using the 569 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 4: most up to date science that's out there to determine, like, hey, 570 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 4: if we're going to hold on to these pheasant populations 571 00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 4: and grow them in these certain areas, Like where where 572 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 4: are we seeing the biggest increases? Why are we seeing 573 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 4: those increases? You know, when we put public lands on 574 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 4: the landscape, it's not like, oh, thirty acres, let's go 575 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 4: out and buy it. It's strategic, right We're creating complexes 576 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 4: and big areas that can produce a lot of wildlife. 577 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,840 Speaker 4: And you pointed to it earlier, it's not just pheasants. 578 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,480 Speaker 4: Like the things that we do from a grassland standpoint 579 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 4: are wonderful for pollinators, for songbirds. Huge betting areas for 580 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,480 Speaker 4: one of my favorite things to do, especially in Northeast Iowa. 581 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:25,160 Speaker 4: When I was going to school, there was deer hunt 582 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 4: huge grasslands surrounded by woods, and just like trying to 583 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 4: figure out the puzzle of like where these deer are traveling, 584 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 4: like they're gonna go and travel through, you know, five 585 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 4: six foot tall indian grass or big blue stem, and 586 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 4: trying to sort of figure out that puzzle. And then 587 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 4: when it all comes together and you go out and 588 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:46,560 Speaker 4: arrow a big one, it's gratifying to figure that out 589 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 4: and know that, like, hey, those grasslands are there for. 590 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,600 Speaker 2: A reason and all wildlife are using them. It's not 591 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 2: just not just upland birds. 592 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: If y'all have followed along with this show since the beginning, 593 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: then you probably know by now that one of the 594 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: main factors that we focus on is human impact on 595 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,960 Speaker 1: wildlife and wild places. And to be honest, most of 596 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: the time when we talk about this, we're talking about 597 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: negative impacts, not because we go looking for the negatives, 598 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 1: but rather it just seems to be more skewed that direction. 599 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: That's why I want to make sure that whenever we 600 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:25,280 Speaker 1: come across positive human impact on wildlife, by Golly, we 601 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 1: celebrate it because it's worth celebrating. More wildlife and more 602 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 1: wildlife habitat is good for everything and everyone hard, stop 603 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: big facts, the simple truth. And although there's complexity when 604 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: we start talking about the effects of non native wildlife 605 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:44,320 Speaker 1: on the North American landscape, the ring necked pheasant is 606 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: in a class all its own. I want to give 607 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,600 Speaker 1: Jared a chance to wrap up this conversation with some 608 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 1: final thoughts before we close this out. 609 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 4: Benefit of wildlife, I think it's benefited rural communities as well, 610 00:32:57,880 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 4: farmers and ranchers. I mean a lot of the work 611 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 4: that we do, a ton of public lands work. For 612 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 4: as much public lands work as we do, we've got 613 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:08,240 Speaker 4: a whole contingent of biologists that work on private lands, 614 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 4: which is where a lot of pheasants and other wildlife 615 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 4: are made in this country. And the grass that we 616 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:15,880 Speaker 4: help landowners put down, I mean those are strategic reserves 617 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 4: not just for wildlife, but for the cattle industry as 618 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 4: well when we do have bad years and years of droughts. 619 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:25,160 Speaker 4: So there's a saying out there like what's good for 620 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 4: the bird is good for the herd, and it's absolutely true. 621 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 4: We can grow wildlife and have all the cattle and 622 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 4: corn and things that we want while still mass producing 623 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 4: wildlife and having clean water and environmental services. That you know, 624 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 4: all Americans enjoy, which I think is really important. 625 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: I want to thank all of you for listening to 626 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:51,520 Speaker 1: Backwoods University as well as Bear Grease in this country life. 627 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,640 Speaker 1: It means a whole lot to all of us. If 628 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 1: you liked this episode, share it with somebody this week. Heck, 629 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 1: here's a good idea. Share it with the last person 630 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: you saw this's a pheasant. I'm sure they'll appreciate the 631 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,800 Speaker 1: sentiment and stick around, because if this podcast was a 632 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,640 Speaker 1: pheasant hunt, we've got a few in the vest. But 633 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,479 Speaker 1: the dog just started acting Birdie again. There's a whole 634 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 1: lot more on the way.