The Flush Podcast - Stories from the field

America’s 2021 Quail Hunting Forecast

Tim Caughran & Andy Edwards from Quail Forever join the show to help us break down the 2021 quail hunting forecast across America. Drought, fires, & arctic winter blasts had an impact on bird numbers, but prospects for this season are still good across much of the country.  We break down each state and highlight hot spots to help you plan for your hunting season. Presented by Grain Belt Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/,) North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

Mayhem in the Mountains

Dylan Waller joins Travis Frank to break down their ptarmigan and dusky grouse hunt in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Blizzard conditions in the high mountain terrain had a major impact on this hunt.  Dylan and Travis explain their journey, the hunt through brutal conditions, disappearing birds, alpine tundra habitat, a bird most hunters avoid, preparing your body for high altitude hunting, first aid, dogs, bird biology, and the success of bagging all 10 species of Colorado’s upland game birds. Presented by Grain Belt Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/,) North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

America’s 2021 Pheasant Hunting Forecast

Tom Carpenter from Pheasants Forever joins the show to help us break down a state-by-state outlook for the 2021 pheasant hunting season.  How bad did the drought hurt pheasant numbers?  Which areas saw an increase in bird numbers?  Are there locations to avoid this year?  We’ll answer those questions, and share a few sleeper pheasant hunting spots. https://www.pheasantsforever.org/Presented by Grain Belt Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/,) North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

North Dakota’s 2021 Upland Forecast

Mike Jensen works for the state of North Dakota.  Mike joins the show to break down North Dakota’s updated 2021 bird counts and their upland bird hunting outlook for this season.  We dig into the roadside counts for pheasants, as well as sharptailed grouse, and Hungarian partridge.  We also talk about the waterfowl numbers across the state and the effects of the drought on the landscape.  Mike explains North Dakota’s new trespass laws and the steps hunters must take this season to stay on the right side of property boundaries.  Plus, Mike shares a few of his sleeper spots in North Dakota and under the radar ruffed grouse hunting haunts. Presented by Grain Belt Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/,) North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

The Flush Pheasant Hunt Invitation

Scott Fransen joins this week’s show to invite listeners on a wild bird pheasant hunt this fall at Browns Hunting Ranch in South Dakota.  Scott will host a group of hunters at camp while filming the hunt for a future episode of The Flush television show.  Scott explains why losing his dog to cancer inspired him to host this hunt, plus we talk about the excitement around opening days and a new season with a young puppy. Sign up at https://www.brownshuntingranch.com/ or (605) 765-9150. Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

Montana’s Upland Opener

We’re back in the field, celebrating Montana’s upland opener.  George Lyall joins the show to help us relive our opening week successes and failures.  We’ll talk bird numbers, drought conditions, dog’s point, porcupines, public lands, big sky country, losing a dog in the field, blue-green algae, first aid in the field, cowboy hats train bird dogs, and are bird dogs selfish, or do they have the biggest hearts? Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

Opening Day Countdown

Ben Brettingen from OnX Hunt joins the show to help us count down the last remaining hours before America’s first upland openers kick-off.  We’ll discuss new features just released on the OnX Hunt app that will help you become better hunters in the field this fall, plus we’ll talk about hunting with young bird dogs, do-it-yourself bird hunts, and so much more. Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

Pass it On!

Brittany French works for Pass it On – Outdoor Mentors.  Brittany explains how the organization began, their mission, and how they successfully take hundreds of new hunters into the field each year.  She relives important hunting memories, shares how she’s working on more than 300 upcoming hunts this season, roll call for mentors, plus we discuss how each hunter can make an impact in simple yet meaningful ways this hunting season to help Pass it On! Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

Gun Care, Mountain Birds, Family Road Trip

Fred Bohm is a diehard upland bird hunter that owns the company Sage & Braker.  Fred joins the show to talk about the importance of gun cleaning and maintenance, then we discuss his passion for hunting upland birds in the mountains.  Fred explains how and where to find Dusky grouse and Ptarmigan in Colorado, along with a simple approach to exploring new public lands.  Fred also explains the upland bird hunting roadtrip that he’s taking his family on this season, beginning in October and running through February, plus we discuss making a hunting lifestyle a normal part of family life. Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)

NoDak Birds & Planning a Dream Season

Tyler Webster joins the show to give us his up-to-date view from the prairie in North Dakota.  We talk about current pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, & hungarian partridge populations in his home state and in Montana.  Plus we discuss how upland birds can survive a drought, adjusting hunting plans to find pockets of habitat with ample moisture, early-season bird dog training, personal training, new North Dakota trespass laws, hunting boots, and planning a dream upland bird hunting season.  Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/,) Huron Chamber & Visitor’s Bureau (http://www.huronsd.com/,) & OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/)