The Flush Podcast - Stories from the field

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/)

Idaho Grouse

Andrew Wayment is the author of the book Idaho Ruffed Grouse Hunting: The heartbeat of the Woods.  We talk about grouse hunting in Idaho, chasing 9 different species of Idaho’s upland birds, why grouse in the mountains don’t see hunters, and reasons that Idaho is one of the best upland bird hunting destinations in America.  We also discuss the current drought conditions and the impact it will have on a variety of birds. Plus, we name our bird dog segment and pay tribute to a hunting dog that was loved and lost. 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/)

Goodbye Hank

Scott Fransen joins the show to help us say goodbye to Hank, his beloved Labrador retriever.  Hank unexpectedly died from cancer at the age of 5 years old.  Scott shares the impact of losing Hank too soon, and we relive special moments in the field.  We also discuss the launch of a weekly bird dog tribute segment on this podcast, inviting listeners to share their favorite memories with bird dogs they’ve loved and lost.  Join us as we celebrate the life of Hank! 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/)

Nebraska’s Upland Hotbed

Andy Houser is a Senior Wildlife Biologist at Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever.  Andy gives us his view of Nebraska’s upland bird populations and habitat conditions going into this season and he shares his opinion of the best places to chase the state's mixed bag of upland birds. Andy also gives an update on the state's growing list of publicly accessible acres to hunt, and habitat projects that will benefit wildlife and hunters.  Plus, Andy explains the interesting results from research projects done in the field, such as putting tracking devices on wild birds and hunters to find out what birds do when hunters step into the field. Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/) & Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/)

Outdoor Obsessions

Erik Vrbas operates a year-round outfitting business called Outdoor Obsessions based out of Downs, Kansas.  We dig into Erik’s life as a full-time hunting and fishing guide, and get a pheasant, quail & prairie chicken report from Kansas, a potential bird hunting hot spot for this coming season.  Plus, Eric shares a few regions in Kansas to look at this season for DIY public land upland bird hunters. www.myoutdoorobsessions.com Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/) & Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/)

Terry Ides the Grouse Guide

Terry Ides operates Ides Guides in the Ruffed Grouse Capital of the World - Park Falls, Wisconsin.  Terry shares a wealth of grouse hunting knowledge from his 40+ years of guiding in the grouse woods, public lands worth hunting, his habitat management recipe for continuous grouse hunting success, grouse dogs, grouse that make humans their friend, when is the best time to hunt grouse each day, plus Terry gives us a ruffed grouse report from his neck of the woods.  www.idesguides.com Presented by North Dakota Tourism (https://www.legendarynd.com/,) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/) & Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/)

Guns. Guns. Guns.

Tim Joseph is the Vice President of Marketing for Benelli USA.  Tim gives us an inside perspective into America’s surge in firearm demands & explains how Benelli has worked double-time to manufacture shotguns and rifles.  Tim also shares incredible stories from exotic hunts; grizzly bear attacks, standing in water with caimans (alligators), shooting stars lighting up South American marshes, and his favorite upland hunts with his boys.  Tim and Travis also discuss the benefits of shooting sporting clays to increase your hunting success, the role of today’s hunters in the outdoor world, and how good America’s bird hunters have it compared to the rest of the world. Presented by OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/) & North Dakota Tourism (https://www.ndtourism.com/)

Flushing 1,000 Wild Pheasants

Eric Johannsen operates Johannsen Farms near Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Eric’s passion revolves around proper land, habitat & wildlife management, farming his land for 100% wild pheasants. We discuss his life on a working ranch, finding a balance managing wildlife habitat, cattle, and row crops.  Then Eric gives us his pheasant hatch update, severe drought conditions, and a hunting outlook for this season.  Plus, Eric shares the view watching more than 1,000 wild pheasants erupt in a single flush.  Presented by OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/,) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/,) Federal Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/) & North Dakota Tourism (https://www.ndtourism.com/)