The Flush Podcast - Stories from the field

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/)

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/)