The Heart of Hunting Season

Travis Frank, Scott Fransen & Tyler Webster catch up during the heart of hunting season to share stories and pheasant hunting reports from Minnesota, South Dakota & North Dakota. Find out why it’s a good year to be a Midwest pheasant hunter, who won the longest tail feather contest in North Dakota, harvesting a bilateral gynandromorph pheasant, crop harvest update, an update on North Dakota’s trifecta of upland birds, Minnesota roosters are way up, a Walton’s snack stick taste test, poachers suck, and so much more...Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), Hunt Huron SD (hunthuronsd.com), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Travis Frank and lifelong hunting buddy, Matthew Hennen, share stories from an epic week in Minnesota’s Northwoods during the peak of grouse hunting season. Travis begins the show by reading a heartfelt reminder from a listener, the duo discuss their annual kids & dads hunting camp, a wild adventure hunting grouse in Minnesota’s Northwest Angle, hunting diver ducks in layout boats in the center of Lake of the Woods, challenging yourself to hunt in new places, staying grateful, sharing the hunt with others, and so much more...Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), Hunt Huron SD (hunthuronsd.com), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ryan Sparks from Quail Forever joins the show to break down America’s 2026 Quail hunting forecast and help you find them on the landscape. Travis & Ryan discuss where quail populations are on the rise this year, where quail numbers have taken a hit, how weather has affected quail reproduction in positive and negative ways, what the right habitat looks like, sleeper quail hunting regions, which quail species to target in the west, surprise hot spots, quail populations trending north, impacts of rain and drought, and so much more... @quailforeverPresented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), Hunt Huron SD (hunthuronsd.com), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jared Wiklund from Pheasants Forever joins the show to break down America’s 2026 pheasant hunting forecast. Travis & Jared discuss where pheasant populations are strong this year heading into opening day and places where pheasant populations have been affected by spring rain, cold, and drought. Overall, the outlook remains good to great if you’re a pheasant hunter, and this season has a lot to be excited about. @pheasantsforeverPresented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), Hunt Huron SD (hunthuronsd.com), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the second leg of a remote Alaska adventure, Travis Frank, Ben Brettingen & George Lyall discuss the challenges and rewards that come from their bird hunt deep into the interior of Alaska. The trio explain the highs and lows of hunting for six different species of ptarmigan and grouse on wild and unfamiliar turf, reading habitat and mountain terrain, how Alaska’s weather impacts every hunt, keeping dogs safe and fresh on a long hunt, dodging dangers, hunting alongside migrating caribou, falling short of a plan, breaking down mountains and tundra habitat to find ptarmigan, epic moments, enjoying the journey, and so much more. @benbrettingen | @g.lyall66Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), Hunt Huron SD (hunthuronsd.com), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Travis Frank & Ben Brettingen join Eric Locker from All Alaska Outdoors to experience Alaska’s Ultimate Adventure hunting and fishing deep in remote bush country. Eric shares experiences as a guide flying into Alaska’s rugged wilderness and how the ultimate adventure combines upland hunting for ptarmigan with incredible fall fishing opportunities. The three share stories from their float plane adventure into land they’ve never seen before, breaking down mountains and tundra habitat to find ptarmigan, coming face to face with a grizzly bear, danger in the mountains, flying to Alaska with bird dogs, and so much more. @allalaskaoutdoors | @alaskabirdhunter | @benbrettingenPresented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eric Sytsma is the Habitat Protection Officer at Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. Eric and Travis discuss the “Build a Wildlife Area” week campaign and how it’s purchased and permanently protected nearly 250,000 acres of wildlife habitat since its inception in 2005. Eric reveals a few new properties that will open this week, what supporters have built this year, properties under construction, how the program works and who funds it, where your dollars go, how you can support this habitat mission, and so much more. @quailforever | @pheasantsforeverPresented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. James Martin discusses the impact of hunting on upland birds species and the effects of crippling loss. Dr. Martin is a college professor, scientist, biologist and bird hunter who studies bobwhite quail and other upland game birds. James & Travis talk about the quail crippling loss study that James and his team recently produced, mortality rates in upland birds from hunters and overall population effects, predator management vs habitat upgrades, when habitat changes actually impact quail, how we all can make a difference on the landscape, and so much more. @martingamelab | @talltimbersrearchPresented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Friends in the forest give pre-season ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting reports from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Bailey Petersen, Mike Amman and Jake Perry discuss what they are seeing right now in their forests - including positive reports of brood sizes and grouse numbers. We also discuss the spring hatch, how a lack of moisture may affect where hunters find birds, where to find woodcock when the forest is dry, forest habitat, listener stories, and so much more. @grouseweims | @baileyo1 | @superior_upland Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick McGuire is a Weekend Warrior in search of America’s Upland Slam. He’s also a habitat conservation manager who works with NRCS and landowners to protect and enhance wild places. Nick & Travis discuss the role of hunters today in a political landscape, training a bird dog in the city, traveling to hunt upland birds on public land, NRCS easements, the attack on America’s public lands, the big picture, and so much more.Presented by: Walton’s (waltons.com/), OnX Maps (onxmaps.com/), GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://alnk.to/74wKReb), Black Gold Explorer Dog Food (blackgoldpet.com/), North Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com/), Federal Premium Ammunition (federalpremium.com/), Alclair Audio (alclair.com/), & Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (luckyduck.com/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.