2017 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Returns to Roost in Minn. Feb. 17-19

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has begun preparations for its annual celebration of upland hunting and conservation, the 2017 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, being hosted at the Minneapolis Convention Center on February 17, 18 & 19. The event will represent the nation’s largest convention for upland hunters, landowners, sporting dogs, and wildlife habitat conservationists. The 2017 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is presented by Federal Premium® Ammunition.

“Minneapolis is excited to welcome back the 2017 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, four years after their last successful event in the state,” said Melvin Tennant, president & CEO of Meet Minneapolis. “Minnesota takes great pride in its natural resources, and protecting and enhancing those resources is a priority for us. Minneapolis is the ‘City by Nature,’ because we’re the perfect blend of urban sophistication and natural beauty. That means celebrating wildlife habitat conservation is key to who we are.” 

The 2017 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic will feature several new events aimed at increasing habitat conservation efforts throughout the Midwest to benefit upland game birds and other wildlife. The two most notable additions to the organization’s national convention include:
 
  • National Pheasant Summit – Using momentum achieved from pheasant summits held in Minnesota and South Dakota, Pheasants Forever has invited natural resource professionals, elected officials, and hunters to participate in a National Pheasant Summit at the organization’s annual convention. Pheasants Forever hopes to generate new ideas and programs in Midwestern states - North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas - to ensure pheasants and upland hunting have bright prospects for future generations.
  • National Pollinator Symposium – Habitat necessary for rapidly declining populations of honey bees and monarch butterflies is also the very same diverse grassland and prairie flower habitat necessary for pheasants, quail, and a host of other wildlife species. The 2017 National Pollinator Symposium will include the nation’s top pollinator experts, and seek new ways to establish pollinator-friendly cover throughout the pheasant and quail range.
“The city of Minneapolis represents one of the biggest and brightest stages for National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, and to say that we’re excited to be back on our home turf is a major understatement,” stated Howard Vincent, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. “Minnesota represents one of the most dynamic and progressive states in the nation for wildlife habitat conservation and natural resource management. The organization is proud to be a part of these efforts and we look forward to showcasing our projects and partners when the convention returns to Minneapolis in 2017.”

Early Bird Registration for National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is now available for members, chapters, and the general public with a deadline of December 1, 2016. Full weekend registration includes admission for National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic (all three days), Bird Hunter’s Banquet, Saturday luncheon, and the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Banquet.

Vendors interested in exhibiting at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2017 should act fast, as the show floor is more than half sold. Please contact Gerry Cliff, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s corporate sales representative, at (763) 350-7362 or email. For media inquiries, please contact Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's public relations manager, at (651) 209-4953 or email.

About Pheasants Forever

Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 145,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $634 million on 502,000 habitat projects benefiting 14.1 million acres nationwide.

Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org