Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s 2024 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, presented by Federal Ammunition, concluded today at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. A record-breaking crowd of 35,415 supporters flocked to the annual gathering to celebrate habitat, access, advocacy, and education initiatives fueling North America’s leading upland habitat conservation group.
“The support we’ve received this weekend from members, volunteers, partners, vendors and all of our attendees was incredible,” said Marilyn Vetter, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s president and CEO. “In the six years since we were last in Sioux Falls, Pheasants Forever has improved over half a million acres of wildlife habitat right here in South Dakota. We celebrated those successes and many other accomplishments throughout the country with an electric atmosphere and enthusiastic supporters who made this a weekend to remember.”
National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic combines a national consumer show, wildlife habitat seminar series and family event complete with puppies, tractors, shotguns, and wildlife art. For 2024, the nation’s largest gathering of upland hunters witnessed the first-ever Concert for Conservation. The event featured Musky Chet and the Keepers opening for Trampled by Turtles, who played to a sold-out crowd at Washington Pavilion on Thursday night and helped generate over $100K for the organization’s mission.
As the 2024 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic got underway, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem followed the signature bird dog parade and set the stage for the weekend by signing a new conservation bill into law. Noem signed House Bill 1119, which will create a specialty conservation license plate for interested South Dakota residents. The new license plates will boost funding for habitat development and enhancement on both public and private lands.
USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie visited the show floor on Saturday, where he announced the Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project. The new initiative will, for the first time ever, dedicate specific funding to improve bobwhite quail populations across the country — creating an unprecedented investment in the species’ future. Bonnie and Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux also announced a new General Signup period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which is set to run from March 4-29, 2024.
Saturday night was capped off with the PF & QF National Banquet, where keynote speaker Donnie Vincent spoke to a crowd of over 1,300 hunters and conservationists. The award-winning sportsman, filmmaker and biologist celebrated the success of the organization, and connected his personal experiences to the organization’s habitat mission, urging the crowd to continue the selfless work of upland conservation.
The show garnered 8,591 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Associate/Affiliate memberships and 156 Elite memberships to the nation’s leading upland habitat conservation group.
National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic also delivered tangible habitat benefits for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. The Landowner Habitat Help Room provided technical assistance to more than 500 landowners, delivering conservation guidance on 23,223 acres across 15 states. Accompanied by a trained Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever biologist, landowners were educated on how to improve their acres for wildlife and even what local, state and federal conservation programs they qualified for.
Next year, National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic returns to Kansas City, Missouri, where chapters, members, exhibitors, speakers and attendees will celebrate the accomplishments and mission of The Habitat Organization on March 7-9, 2025, at the Kansas City Convention Center. The organization’s mission will be on full display as Quail Forever celebrates its 20th Anniversary.
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000+ habitat projects benefiting 26.5 million acres.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 788-3038
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org