Hunting & Heritage  |  01/15/2020

How to Become an Upland Bird Hunter


8717424b-d8bf-4e79-8948-4b865fe826d9

FIRST-EVER PATH TO THE UPLANDS STAGE AT PHEASANT FEST FOCUSES ON HOW ANYBODY CAN GET STARTED IN THE UPLAND LIFESTYLE – HUNTING (PHEASANTS, GROUSE AND MORE), BIRD DOGS, SHOTGUNS AND SHOOTING, AND HABITAT 

By Tom Carpenter, Editor at Pheasants Forever, Photo Credit Joe Fladeland

You’ve probably heard that hunting may be an endangered species. 

In the early 1980s, 17 million sportsmen and women purchased 28.3 million licenses. By
1996, all-hunter numbers hovered at 14 million and that dropped to 12.5 million in 2006 and 11.5 million in 2016.

And the ranks of upland hunters (contained within “small game hunters” in surveys) have plummeted from 6.9 million of all hunters in 1996 to 4.8 million in 2006 to just 3.5 million in 2016.

That’s alarming for habitat conservation overall, and for the uplands especially, because hunters foot the bill for wildlife – and that’s all wildlife, not just game -- in this country, period. 

Pheasants Forever works diligently to try and change the tide, and part of that effort is the new Path to the Uplands Stage taking over one corner of the Pheasant Fest showfloor in Minneapolis February 14-16. 

Simply put, this the place for anybody and everybody who has an interest in becoming an upland bird hunter to come.

For many Minnesotans and Upper Midwesterners, that most often means pheasants and ruffed grouse. But there’s a whole treasure trove of upland birds (and magical places to hunt them) out there. 

Get inspired to do it ... and get the insights and advice you need to get started … at the
Path to the Uplands Stage.
An all-star cast of presenters and topics awaits. And we – meaning Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, the ranks of hunters, gamebirds, the uplands themselves and all the wildlife that call the prairies and forests home – need you.
 

PATH TO THE UPLANDS STAGE

SPONSORED BY ALPS OUTDOORZ

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

***

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14

2:00 Ashley Peters -- Amazing Mentors Made Me a New Hunter
3:00 Tom Carpenter , Pheasants Forever -- Getting Started in Upland Hunting
4:00 Cody Altizer & Erich Long, The Deer Hunter Project -- Celebrating the Hunting Lifestyle 
5:00 National Shoot to Retrieve Association (NSTRA) -- Bird Dogs 101
6:00 Amber Barnes, Pollinator Partnership -- Project Wingspan: Enhancing & Securing Pollinator Habitat

 

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15

10:00 Jack Hedlund, onX -- Map Your Way to Success: Utilizing onX Maps
11:00 Ashley Peters -- Amazing Mentors Made Me a New Hunter
12:00 Tom Carpenter, Pheasants Forever -- Getting Started in Upland Hunting
1:00 Mark Norquist, Modern Carnivore -- Adult Learn-To-Hunt Camp
2:00 Cody Altizer & Erich Long -- The Deer Hunter Project -- Celebrating the Hunting Lifestyle
3:00 Simone Schara & Tina Dokken -- Introducing Women into Upland Hunting
4:00 Dave Trahan & Mike Neiduski (NAVHDA) -- Experiencing the Thrill of a Well Trained Versatile Hunting Dog
5:00 Tom Fiumarello -- Youth Shooting Sports: Starting Right

 

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 15

10:00 Dave Miller, CZ-USA -- Gun Fit for All Ages 
11:00 Mark & Sally Stevens -- Crushing More Clays: Getting Back to Basics
12:00 Tom Fiumarello -- Youth Shooting Sports: Starting Right
1:00 Simone Schara & Tina Dokken -- Introducing Women into Upland Hunting
2:00 Dave Miller, CZ–USA -- Gun Fit for All Ages
3:00 TBD