Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s largest annual fundraiser – the Saturday night National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Banquet on March 12 – is returning for the first time since the start of the pandemic and will once again feature a live auction with trips, firearms and experiences fit for the nation’s largest gathering of upland hunters.
“Our return to an in-person event brings with it some of the most exciting, high caliber hunts and destinations ever offered at the national banquet,” said Jared Wiklund, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Public Relations Manager. “These once-in-a-lifetime opportunities will provide lasting memories for our bidders while supporting grassland conservation efforts for pheasants, quail, grouse, and pollinators. It’s a win-win scenario for the audience and our mission.”
The evening will begin with a cocktail hour and welcome address by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s President and CEO, Howard Vincent, followed by dinner and the keynote address from James Beard award-winning chef Hank Shaw. The live auction will kick off shortly after Shaw’s address.
National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Banquet
When: Saturday, March 12 at 5 p.m.
Where: Grand Ballroom at CHI Center
Dinner: Spring green salad with candied pecans, crumbled blue cheese and seasonal berries with a balsamic Vinaigrette. Main course will feature a grilled whiskey tip steak with caramelized onions, roasted garlic mash, broccolini and grape tomatoes. And don’t forget dessert – peanut butter and key lime pie
Featured hunts for the evening include an Arizona mearns quail hunt alongside Tyler Webster, the host of the Birds, Booze and Buds Podcast, and a five-day waterfowl and upland combo hunt in Ontario — with the possibility of an additional bear hunt. The trips extend well beyond the world of bird hunting; up for grabs is a fully guided Montana trout fishing trip and a seven-day plains game hunt for two at Wild African Safaris ZA Lodge in South Africa:
Arizona Mearns’ Quail Hunt with Birds, Booze, and Buds Podcast Host Tyler Webster
Package includes: 3-day, 3-night guided Mearns’ quail hunt for two people including lodging, daily meals, bird dogs, and a guaranteed good time!
5-Day Black Bear Hunt for Two People in Ontario
Package includes: 5-day, 6-night guided black bear hunt for two people including lodging with cable & WiFi and a kitchen to cook your meals. Hunting license/tag NOT included.
Flyfishing under the Big Sky for Two
Package includes: 4-night, 3-day guided flyfishing trip for brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout on the Blackfoot River in Ovando, Montana. Lodging in a Glamp Safari tent is included along with three meals per day
In addition to these hunt packages, attendees will have the chance to win Yeti coolers, a Rambo Prowler bike, firearms, original artwork, SCHEELS gift cards, and OnX Hunt memberships.
Proceeds from the auction will help support Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Call of the Uplands Initiative. Call of the Uplands is a national campaign aimed at enhancing and restoring nine million acres of strategic upland habitat nationwide, and permanently protecting 75,000 of those acres. It comes at a critical time, as habitat loss has led to a dramatic decrease in upland game bird populations across the country, including an 83 percent decline in bobwhite quail population across their entire range.
The 2022 National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic will take place at CHI Health Center in Omaha on March 11-13. Tickets and more information can be found at: PheasantFest.org.