Event Returns to Kansas City as the Habitat Organization Celebrates 20 years of Quail Forever
Pointer guys, lab junkies, Brittany lovers, setter evangelists and everyone in-between streamed into the Kansas City Convention Center this morning to ring in another year of the nation’s largest upland gathering.
National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic 2025 opened at 11 this morning with the 15th annual bird dog parade. One of the largest parades in Pheasant Fest history, the kickoff featured over 100 dogs representing 30 different breeds. The pups trotted through the halls of the convention center, leading the way for a crowd of upland hunters, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts.
“This is our third time in Kansas City, and we’re honored to be here,” said Marilyn Vetter, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s president and CEO. “On behalf of the entire organization and our national board of directors, I want to thank all of our volunteers, supporters and partners for the nearly 29 million acres we’ve impacted over the years. We can’t wait to celebrate that legacy this weekend, as we also look to the future of conservation across the country.”
This year Pheasant Fest is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Quail Forever, which was founded in 2005 as Bobwhite quail populations continued to decline nationwide. In the two decades since, Quail Forever has impacted 7 million acres of habitat in quail country.
Prior to the ribbon cutting or bird dog parade, Pheasant Fest was preempted by the second annual Concert for Conservation. The event featured country duo Muscadine Bloodline, who played to a sold out crowd at the Uptown Theater on Thursday night.
When the doors opened at 12 noon, guests roamed the show floor taking in this year’s selection of over 300 of the nation’s top outdoor vendors. The first day of the seminar stage featured a wide variety of speakers, including public land hunting tips by Pheasants Forever journal editor Tom Carpenter and the announcement of the Arizona Quail Initiative, a brand new habitat program in the Southwest.
“Knowing what Quail Forever has been able to accomplish in the Midwest and Southeast, we thought it was time to get our act together in the Southwest,” said Jordan Martincich, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s vice president of development. “So we pulled a group of our leadership together, alongside our volunteers and partners, and founded the Arizona Quail Initiative in December 2024. Through this new endeavor, we’ll impact 100,000 acres across Arizona in the years to come.”
We’ll end the day today with our annual Upland Rally, where conservationists from across the country are set to raise thousands of dollars for Pheasants Forever’s habitat conservation mission. We’ll be back tomorrow with our first full day of the show floor and seminar schedule.
Doors open bright and early at 9 am.