Get off the fence and come: National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is calling.

By Tom Carpenter

I get it.

Life gets busy. There's lots going on. As much as you want to, it's hard to take a day (or maybe even a whole weekend) away.

If you're feeling that way about National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic this year (February 20-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center), I am here to help you over the fence and come.

Here's why.

Have you ever been to an Old Home Days celebration? It's an old-fashioned way to describe a town reunion.

In this case, the "town" is you, me and the rest of the upland hunting and habitat conservation community.

Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is just a happy-go-lucky place of like-minded people, educational and entertaining presentations, aisle after aisle of wonderful folks sharing their stories about their products and services … and good fun.

Nothing but smiles.

There's so much to see and do. I always recommend visits to Bird Dog Row. Taking a load off between aisle-wandering and sitting down at a seminar or two (come see me at the Public Lands and Path to the Uplands Stages if you get a chance). And so much more … take a full browse here.

And this year, it seems like we have more new product reveals and introductions than ever.

National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic has become THE place to learn about what's new in the upland hunting, bird dog, shotgun and conservation worlds.

To wit:

• Ruff Land Kennels — See the new locking system (it retrofits to existing kennels too) … plus cool new kennel colors, including fire engine red.
• Browning — Hold the new Citori 825 in 28 gauge, and see the new PF & QF 49-inch-tall gun safe.
• Weatherby — Get your hands on the new Sorix semi-auto shotgun, launching at the show.
• Gun Dog Grind — PF & QF'S new official coffee partner is introducing a brand-new PF Blend.
• Mossberg — Meet the new Maverick SA 12-gauge shotgun … a reliable, hardworking pheasant semiauto at an affordable price.
• Gunner Kennels — Get a first look at the new PF & QF Homestead Dog Bed, which will be available soon after Fest.
• Chief Upland — See how these vests keep getting better, and secure an Exclusive Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic T-Shirt.
• Garmin — Explore the new Beeper Battery Pack.
• Marsupial Gear — Take a gander at new colors in the popular Sun Tech Hoodie, including Blaze Orange for early season hunting or desert quail.
• PYKE Gear — Stop by for an exclusive Grouse Camp Tee and support all the grouse groups at Fest, and see what's new in the lineup.

That's just a flavor. Come and get the full meal deal.

Good old times. Great new friends and exciting new products. Get off that fence, and we'll see you at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic.

Tom Carpenter is editor of Pheasants Forever Journal and host of Carp and Lark's Pheasant Minute videos, among sundry other duties at The Habitat Organization.