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Wearing the Browning Buck Mark with pride as pheasant hunters and conservationists

By Bob St.Pierre

In 2003, Browning became the first company to earn a license to the Pheasants Forever logo for use on hunting apparel.  This was a milestone for Pheasants Forever because the partnership brought the power of Browning to the retail market expanding our brand’s exposure, while also helping generate a new royalty revenue stream for the organization’s habitat mission.  A few years later, Browning acquired Bird n’ Lite vests and added this ground-breaking upland line to the Pheasants Forever collection of products.  

In 2016, Browning added Brian Hobert to their team.  Brian came to Browning with a background in golf and technical clothing and was a hungry new bird hunter.  Brian and I hit it off immediately and I’m proud to have witnessed both his first South Dakota rooster and Alabama bobwhite.  It didn’t take long before Brian enthusiastically tackled a revitalization of the Pheasants Forever upland line with an emphasis on quality materials like Gore-Tex, technical design, functionality specific to bird hunting with dogs, and the addition of women’s upland hunting apparel.   

Pheasants Forever supporters should also take satisfaction in knowing that this entire line was shaped with the help of Pheasants Forever chapter members.  That’s right, I traveled across Pheasant Country with Browning designers during the summer of 2016 to conduct focus groups with chapter volunteers about their favorite hunting clothing items.  The results of those conversations and countless field tests helped shape the new 2019 Browning line of Pheasants Forever upland gear. 
 
As you check out our Rooster Road Trip photos and videos this week, you’ll notice we’re all proudly wearing the new Browning line of upland apparel.  Many of the products are available through Pheasants Forever at PFStore.org.  If you can’t find the specific item you’re searching for through Pheasants Forever, you can find the line at Gander Outdoors, Fleet Farm, Reeds Family Outdoor Outfitters, and a variety of sporting goods retailers around the country.  If you don’t see what you’re looking for in your favorite sporting goods establishment, the best thing you can do is ask for it at your local outlet.  Those requests are critical to generating large orders and help grow the line.  Of course you can also go direct to Browning’s website on their upland page.

While I can whole-heartedly endorse every single item in this line, I do have three favorites from the new men’s line and Marissa Jensen has two favorites from the women’s clothing collection.
 
1)    PF & Browning Upland Softshell: I hunt in layers and every bird hunter knows the most important layer is the upland hunter’s jacket.  It’s gotta fight back morning dew, prairie winds, snow, and briars. At $109.99, this is the handsome bird hunting jacket you’ve been looking for that’s tough enough for the field while also at home in the local café enjoying the hot beef commercial lunch special.   
 
2)    Browning Upland Gore-Tex Jacket: “Bomb-proof.”  That’s how my buddy Brian Hobert describes this STUD of a jacket.  He’s right about its durability too.  Earlier this season, I hunted ruffed grouse and woodcock in Wisconsin on a Saturday I was determined to spend afield.  It was pouring rain and my crew had picked the gnarliest, thorniest, tag-alder stand I’ve ever hunted and it was absolutely LOADED with woodcock.  Three guys shot limits of doodles in a couple of hours all over points, and thanks to this category-killer of a rain jacket, I was warm, dry and comfortable from start to finish.  It does have a hefty price-tag at $359.99, but it’ll earn every penny when you reach your own Rooster Road Trip destination to find it’s going to rain for three days straight.  It’s the real deal and will keep you in the field.
 
3)    PF Browning Bird ‘N Lite Strap Vest 2.0: As mentioned above, I wear layers when I bird hunt.  On top of my shell, the next most important component is a comfortable and functional strap vest.  The Bird ‘N Lite has always been the most comfortable strap vest on the market with it’s perfect three belt system that displaces the weight of your gear, shells, and birds across your waist and shoulders as evenly as a backpack.  What takes the 2.0 to the next level is the improvements to the vest’s durability, particularly in the shell pockets.  The old version’s pockets were made of cotton and would eventually tear after a few years of brush-busting.  This new 2.0 version features a wonderful durable ripstop material on all the pockets.  At $149.99, you simply cannot find any strap vest near this quality for that price on the upland market.  No chance.  Period.  

By Marissa Jensen



1)    PF Browning Women’s Upland Shirt: If one can have a lucky hunting shirt, this is unequivocally mine. The Women’s Upland Shirt fits the way a women’s hunting shirt should and is durable enough to withstand whatever brush you plan on walking through. It looks great as a casual shirt when you’re spending a night out on the town, or on a warm weather day in the field. Freezing temperatures? Use it as a layer to wick away sweat to help you retain heat; the Women’s Upland Shirt can truly do it all. With vertical and horizontal venting in the back it keeps you cool knowing that we work hard in the uplands. The shirt comes in two options, a light blue plaid, or my favorite, olive green. At $59.99 why pick a color when you can have them both. 
 
2)    Browning Women’s Upland Pant: As I’ve heard from several hunting friends, “it’s all about the pants.” After trying the Browning Women’s Upland Pants, I finally understand. On the taller spectrum of women, I struggle to find comfortable pants that fit in the waste and are long enough, and I’m happy to report these do it all. After all the rain many states received this year, I welcomed these water resistance pants as my hunting partners trudged along next to me looking miserable and wet. With an articulated knee, it allows for easy movement regardless of terrain. The woven fabric can withstand everything from sand burrs to cattails and gnarly thistles. At $74.99, I have several pair and the chocolate color is a nice touch (and looks great with the above Women’s Upland Shirt). If you’re looking for a pair of upland pants that look good, feel good and hold up to the challenges of the uplands; these are the pants for you.

Marissa and I are proud to wear the Browning Buck Mark on our gear as pheasant hunters and conservationists.  It’s terrific quality and every item sold featuring the Pheasants Forever logo generates a contribution to our organization’s habitat mission.  Now that’s a company who understands the big picture and why Browning rides the slogan “The Best There is!”  

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip online at: 

Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Podcast / Rooster Road Trip web page

Rooster Road Trip 2019 Sponsors:

Sincerest thanks to our partners riding shotgun: Apple Autos, Browning, Federal Premium Ammunition, Garmin, ORCA Coolers, Ruff Land Kennels, CampChef, SoundGear, Irish Setter, and Nebraska Game & Parks Commission.