Rooster Road Trip Episode 1:

Hunting for Habitat

The first morning of the Rooster Road Trip found us watching the sunrise over an expansive Wildlife Management Area in southwestern North Dakota. The dogs were ready, we were ready, but the habitat we were greeted with seemed a little sparse. Surveying the landscape, we decided to quickly cut through the short grass and dive right into the cattails. This wasn’t a normal move for a mid-October hunt, but our strategy quickly produced some tight holding hens – simply putting eyes on birds made the first walk jitters dissipate.

After moving around a few handfuls of pheasants and even seeing some sharp-tailed grouse, we decided to move north to another Wildlife Management Area that contained food plots, windbreaks, decent grass cover, and plenty of cattails. Much to our dismay, we found piles of wild-flushing pheasants in the cattails – not exactly what we were hoping to contend with during the midday heat, but we were able to slip a couple birds in our vests.

Choosing to let the heat dissipate, we put on some miles and arrived at a North Dakota PLOTS property for our last walk of the day. PLOTS stands for Private Land Open To Sportsmen, and this program allows access to habitat on private ground. In 2021, generous landowners have opened more than 800,000 acres to public access via PLOTS and we were excited to walk a few of these acres ourselves.

The weedy PLOTS property quickly produced waves of flushing roosters and hens well out of range, but we were lucky enough to bag a few as the light began to shift and the golden hour began to highlight the beautiful North Dakota landscape. This was a fantastic way to wrap up our first day of the Rooster Road Trip, and we hoped it was an omen for good things to come during the remainder of our travels.

The Rooster Road Trip is made possible by: Ruff Land Kennels, Browning firearms and apparel, Garmin training collars and tech, Thorogood boots, SoundGear hearing protection and enhancement, Federal Ammunition, Apple Autos, and South Dakota Tourism.

Getting to the Good Stuff

Education & Outreach Program Manager, Marissa Jensen, cuts through some short grass in order to dive into some cattails.

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Early Season Cattails

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Bob St. Pierre, tested the waterproof rating of his Thorogood boots during the first walk of the trip.

Semi-Auto Success

The Browning Maxus II Hunter provided the second rooster of the trip.

Marissa Jensen and Director of Marketing, Andrew Vavra, worked their way around a cattail slough found in a Wildlife Management Area.

Trying to Beat the Heat

Marissa Jensen and Director of Marketing, Andrew Vavra, worked their way around a cattail slough found in a Wildlife Management Area.

Happy Dogs Equal Happy Hunters

Precision Ag & Conservation Specialist, Emily Spolyar, had an ace up her sleeve in the form of a two-year-old setter name "Riggins".

Focused on Pheasants

Eleven-month-old GWP, Quill, patiently waiting to be released by North Dakota Senior Field Representative, Renee Tomala.

All in the Eyes

Andrew Vavra’s four-year-old French Britt, Baxter, captured during a rare moment of stillness.

The Sound of Success

Boots laced up, Garmin Alpha 10 tracking, and SoundGear Phantoms inserted – time to hunt.

The Whole Point

Marissa Jensen’s GSP, Reece, showing off with a stylish point.

Water Crossing

Bob St. Pierre walks the edge of a meandering creek found on a ND PLOTS property.

Into the Sun

Brownings in tow, Renee Tomala and Andrew Vavra work to keep up with their dogs as the light begins to shift.

Best Friends

Emily Spolyar and Riggins take a moment to enjoy a beautiful day in the field.

In the Bag

A weedy PLOTS property proved to be the ticket for connecting on some roosters.

All Smiles

(L to R) Emily Spolyar, Bridger the Cocker Spaniel, Baxter, Andrew Vavra, Quill, and Renee Tomala showing off what quality habitat can produce.

Creek Crossings

Finding spots to safely cross this meandering creek (while staying dry) was almost as difficult as locating roosters.

PLOTS Provides

(L to R) Bob St. Pierre, Esky the GSP, Marissa Jensen, Reese, Aspen the yellow Lab, and Graphic Design Manager, Logan Hinners, pose in front of a PLOTS sign.