The Flush Podcast - Stories from the field

Puppy Development training is the foundation for every bird dog. We walk step by step through “The Method” training process with puppies from the moment you start looking for a bird dog to the day you introduce them to birds and gun fire for the first time. We bring two dogs into the show with three highly qualified dog trainers, Sonny Piekarz, Jordan Wells, & George Lyall, to discuss why it’s important to come up with a 2-year plan, picking up your puppy and bringing it home, kennel training, potty training, sleep training, physical touch, developing good habits, working through vocal frustrations, how & where to socialize a puppy, becoming their leader, and we end the show by introducing a puppy to a live bird for the first time. @haycreekkennel @jwellskennels Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://www.gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Financial (https://compeer.com/)

When dog owners struggle, that’s when they call trainers for help. On this episode, we sit down with dog owners that share their struggles and the trainers that helped them overcome them. Sonny Piekarz, Jordan Wells & George Lyall explain how to understand the mindset of dogs and the power that comes with it. @haycreekkennel @jwellskennels Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://www.gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Financial (https://compeer.com/)

Bird hunters unite to get their hands dirty working on habitat. John Wartman, president of the Carver County Pheasants Forever chapter explains why his chapter won the 2024 Forever award, why adding opportunities for chapter members to work together has given his chapter renewed life, the value and bond created by volunteering, Hands on Habitat day, stories introducing kids to hunting and wild places, plus a whole lot more…@pheasantsforever Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/) GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://www.gaim.com/) Aberdeen (HuntFishSD.com) & Compeer Financial (https://compeer.com/)

*LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED* Adam Thomas shares his horrifying story of a bird dog training drill that backfired and sent him on a helicopter to the closest ER. Adam relives the events leading up to the explosion, explains why it happened, how his body and mind reacted to it, his hope for a full recovery, lessons learned, and maintaining his goal of training his bird dog, Charlie, to compete in the NAVHDA Invitational this fall. Adam’s story serves as a reminder of the dangers in the field and how quick life can change. @athomasone Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/) & GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://www.gaim.com/)

Listeners share their real-life stories while at the 2025 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Kansas City, MO. This is an open mic episode where Travis Frank & Scott Fransen hear from guests sharing their own experiences in the field, from epic success to unexpected heartbreaks, this episode takes us on a wild journey with bird dogs, habitat heroes, laughs, tears, inspiration, and a whole lot more. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/) & GAIM Hunting & Shooting Simulator (https://www.gaim.com/)

Listeners share their real life stories while at the 2025 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Kansas City, MO. This is an open mic episode where Travis Frank & Scott Fransen hear from guests sharing their own experiences in the field, from epic success to unexpected heartbreaks, this episode takes us on a wild journey with bird dogs, habitat heroes, laughs, tears, conservation, inspiration, and a whole lot more. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Join us for our 3rd annual Upland Trivia game hosted LIVE at Border Brewing Co. in Kansas City at Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. Will George Lyall continue his dominance? Will Tyler Webster rebound from his disappointing finish last year? Play along with a packed house of listeners that came to cheer on the crew, heckle the hosts, and take home prizes. @western.wingshooter.podcast | @g.lyall66 | @fransenscott Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is finally here! We count down the final hours before the show opens to preview our schedule of events in Kansas City. Plus, we share a listener story that won’t soon be forgotten. We’ll see you at the largest upland gathering in the world! Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Ben Brettingen from OnX Hunt & Hannah Petersen from Mud Lake Kennels join the show for a spring dog training episode that dives into the mindsight of raising bird dogs and honing their natural skills. The episode begins with a brief game of upland trivia, followed by a Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic preview, then dives into Hannah’s journey into dog training, canine obedience training, introducing a puppy to wild birds, gaining confidence through experience, trusting the process, reading your dog, flipping the light switch, Minnesota Grouse Dog Association trials, bird dog trials vs hunting, Ben joins the RGS & AWS Board, plus so much more …@mudlake_kennels | @benbrettingen Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Ryan O'Shaughnessy, Executive Director of Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation joins the show for an in-depth conversation on America’s wild quail. Ryan and Travis discuss the RPQRF mission, biology & behavior of quail, quail research projects, parasites in quail, eye worms & cecal worms, Quail Gaurd, quail mating and nesting, quail habitat and timely rains, grazing for quail, preserving quail hunting in America, predation, winter survival, and so much more …@rpqrf | www.quailresearch.org Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Marilyn Vetter, Bob St. Pierre, & Ron Leathers of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever join us for an in-depth “State of the Union” habitat conversation. We discuss the health of the organization, conservation partnerships and what they mean for wildlife, internal strengths and opportunities, members are growing, Federal Farm Bill & DC happenings, habitat heroes & leaders, looking inward, celebrating 20 years of Quail Forever, Hands on Habitat, bird biology, Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic preview, listener questions, season highlights, and so much more…@pheasantsforever | @quailforever Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Scott Fransen, Tyler Webster, Tim Brown & our loyal listeners join us to celebrate 250 episodes of The Flush podcast and help us answer the question, “what will you remember from this hunting season?” Join us as we relive incredible moments and unforgettable stories from the uplands. From skunk retrieves to porcupines, first hunts to last hunts, epic misses to perfect shots, amazing dog retrieves to the ones that got away, and so much more. It’s a special story time episode in “The Roost.” Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Scott & Hannah Fransen join the show to provide an update to Hannah’s journey into hunting. Hannah shares the steps she took to finally harvest her first bird, the struggles she overcame, the mental game a first-time hunter must endure, missing birds, breaking through, learning how to read habitat, becoming one with her bird dog, appreciating wild places, and future goals as a hunter that’s hooked. Plus, Scott gives a father’s perspective of this journey, pheasant updates from the last week of hunting in South Dakota, The Flush Podcast now has video, and we begin sharing hunting stories from our listeners. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (https://www.luckyduck.com/) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Nick Martin is known as the Iowa Bird Chaser. Nick is on a mission to harvest a wild pheasant on public land in every county in Iowa. We discuss the goal Nick set for himself and the value of setting goals, the struggles that have come trying to find birds on some public properties, what he’s learned about himself, grading Iowa’s public lands, celebrating success, breaking down a property, the ones that get away, achieving goals, finding a hunting balance in life, and so much more...@iowa_birdchaser Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (https://www.luckyduck.com/) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

Steve Hall is a farmer, bird hunter, dog breeder, family man, and volunteer PF chapter member from central Iowa. Steve and Travis discuss life on the farm, balancing agriculture farming with wildlife habitat, breeding bird dogs, checking the boxes to breed dogs, falling in love with a dog breed, experiences & lessons learned raising puppies, finding the right homes for bird dogs, hunting accidents, grading this hunting season, upland bird hunting in Iowa, balancing family time with hunting, positive attitude in life, laughing off a scary hunting accident, and more @castironkennels Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (https://www.luckyduck.com/) Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com) & Marsh Wear Clothing (https://www.marshwearclothing.com/)

David Thionnet is a lifelong quail hunter from Oklahoma. David and Travis share stories from their action-packed bobwhite quail hunt, David explains the quail hunting tradition that hooked him as a young child and his love of the covey rise, why numbers are up this year, habitat that helps and hurts quail populations, hunting with 6 bird dogs at one time, OLAP public access program, Quail Coalition, sharing in the hunting traditions, more stories from Beadie the blind bird hunter, and plenty more! Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (https://www.luckyduck.com/) & Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com)

Beadie Brown is a blind bird hunter that lost his eyesight during a tragic hunting accident at the age of 12. Beadie relives the story when he was shot in the field and then explains how he continues to hunt today with the help of his nephew Kaleb Curry. Beadie discusses how he navigates terrain in the field, training and hunting with his own bird dogs, experiencing the power of the flush, holding each bird in hand, learning patience, the importance of hunting safety, overcoming your own obstacles to reach your goals, attitude is everything, helping others leads to greater rewards, fishing solo without eyesight, never let anything stop you in life, and so much more. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Lucky Duck Premium Kennels (https://www.luckyduck.com/) & Hoksey Native Seeds (https://hokseynativeseeds.com)

Kurt Swenson is a North Dakota landowner and hunter that makes his working land work for wildlife. Kurt helps us understand what it’s like to be a landowner on the other side of the door when hunters stop and ask permission to hunt his land. He explains when and why he lets people hunt, sharing the land program, building relationships, how to ruin private access for others, what landowners think about out-of-state hunters, what goes into building habitat, pheasant tattoos spark conservation conversations, all habitat is not created equal, working with ND state agencies, culling roosters, role playing hunter and landowner conversations, and so much more. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (https://www.luckyduck.com/) Federal Premium Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/) Sage and Braker (https://sageandbraker.com/) & Hunt North Dakota (https://www.helloND.com/)

Darwin Weeldreyer is a dedicated South Dakota pheasant hunter, Pheasants Forever volunteer, and habitat champion. We discuss pheasant populations in South Dakota, late season hunting tactics, enjoying the big flush during the late season, creating habitat, growing the upland bird hunting community, working together to make the land better, enjoying hunts with friends and strangers, and culling roosters before nasty winter weather hits and hurts the birds. We also share a list of Christmas wishes from our bird hunting listeners. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (https://www.luckyduck.com/) Federal Premium Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/) Sage and Braker (https://sageandbraker.com/) & Hunt North Dakota (https://www.helloND.com/)

Are there wild pheasants and bobwhite quail in Indiana? We join a passionate crew of upland bird hunters in the Hoosier State that can prove there are a lot of them. Craig Standish and his buddies explain why Indiana’s fertile soil grows wild pheasants and quail, how their efforts to create more wildlife habitat is working, their proof is in the flush, the power of good dogs, the return of bobwhite quail, farming practices that can work for wildlife, a little grass goes a long way, their roles as PF volunteers, and success stories from the hunt. Plus, Dave Gerts shares his experiences training bomb dogs to save soldiers during the war in Iraq. Presented by: Walton’s (https://www.waltons.com/) OnX Maps (https://www.onxmaps.com/) Aluma Trailers (https://www.alumaklm.com) Chief Upland (https://chiefupland.com/) Lucky Duck Premium Decoys (https://www.luckyduck.com/) Federal Premium Ammunition (https://www.federalpremium.com/) Sage and Braker (https://sageandbraker.com/) & Hunt North Dakota (https://www.helloND.com/)