EP. 301: Opening Private Land to Public Hunting Access

Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Pheasants Forever’s North Dakota State Coordinator Emily Spolyar and North Dakota’s Department of Game & Fish Private Land Section Leader Kevin Kading for a conversation about the state’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) program. The discussion covers the history and goals of the PLOTS program, as well as some special memories each person wouldn’t have experienced without private landowners opening their acres to public land hunters. Episode Highlights: • Kading kicks off the discussion with a look back to PLOTS’s creation in 1987, evolution through the years, and program goals for the future. Kading also explains how the state’s pheasant populations and access acres have mirrored the state’s enrollment in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. • Spolyar and Kading recap the state’s first-ever Habitat & Access Summit, which took place in December 2024. They both were extremely pleased to hear the new North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong talk about the importance of hunting and access to the state’s values and culture. onX Hunt is a proud supporter of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and they want to thank everyone who gives back to the birds we all love to hunt and the places they call home. Click this link to get a free month of onX Hunt and then use code PFQF to get 20% off, and a portion will go back to supporting Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s wildlife habitat mission.