The Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic is the largest upland trade show and convention in America Behind seemingly every American game bird or animal is a hunter-funded conservation group working to ensure that it not only survives but thrives. These organizations harness the passion millions of American sportsmen have for their favorite game species and transform it into a currency to fund habitat protection and restoration efforts. It’s a genius model that has been the private sector engine for North American conservation since the 1930s when many continental wildlife populations were on the brink of collapse following the infamous Dust Bowl. The approach has raised billions of dollars to conserve tens of millions of acres from the Canadian prairies to the piney woods of South Georgia. While the motivation is to produce a future with more game, hundreds of non-game species benefit as well—including many threatened and endangered animals—all the while the work also improves air, water, and soil quality. You may not want to hunt, but there’s no denying the incalculable benefits of hunter-funded conservation to all manner of North American fish and wildlife. Over 25,000 will attend the 3-day event focusing on wildlife conservation, upland game bird hunting, ... [+] bird dogs, wildlife habitat management, pollinators and more VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images For St. Paul, Minnesota-based sister organizations Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, bringing their flock together annually to celebrate the upland life is a chance to showcase the riches of the lifestyle and to connect like-minded conservationists from across North America. From March 7-9, the two organizations expect more than 25,000 members and supporters to make the pilgrimage to Kansas City to transform it into a Mecca for gun dog lovers and game bird aficionados. The event is loaded with entertainment from big-name music acts to a bird dog parade to speakers who are experts on all things bird hunting, gun dogs and conservation. Whether you want to raise, train and care for a bird dog, learn to transform pheasant and quail into gourmet dining, or better understand the challenges facing upland conservation and what you can do to help, Pheasant Fest is the place to network with thousands of hunters who share a love for two of America’s most popular game birds. MORE FOR YOU Google Starts Tracking All Your Devices As Chrome Changes NYT Mini Crossword Today: Clues And Answers For Tuesday, February 18 Delta Flight Crashes In Toronto: 18 Passengers Injured, No Fatalities As Cause Of Incident Is Under Investigation Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters are empowered with 100 percent control of their ... [+] locally-raised funds to complete conservation projects in their own communities. Dorsey Pictures All manner of sporting dog breeders, gear manufacturers, destination bird hunting lodges, sporting clothiers, boot makers, and shotgun sellers can be found as you wander the aisles of the sprawling show floor at the Kansas City Convention Center. Whether you want to hunt roosters in South Dakota or quail in South Georgia, Pheasant Fest is where you go to broker the foray. “For three days a year the event is the center of the bird hunting universe,” says Steve Lamboy of Negrini, makers of ultra-premium Italian gun cases that you’d trust to ship a Stradivarius. “The people who attend Pheasant Fest are the most passionate, super-charged consumers in the category, so of course we want to be there.” Steve Lamboy. President and CEO of Negrini Cases and son Luka Dorsey Pictures Beyond the revelry of the event, however, is the serious business of raising funds to fulfill the organizations’ conservation missions. The two groups boast 743 chapters across the country with more than 480,000 members, supporters, and partners. More than $120 million was committed to their mission in 2024. Since their founding in 1982, Pheasants Forever has improved nearly 30 million acres of habitat over more than a half million projects. They also helped open nearly 300,000 acres of private lands to public hunting. The nation’s nearly three million pheasant and quail hunters, according to one study, delivered nearly $10 billion in economic impact across America in 2024. In addition to support for the work of these organizations, upland bird hunters pumped billions more dollars into private lands management, and their license sales and excise taxes paid on guns and ammunition have been the funding backbone for state wildlife agencies for more than a generation. That is, there’s plenty for sportsmen to celebrate when they come together in Kansas City to showcase their herculean conservation efforts. Each ticket to Pheasant Fest comes with a 6-month membership to either Pheasants Forever or Quail ... [+] Forever For the nation’s bobwhite quail hunters, however, the work to restore habitat can’t come soon enough. Between 1966 and 2014, the birds’ numbers declined by more than 85 percent due to habitat loss, fragmentation, increased predation, widespread pesticide use, and other factors. The urgency to restore one of America’s most beloved game birds has never been greater. The organizations’ work is aimed at stemming that tide. “We’re working to maximize our dollars and efforts to deliver ever-more habitat,” says Marilyn Vetter, President and CEO of both organizations. “And a key part of our strategy is to expand our ranks to empower a brighter future for the birds and for the people who cherish them, while maximizing return-on-investment for the private landowners and public interest.” Marilyn Vetter serves over 400,000 members as President and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail ... [+] Forever As their strategy to deliver private-public conservation solutions on a continental scale comes to fruition, there will undoubtedly be plenty to crow about. It’s just another chapter that American sportsmen have been writing since Teddy Roosevelt awakened the nation’s conservation consciousness a century ago. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades