Dec. 4, 2020

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever won’t be holding their annual National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in 2021.

The event was scheduled for February in Sioux Falls, which would have been the city’s second time hosting its largest visitor event.

“National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is driven by the person-to-person interactions surrounding our partners, exhibitors, bird dogs, hunting heritage, youth, banquets and so much more,” Howard Vincent, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever, said in a statement.

“Similarly, the organization’s habitat conservation mission over the long-term depends on keeping people healthy and engaged. We are simply not going to put our supporters in harm’s way. Instead, we will look forward to a remarkable 2022 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Omaha.”

The event will return to Sioux Falls in the future, but Omaha already was locked in for 2022, the organization said. It last hosted in 2011.

Pheasant Fest drew more than 28,000 people when it was held in Sioux Falls in 2018, making it one of the largest in the event’s 15-year history. That included its largest banquet ever, drawing 1,500 people.

Plans are underway to host a virtual gathering in late February 2021 “to kick off a brand-new, mission-centric campaign aimed at increasing public lands, upland bird populations and upland hunters as a whole,” the organization said.

“We’ve seen some amazing upland bird numbers this season, with lots of new hunters afield too,” Vincent said. “Likewise, we’ve experienced incredible support for the organization amid a global health crisis in this unprecedented year. Once again, the uplands have proven their value to all Americans as a place to cherish. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever intend to keep things that way by keeping everyone safe and healthy.”