During the 2010 hunting season, I had opportunity to hunt in some private pheasant hunting preserves and in the many walk-in access (WIA) areas of eastern Colorado. Both were fun, and both have their uses. Below are my experiences, which hopefully will help you make an informed decision about which hunting venue is right for you. I admittedly generalize hunting preserves a little for the sake of brevity, and I apologize to those round ones that don’t fit into my square hole.
The Birds
I’ve heard some folks refer to the hunting experience at private preserves as “kick-and-shoot,” as if you walk up to a tame bird, kick it to make it fly and then shoot it down. The truth is, I’ve walked within a few feet of birds in preserves and had them flush behind me (and consequently scare me half to death) when I pass. But I’ve had that happen in WIA areas with thoroughly wild birds too. I’ve also had birds flush so far away in preserves and WIA areas that I could not have hit them with a heat-seeking missle.
The pheasants in preserves are not tame, but they’re not wild either. They have the same instincts as true, wild pheasants: they run, hold and flush. Preserve pheasants are usually raised in captivity and released into the hunting fields in preparation for your hunt. Occasionally, you’ll run into some who survived the past season and are, for all intents and purposes, wild. But on average, they’re not as evasive, tough and fast as a wild pheasant.
Wild pheasants have survived by holding steadier, running faster or flushing harder than the ones that got eaten. They are stronger than pheasants raised in captivity and, consequently, fly faster and farther. Personally, I find more satisfaction and a greater sense of accomplishment when taking a wild pheasant. But the ones I shot on the preserve tasted great too.
The Dog
There’s nothing quite like shooting a pheasant over your own well-trained dog. It’s thrilling to watch my Labrador home in on a pheasant. It doesn’t matter whether it’s holding tight or running like crazy; the thrill of following her to the bird, gun at the ready is a real adrenaline rush. And it doesn’t matter to her if it’s a wild pheasant or a preserve pheasant. She gets just as birdie either way, and so do I. But dogs don’t start out well-trained. They need practice.
When you are training a bird dog, you want her to have a very high success rate and become passionate about finding birds. In Colorado, one of the best ways to help her gain the experience without her becoming bored or discouraged is taking her to a preserve.
In fact, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to let a young dog have her first few hunts on a preserve. If you’re an inexperienced hunter, it’s a good place for you to learn the ropes too. Preserve hunts generally provide a guide and trained dogs if you need them. Labradors often learn well by watching what other dogs do, and most preserves are happy to let your dog run with theirs.
Sooner or later, though, you’ll want to take yourself, and your dog, to the next level. WIA areas are a great place to hunt savvy, tough, and usually more sparse birds.
The Hunting Grounds
Hunting preserves are typically divided into multiple lots, one of which you’ll have to yourself. It is restocked with birds prior to your hunt. You also usually can hunt for roosters and hens. All in all, it’s a fairly easy hunting experience with good chances for success.
WIA areas, however, are not predictably restocked, and you can only hunt roosters. Birds come and go, feed and nest, settle in a particular area, and leave it for better areas. I’ve hunted some promising WIA areas multiple times and have seen nothing. And I’ve frequented other areas that seemed particularly trampled by hunters and taken pheasants every time. To quote the great philosopher Forrest Gump, “ya never know what you’re gonna get.” If it were easy, it wouldn’t be called hunting; it would be called finding.
The Experience
I thoroughly enjoy eating what I kill. But let’s face it: I could go to the grocery store and buy a pretty tasty eight-piece chicken dinner for five bucks, so it’s really not so much about the food. For me, hunting pheasant is largely about bonding with my kids and hunting with my dog. If I’m hunting alone, it often becomes more about the endurance and challenge (and make no mistake about it, hunting in freezing temperatures with nothing to block the wind in eastern Colorado takes some endurance).
But hunting on a preserve has its rewards too. If you’re looking for a fairly easy day of shooting some clays, bagging some birds and having lunch with some other hunters in a nice lodge, you can’t beat a nice private preserve. Or maybe you just want a good refresher hunt to kick the season off. There’s nothing wrong with that either.
The Price
If cost is a major factor in your decision, you may be surprised to learn it can be cheaper to hunt at a preserve. For example, if you are hunting by yourself and hailing from Denver, a trip to Rocky Mountain Roosters in Calahan, Colorado, will run you $175 for a three hour hunt and five birds, plus a tank of gas.
It’d hardly be worth the 6-hour round-trip to eastern Colorado's WIA areas (not to mention the hours of creeping down back roads looking for birds) to just stay one day. You need at least two days to keep it relaxing. You may get five birds, or you may not. But you’ll definitely use 2-1/2 tanks of gas, plus pay for food and lodging. With today’s gas prices, fair-chase hunting isn’t necessarily more financially feasible. Of course, if you’re hunting with a cohort, hunting at a preserve gets more expensive more quickly than WIA hunting.
Regardless of where you decide to hunt, the important things are: enjoy yourself, enjoy your kids, and enjoy your dog.
The Birds
I’ve heard some folks refer to the hunting experience at private preserves as “kick-and-shoot,” as if you walk up to a tame bird, kick it to make it fly and then shoot it down. The truth is, I’ve walked within a few feet of birds in preserves and had them flush behind me (and consequently scare me half to death) when I pass. But I’ve had that happen in WIA areas with thoroughly wild birds too. I’ve also had birds flush so far away in preserves and WIA areas that I could not have hit them with a heat-seeking missle.
The pheasants in preserves are not tame, but they’re not wild either. They have the same instincts as true, wild pheasants: they run, hold and flush. Preserve pheasants are usually raised in captivity and released into the hunting fields in preparation for your hunt. Occasionally, you’ll run into some who survived the past season and are, for all intents and purposes, wild. But on average, they’re not as evasive, tough and fast as a wild pheasant.
Wild pheasants have survived by holding steadier, running faster or flushing harder than the ones that got eaten. They are stronger than pheasants raised in captivity and, consequently, fly faster and farther. Personally, I find more satisfaction and a greater sense of accomplishment when taking a wild pheasant. But the ones I shot on the preserve tasted great too.
The Dog
There’s nothing quite like shooting a pheasant over your own well-trained dog. It’s thrilling to watch my Labrador home in on a pheasant. It doesn’t matter whether it’s holding tight or running like crazy; the thrill of following her to the bird, gun at the ready is a real adrenaline rush. And it doesn’t matter to her if it’s a wild pheasant or a preserve pheasant. She gets just as birdie either way, and so do I. But dogs don’t start out well-trained. They need practice.
When you are training a bird dog, you want her to have a very high success rate and become passionate about finding birds. In Colorado, one of the best ways to help her gain the experience without her becoming bored or discouraged is taking her to a preserve.
In fact, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to let a young dog have her first few hunts on a preserve. If you’re an inexperienced hunter, it’s a good place for you to learn the ropes too. Preserve hunts generally provide a guide and trained dogs if you need them. Labradors often learn well by watching what other dogs do, and most preserves are happy to let your dog run with theirs.
Sooner or later, though, you’ll want to take yourself, and your dog, to the next level. WIA areas are a great place to hunt savvy, tough, and usually more sparse birds.
The Hunting Grounds
Hunting preserves are typically divided into multiple lots, one of which you’ll have to yourself. It is restocked with birds prior to your hunt. You also usually can hunt for roosters and hens. All in all, it’s a fairly easy hunting experience with good chances for success.
WIA areas, however, are not predictably restocked, and you can only hunt roosters. Birds come and go, feed and nest, settle in a particular area, and leave it for better areas. I’ve hunted some promising WIA areas multiple times and have seen nothing. And I’ve frequented other areas that seemed particularly trampled by hunters and taken pheasants every time. To quote the great philosopher Forrest Gump, “ya never know what you’re gonna get.” If it were easy, it wouldn’t be called hunting; it would be called finding.
The Experience
I thoroughly enjoy eating what I kill. But let’s face it: I could go to the grocery store and buy a pretty tasty eight-piece chicken dinner for five bucks, so it’s really not so much about the food. For me, hunting pheasant is largely about bonding with my kids and hunting with my dog. If I’m hunting alone, it often becomes more about the endurance and challenge (and make no mistake about it, hunting in freezing temperatures with nothing to block the wind in eastern Colorado takes some endurance).
But hunting on a preserve has its rewards too. If you’re looking for a fairly easy day of shooting some clays, bagging some birds and having lunch with some other hunters in a nice lodge, you can’t beat a nice private preserve. Or maybe you just want a good refresher hunt to kick the season off. There’s nothing wrong with that either.
The Price
If cost is a major factor in your decision, you may be surprised to learn it can be cheaper to hunt at a preserve. For example, if you are hunting by yourself and hailing from Denver, a trip to Rocky Mountain Roosters in Calahan, Colorado, will run you $175 for a three hour hunt and five birds, plus a tank of gas.
It’d hardly be worth the 6-hour round-trip to eastern Colorado's WIA areas (not to mention the hours of creeping down back roads looking for birds) to just stay one day. You need at least two days to keep it relaxing. You may get five birds, or you may not. But you’ll definitely use 2-1/2 tanks of gas, plus pay for food and lodging. With today’s gas prices, fair-chase hunting isn’t necessarily more financially feasible. Of course, if you’re hunting with a cohort, hunting at a preserve gets more expensive more quickly than WIA hunting.
Regardless of where you decide to hunt, the important things are: enjoy yourself, enjoy your kids, and enjoy your dog.
